Of Gel Food And Java Moss

[Caleen]

Today I went to the pet store. I should just learn to stay away from there unless I actually need something, lol.

Anyway, while I was there I saw a box of whole brine shrimp in a nutrient-rich gel (or so says the packaging). I read something recently about gel food, and even though it was a tad pricey I picked some up. I brought it home and squeezed a little blob onto a flat toothpick and stuck it into Copper's bowl. He came right over and gobbled the brine shrimp right up. He LOVED it! He freaked right out and even latched onto the toothpick. Next I offered some to Carrot. In the short time that I have had these two I have learned that Carrot is rather shy, while Copper is pretty friendly. After a little coaxing, Carrot came over and ate some of the gel off the toothpick. He really loved it too. I am glad that they like it, Skippy was so picky, I tried him on everything but he would only eat Betta Bites.

The only drawbacks are that it does make a bit of a mess in such small tanks. The food particles tend to 'swoosh' all over the place when my guys eat off the toothpick. Also it comes in rather large packets, and you can only keep them 24 hours after opening them. I doubt that my guys can eat an entire packet in one day, so I would recommend that you only buy the gel if you have 6 or more fish that can eat it.

I was wondering if anyone has experience with gel food, and con recommend how much to feed. I feed my guys twice a day (morning and evening), and so far they have one or two freeze-dried bloodworms and two or three betta bites per feeding. I am afraid of over or under feeding them. Any suggestions about how much to feed and how often to feed each kind of food? I have read that bloodworms should be kept as occasional food, as they can cause constipation. Should betta bites be their primary food?? Any help is much appreciated.

Next the Java Moss!

I read that Java Moss is pretty and makes a handy hiding place for Bettas. It also helps with the ph of yourt tanks. I just bought a clump and I am not sure how to condition it so that it is safe for my Bettas? Should I put it in a cup with some of their water? Will the melafix in their tanks bother the moss? Should I just plunk it into their bowls?

This is my first experience with live aquatic plants, and I don't want to do anything that might hurt my fish. Please help! LOL

Phew, sorry for the novel! Thanks for reading.

[twoluvcats]

Java moss - just rinse it off and plop it in the bowl...its pretty impossible to kill Nothing really bothers it..i have had some heavy duty meds turn it brown for a while, but its always come back.

I feed the gel food...i have the advantage of having a big tank as well as my betta tanks, so i just feed the betta a couple worms, and then squeeze the rest of the packet out in my 29g tank. I usually only give them 3-5 worms out of the gel packet. But i do know that they will eat pretty much as much of the stuff as you will give them HEHE I used to have 2 dwarf frogs with a betta and i exclusivley fed the gel worms to the frogs...the betta would hover around the feeding area and would usually end up getting near a quarter of the packet...he was a pig!! But he also never got constipated from them either.

[Rachel]

The only drawbacks are that it does make a bit of a mess in such small tanks. The food particles tend to 'swoosh' all over the place when my guys eat off the toothpick. Also it comes in rather large packets, and you can only keep them 24 hours after opening them. I doubt that my guys can eat an entire packet in one day, so I would recommend that you only buy the gel if you have 6 or more fish that can eat it.

I feed my bettas gel food and they absolutely love it. I know a few of our other members use it too. I haven’t found it to be that messy to feed them if you use the toothpick technique, as my bettas tend to gobble up any of the extra particles within a minute or two. You’re right in that there can be a lot of waste from the package, but if you stick the open packet in a baggie in the fridge it stays good for 3-4 days.

I was wondering if anyone has experience with gel food, and con recommend how much to feed. I feed my guys twice a day (morning and evening), and so far they have one or two freeze-dried bloodworms and two or three betta bites per feeding. I am afraid of over or under feeding them. Any suggestions about how much to feed and how often to feed each kind of food? I have read that bloodworms should be kept as occasional food, as they can cause constipation. Should betta bites be their primary food?? Any help is much appreciated.

Bloodworms are a great food for bettas and don’t need to be kept as a “treat” food as you’ll often see. Variety in their diet, along with feeding appropriate servings, are two of the main ways to prevent constipation. Processed foods such as pellets can be hard for bettas to digest. You’ll want to look for a brand that contains a low amount of ash, high protein, and a bit of fiber. Also, a method that some people use is soaking pellets for a few minutes so they expand before the betta eats them (could be beneficial for freeze-dried foods as well). It sounds as though the amount you’re feeding is ok. I usually feed my fish about 3-4 items per feeding. Watch their bellies to see if they are slightly rounded and full.

I read that Java Moss is pretty and makes a handy hiding place for Bettas. It also helps with the ph of yourt tanks. I just bought a clump and I am not sure how to condition it so that it is safe for my Bettas? Should I put it in a cup with some of their water? Will the melafix in their tanks bother the moss? Should I just plunk it into their bowls?

Java moss is a great addition to betta tanks! Plus, it is a very hardy plant and pretty easy to maintain. The melafix in their tanks shouldn’t bother the moss, as it is plant-safe. When I get new plants from a store, I sterilize them in a short soak using Jungle Water Clear which contains the ingredient potassium permanganate. I buy the tank buddies version which comes as tablets, but I would assume the liquid should work just as well (beware if you use this, as it's a deep staining purple mixture). I do this is a safety measure to prevent the spread of any illness as you usually don’t know the source of the plants and they often help give the plant tanks nutrients with the addition of fish. I know other people simply quarantine new plants for a few weeks in a container by themself as you would with new fish.

[Caleen]

Thank you SO much for your replies to my questions guys! I am glad to know that the gel food is popular and good for my babies (only the best for those two spoiled fish, lol). I am also glad that the bloodworms won't constipate them, since they love those wormies, lol.

Also I have good news about Copper's tail rot, he has NEW growth happening! Actually Carrot does too, so I guess the Melafix is helping them. I think that they will both have full and beautiful finnage once I undo the damage.

I will keep an eye on their bellies and make sure that I adjust their feed (each fish is very different as I am coming to learn. I have never had two Bettas at once before and the personality differences are interesting).

Glad to know that the moss will be fine with the meds. And thanks for the advice on how to make it safe for them.

Thanks again! I love this place Everyone is so helpful, and my fish are surely better off now that I can ask questions here.