Betta Food, is it all the same?

[briggs]

I have TopFinn betta bitts from petsmart.

When you drop one in, it floats for awhile, but as it soaks up water it starts to sink.

My problem, if it is one (maybe hes just not so hungry that he will chase it), is that 50-75% he will go for the bitt as it floats.. and just as he is about to snap at it (and i mean snap, he is vicious, i thikn he's stalking it), it starts to sink. and like i said, 50-75% of the time he will just let it sink and not bother eating. If the pellet is light enough and floats longer he can obvioulsy get it and gulps it down.

I've seen him charge the sinking bitts sometimes (which is good fun, he's a real killer).

Also, im not sure if he doenst like them or not.. but he spits it out sometimes. But i think it might be because A). that certain chunk is to big for him, and/or B) its to hard for him and he doesnt want to wait for it to soften up.

So is all betta pebble like food like this? I know they dont like flakes, dont really fit in their mouthes right.. Are there any betta foods that will always float no matter what? he seems picky.

Thanks!

[Minaku]

Not all betta foods are the same, no. Pellets can come in a great deal of varieties. Some are smaller, some are larger; some are made with better foods, some are packed with fillers like ash (!!!). If you'd like to entice your boy to eat, you can try getting different types of pellet foods. The two that my fish will eat no matter what are HBH and Hikari Bio-Gold. HBH has larger pellets, but they can vary in size and shape, and Hikari's pellets are smaller and more uniform.

If the pellets are too large you can crush them and feed the smaller bits. One of my fish has a problem eating pellets because of his mouth; I simply crush a pellet and give him the chunks.

When the food sinks the best thing to do is to scoop it out right away. Sometimes if the pellet has not become waterlogged I'll lift it to the surface with a net and replace it there. My fish will then grab it and eat it.

I've found that HBH pellets sink like a stone if they are struck at repeatedly, but Hikari's manage to float for a few minutes.

[briggs]

ok thanks. perhaps ill look for some small hikari's then. Small and float for awhile, that should make his breakfest/dinner more enjoyable.

[starlight]

Aquarian Betta Food is a good choice. The pellets are even smaller than Hikari Betta Bio Gold and the bettas seem to really like it.

[abm]

I also use the Aquarian pellets; they are smaller and the bettas really like them.

Also, the gel-packed foods are a nice change for the fish; I use the Tetra Delica brand of bloodworms in gel and my guys really enjoy this change from the pellet grind, so to speak;) They don't float but they are generally scarfed up long before they can reach the bottom!

Daphnia (freeze dried or otherwise) is also a nice switch from the routine.

Most of these foods are quite inexpensive and are available in many lps's and also online at many retailers. I would encourage you to try having different foods available for variety; your bettas will be healthier and happier as a result.

Also, just curious, how much are you feeding your betta? It's very easy to overfeed...but since your mom has had a betta for awhile, you're probably well acquainted with this fact. With the Aquarian pellets, I usually feed 3-4 per feeding. With the Biogold or Aquaculture pellets, about 2-3 per feeding since they're larger. One bloodworm per feeding and the daphnia is almost powder so "a small pinch"

[briggs]

actually it was my moms friend that had the betta.

he is offered about 3 pieces of topfinn betta bits twice a day, but only eats 2 of the 3.

I;ll either try the hikari or aquarian, depending on what they look like!

[abm]

Are these "betta bits" sort of long-ish, rectangular things, kinda soft and rubbery?

Just wondering. When I inherited my Pentecost that's what his prior owner was feeding him. He didn't like them at all and after his tank was warmer and I offered him different pellets he was a different, happier and active betta:)

[briggs]

hmm.. well they arent relaly any specific shapes, prett ymuch just.. chunks i guess. some are small some are bigger.

They arent soft and rubbery at all out of the can. they are quite hard actually, until they hit the water and then softten right up. It's just he doesnt like to wait until they soften up, so he either holds it in his mouth fo ra bit then eats it, or spits it out and lets it sink. soemtimes he even follows it to the bottom but doesnt eat it.

unfortuantely i cant go and buy a bunch of different types of food, because well.. #1 that costs money, #2 i dont know if i can really return opend food cans.. maybe they have samples of food or something.

but i hav a feeling that if i just get something where the bits are quite small and will float for awhile, even when soft then he will be more inclined to eat. He's just not a big eater i dont think. He isn't lazy at all though thats for sure, even with my water temp.

[spyker]

briggs said:

I have TopFinn betta bitts from petsmart.

When you drop one in, it floats for awhile, but as it soaks up water it starts to sink.

My problem, if it is one (maybe hes just not so hungry that he will chase it), is that 50-75% he will go for the bitt as it floats.. and just as he is about to snap at it (and i mean snap, he is vicious, i thikn he's stalking it), it starts to sink. and like i said, 50-75% of the time he will just let it sink and not bother eating. If the pellet is light enough and floats longer he can obvioulsy get it and gulps it down.

