Every animal needs to be taken care of in a specific way. Some of the most valuable information to have is how much to feed your pets. Overfeeding or underfeeding can be detrimental to your pet’s health and you want to make sure that you are giving your pet all the nutrition they need.
We’ve been keeping Bettas for about 2 years now, and have tried a few different combinations of feeds as well as different amounts of feeding. While feeding is going to differ from fish to fish, I thought I’d share what’s been working for us to help you figure out if it works for you too.
THE BETTA’S STOMACH
With every animal, you’re going to want to make sure you understand how big their stomach is. Have you ever been to an all-you-can-eat restaurant and regretted overeating? Well, the same can be said about each and every one of your pets.
Not only can overfeeding lead to issues such as obesity and constipation, but overeating can also lead to a number of illnesses you’ll want to keep track of.
Most commonly Bettas that are overfed bloat and start floating upside down. Bettas who are bloated or constipated tend to be deemed as dead by inexperienced Betta keepers, and this scare can be 100% avoidable.
Always remember, Bettas have very small stomachs which are around the same size of their eye. That being the case, it is extremely easy to overfeed them
HOW MANY PELLETS SHOULD I FEED?
Well, this is going to depend on how big your pellets are and how much they expand when wet. Lots of experts recommend you presoak the pellets to see how large they expand, but on average you will be feeding 3-6 pellets at a time.
This can be done once or twice a day dependant on your Bettas needs. We personally feed 3 pellets twice a day, especially as Blub is living in a smaller tank (2.5 Gallons) and while he’s usually swimming around, he doesn’t overexert like a fish in a 5 or 10 gallon would.
The more exercise your Betta gets, the more they will want to eat, but you shouldn’t feed more than 12-pellets a day, matter what size tank. If your Betta gets a lot of exercises and you want to ensure their health, think about rationing their food throughout the day.
INCREASING OR REDUCING YOUR BETTA’S FOOD & LEFTOVER FOOD
Make sure you’re watching your Betta see how fast he or she is eating their food. If your Betta doesn’t finish all of their food within a couple of minutes consider reducing the amount you’re feeding them.
Spoiled food isn’t good for a Betta and will increase the toxicity of the water they live in. Spoiled food will make the water more acidic than Bettas want/need.
If food is left over after feeding, make sure to scoop it out with a net. Try not to let the feed sink to the bottom, especially because it will be difficult to get the food out without doing a 100% water change. You can try using a Water Changer/Gravel Cleaner if you are noticing a build up of residue food.
I DON’T FEED PELLETS, I FEED BRINE SHRIMP, HOW MUCH DO I FEED?
Awesome that you can find Brine Shrimp! We find it really difficult to find Brine Shrimp in our area. It is suggested that you feed about one Brine Shrimp per feeding. Brine Fish have more nutrients than pellets, so you won’t need to feed as much of them as you would have to feed pellets.
You will also want to make sure you’re not overfeeding Brine Shrimp as they are much larger than pellets.
If your interested in learning more about live feed, exotic feed or non-traditional feed, check out this article.
I HEARD YOU SHOULD FAST YOUR BETTA IS THIS TRUE?
Yessir! We fast our Betta once a week. This is very important for bladder health. Bettas can live a generous amount of time without eating, so you should have no worries about “starving” them for a day.
CONCLUSION
Though you’re going to want to use this advice as a guideline to fish feeding, I highly recommend feeding your Betta between 3-6 pellets a day. Remember, this is going to depend on their energy levels and how big your fish tank is. The best advice I can give is to watch your Betta closely. If they are not eating all of the food you give them, are gaining/losing too much weight or showing signs of constipation, you’ve got a fairly clear sign of the changes you should be making. How much do you currently feed your Betta? Let me know in the comments below!
So much basic knowledge about fish care that I had no clue about!
Glad to be able to share it with you <3