Time release feeders?

[Racoon]

Hello all!

I just got a new fella (a lovely electric pink/light red I've named "Sashimi" ) to keep me company at work.

I've got him in a 2.5 gal Aquatic Gardens hex tank with a light and an under-gravel filter I'm not currently running. (At least, not until I'm sure he's comfertable in his new home. I might never turn it on, because it's such a small tank and I've read that Bettas don't like strong currents.) He's swimming around and seems pleased with his new digs.

I've realised that weekends might become a problem when it comes to feeding. Right now, it's not an issue as we're entering a "crunch time" period where I'll likely be in one day each weekend. But I'm conserned about what I'm going to do when I'm not working weekends.

At first I thought I could just use a time release feeder for weekends. But even the smallest variety I could find (good for 3 days according to the packadge) seemed huge. I also realised that there didn't seem to be any that mentioned if they were good for bettas or not.

Certainly there must be a lot of "harmless" filler on these things, but I'm guessing that they're more for multifish tanks... Breaking one up might not be such a good idea because with all that "filler" there's no way to know how much food there actually is or is not in the bit that I drop in for the weekend.

Does anybody have any thoughts on this?

[starlight]

Raccon...the time release feeders that I'm familiar with will probably not be good for a betta. They're designed to feed tropical fish in a community tank.

I fast my bettas one day a week, it helps clean out their digestive systems. I know people that fast them two days.

Here's the good news. One of the healthiest bettas that I ever saw was an office pet. He was nearly three years old and in perfect health. He was never fed on weekends since the office was closed. He always looked great Monday morning when his owner did a water change and fed him. I think that this may prove to be a blessing in disguise for your bettas' health.

[Rachel]

I agree that I would probably stay away from the automatic feeder. Many work bettas do fine without eating on the weekend. I would just be sure to not feed him too much when you come back on Monday so it doesn't cause constipation.
Do you have a heater in your tank? That's one of the main concerns about work tanks if they turn the heat down in your building on the weekends. Large temperature changes are stressful for bettas. They should be kept at a steady temp around 80 degrees.

Edited to add: Well I see you live in CA so heat in your building probably isn't an issue. Air conditioning may be though if the betta is too cold.

[palepinkvase]

I do a good deal of traveling. I opted against a time-release feeder because of the reasons already mentioned. Anything more than a few days away and I enlist a friend to come and feed my guys.

[Racoon]

Thanks all!

Sashimi seems to be doing well in his new home and even seems to enjoy the filter now that I've turned it on. (Though I'll probably turn it off when I leave for the night so that it will be calm when he sleeps.)

According to the thermomiter on his tank, it's averaging 74, which is what Beta-1's tank averages in my apartment during winter. (I'll go look for all those other threads about heating small tanks though.)

I was thinking I could fast him two days but I wasn't sure...

Thanks!