I've seen him charge the sinking bitts sometimes (which is good fun, he's a real killer).

Also, im not sure if he doenst like them or not.. but he spits it out sometimes. But i think it might be because A). that certain chunk is to big for him, and/or B) its to hard for him and he doesnt want to wait for it to soften up.

So is all betta pebble like food like this? I know they dont like flakes, dont really fit in their mouthes right.. Are there any betta foods that will always float no matter what? he seems picky.

Thanks!

quite alot of betta owners r facing these difficulties as well.
1 solution is to crush the pellets till it becomes grainy.
if dat fails... switch to another brand coz' maybe the one u bought is not ideal for yur Betta.

anyways... i'm now feeding my betta wif "EeJika Betta Food" as a staple diet.
it comes in tiny bits (like sand) & he loves it!
he will finish every single tiny bit of food in the tank & won't leave any leftovers.
this food is the floating type so it won't degrade the water condition.
altho' some bits will inevitably sink to the bottom... he will naturally slurp them all up.

the EeJika Betta food is he's favourtite... apart from FD blood worms.
i also noticed he seems to move his bowels more regularly after cumsuming the abovesaid Betta Food which comes w/ some Fiber in the ingredients as well.
FD blood worms will cause him to have a slight constipation. so i'm thinking of feeding wif Frozen bloodworms instead.

maybe yur betta is a fussy eater.
afaik, the most favourite staple diet among Bettas is "Hikari Betta Bio-Gold". feed him after crushing a pellet & see how it goes.

an occasionally treat wif Frozen bloodworms given to yur Betta will make him real happy.
2-3 worms will easily last him coupla days w/ small amounts of Betta Food in between (if u like to do so).
try not to get the betta hooked onto the bloodworms by feeding it too often ... or else it will stop eating Betta Food & wants to eat bloodworms instead.
jus once or twice a week of bloodworm treats will suffice.

there r 2 types of food dat Bettas hate:
Freed Dried Tubifex worms (in cubes) & Flake food.

here's 2 very informative articles for u to browse thru'...
www.healthybetta.com/Care/page%208-food.htm
www.healthybetta.com/articles/New%20To%20Bettas/food.html

good luck.

[briggs]

I posted this about 3 weeks ago.

he is obsessed with the betta bites now.

He enjoys pea

He hates flakes/shrimp

He hates bloodworms

He owes me money!

[briggs]

Right then, so I'm at it again.

Things he likes..
- Topfin betta bites
- Chunks of pea

Things he dislikes
- topfin bloodworms (bugger)
- tropical medly junk w/brine shrimp (my girlfriends betta likes it apparently)

I'm down to two more choices from petsmart.
- Top finn freeze dried shrimp
- Hikari Bio-Pure Food Daphnia

Anyone used these before for their bettas? They arent exactly classfied as betta food i dont think, but i read somewhere that adult males will eat daphnia also.

As for the shrimp.. do we think that since he didnt like the brine shrimp he wont like the shrimp pellets (made for bottom feeders/goldfish -- is that an issue?)

I really hope its nothing to do with the brand of say.. blood worms. I'd hate to have to go buy bloodworms by another company just to see if he likes thsoe.. he's runnin me a dining bill thats for sure.

Any other suggestions? I see there are hbh bites.. hikari bites.. but he is fine with his pellet food so i dont need to worry about that, just wanted to get something else through his system

Thank ya

[Rachel]

So he's not digging the fd bloodworms? All of my fish have always liked the Top Fin brand, although they shouldn't vary that much by brand name. FD daphnia is more commonly rejected by bettas from what I've heard of people's experiences. My guys won't touch the stuff, but will eat pretty much anything else. I've never tried shrimp pellets, but it's worth a shot if you break them up for a betta. Do you have frozen or gel food (Tetra is the common brand of gel) available? That's the way to go if you really want to add some variety that he most likely won't refuse.

[amanichen]

Carnivorous fish are often resistant to changes in food. Just because they don't like something doesn't mean you should give up on it. Given a few days of nothing but a new food, a betta will get hungry enough and will begin eating it.

Ideally, you want your fish to accept a variety of foods, but you don't have to buy 30 different types to see what the fish likes. Instead, train your fish to eat new foods.

[briggs]

amanichen said:

Given a few days of nothing but a new food, a betta will get hungry enough and will begin eating it.

Ideally, you want your fish to accept a variety of foods, but you don't have to buy 30 different types to see what the fish likes. Instead, train your fish to eat new foods.

I'll have to try again it looks like, though i feel kind of bad. I've went one day without giving him his pellets and only the bloodworms but it didnt work, so maybe ill try 2 days and see if it works.. I also tried not feeding him for 1 day and then trying the bloodworms

How many days do yo think i should push it and only feed bloodworms, what is considered safe?

[amanichen]

briggs said:

How many days do yo think i should push it and only feed bloodworms, what is considered safe?

I've had fish (bettas) that refused a new type of food for as long as five days. Just don't do it longer than a week and it'll be fine.