Suggestions?

[shanna]

I've currently got a 10 gallon community tank (five tetra, two mollies, and a handful of ghost shrimp) which I'm also putting a betta into. I've already checked sources and the local petshops and they say this setup is good. My worry is in feeding the fish. I feed all seven of my current fish and the ghost shrimp tropical fish flake food, which they do good on. My betta will be getting other foods: brine shrimp, bloodworms, and whatever the petshop has available as far as freeze dried live foods go. I'm worried though that:

a.) the other fish will eat the bettas food
b.) the betta might eat their food (though I've heard they aren't partial to flakes)
c.) and overall that they'll all get overfed and sick

I know other people have community tanks with bettas, so what do you do? Or does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can make all the fish happy and un-sick?

The help is appreciated beforehand.

[briggs]

Most people are able to feed their betta by hand.. like moisten your finger and put the food on the tip of your finger and hold it out of water and he will get it.. and he'll probably learn to come to the corner of the tank when you watn to feed him. That way you wont over feed or have left over food, you'll know he is eating, and chances of him letting the other fish get to close to him and your finger/food would be slim. Or you could always put him in a cup each time you want to feed him but that might get a little annoying to contiously do, also he might not like that twice a day.

Him eating their food.. i dunno. i have no experience wtih those fish but arent they pretty fastlittle buggers? I'm sure they jet for the food and gobble it up before the betta has a real chance to get to it.. bettas are fast but I don't think they would be as fast as tetras? Again i have no idea but just a guess.

[shanna]

Oh, that's a good idea for feeding him! Thanks!

As for the food and tetras.. here's the thing: they haven't figured out they can get their food a lot faster if they went to the top of the tank. They just let it drop down and then snag it. One of my mollys does the same thing. So with only one fish getting the food at the top of the tank, the betta would easily be able to get some flakes. :/

[amanichen]

healthybetta.proboards19.com/index.cgi?board=generalfish&action=display&thread=1116196182

[shanna]

Oh, thanks lots!

[Pi]

(referencing link) ^^^ Ha, that was my piggy betta...and for the record, it worked like a charm. Though I never did get to eat ice cream...I just used a gladware bowl.

JoAnna