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Post by unoriginalNemo on Mar 5, 2004 14:02:58 GMT -5
I thought I read somewhere that feeding bettas daphnia will keep them regular (I don't have any problem with Nemo so far, he's very regular LOL). Can anybody enlighten me a little more on daphnia and if I feed it to them, how often?
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Post by Rachel - old on Mar 6, 2004 14:32:18 GMT -5
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Post by palepinkvase on Mar 8, 2004 17:17:33 GMT -5
What about Freeze-Dried varieties found on the shelf? I just bought some Hikari freeze-dried to add some variety to the diet.
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Post by palepinkvase on Mar 8, 2004 17:21:34 GMT -5
thanks for the links, they are great. Although, I am still pondering which is better, freeze-dried or frozen.   |
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Post by starlight on Mar 9, 2004 0:04:05 GMT -5
I thought I read somewhere that feeding bettas daphnia will keep them regular (I don't have any problem with Nemo so far, he's very regular LOL). Can anybody enlighten me a little more on daphnia and if I feed it to them, how often? Daphnia are great to feed bettas; they help clean out the system and work well for constipation. The only problem is that not all bettas like them. I've had a few that do. Some relish it and others don't. Aqua Select makes a nice FD daphnia that I've had success feeding. When it comes to frozen try to get the Hikari Bio-Pure line of any frozen food that you wish to feed to your bettas (brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, bloodworms or daphnia) It is far superior to San Francisco Brand. Hikari employs a process to eliminate parasites and other probs. I can't say enough about how great their line is. Here's how I feed it to my bettas. It comes in either flats or cubes. I prefer the flats since I have quite a few bettas. For one or two bettas the cubes are better. I cut off a piece and cut it into daily meal pieces. When I want to feed it, I place a small piece on paper plate to defrost. I use a small piece of paper towel to soak up excess moisture and place betta-sized pieces into the tank. Feed immediately after it's defrosted and don't overfeed. |
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Post by unoriginalNemo on Mar 9, 2004 18:53:52 GMT -5
I have the freeze dried Hikari type. Nemo ate it the first time I tried it, but he's done that with other things too (eat it once and next time he'll taste it and then ignore it). I'll just keep my fingers crossed it wasn't a fluke that he ate it because I really don't want to ever have to try the pea trick.  |
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Post by ACKislander on Mar 11, 2004 13:02:27 GMT -5
Pea is a great way to relieve constipation. So is fasting for a day or two. Freeze-dried foods have been known to cause constipation and bloating. If you like to feed your betta bloodworms (and what betta doesn't love them?) you could try Hikari Frozen bloodworms or bloodworms in gel. They don't cause the same problem as freeze-dried. Also, even though bettas are carnivores and gain nothing nutritionally from pea, it's a great source of roughage and will help him, eh hem, pass his last meal. |
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Post by unoriginalNemo on Mar 11, 2004 22:14:21 GMT -5
If you can believe it, my bettas don't like bloodworms. Won't even "sniff" at them, I've tried many times but now have just given up. My Nemo is so dang picky it's not even funny, but I guess their personality is why we all love them so much.  |
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Post by mndstevens on Mar 12, 2004 1:34:42 GMT -5
I tried to get my Scooter to eat freeze-dried bloodworms and he also refuses.
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Post by ACKislander on Mar 12, 2004 9:50:33 GMT -5
It's not uncommon for bettas to refuse freeze-dried for pellet food. I had one who would bloat up when he looked at it. There are many options besides blood worms that are good for you Betta.
Great food for Bettas.
Frozen brine shrimp or brine shrimp in gel (note that BABY brine shrimp are higher in fat and don't have enough nutritional value to sustain a betta everyday, but can be fed as treats)
Frozen or live daphnia
Frozen glassworms
Frozen beef heart
Frozen Tubifex (not live, they are notorious for harboring parasites and bacteria)
Frozen mysis shrimp
Live white worms
Live grindal worms
Live flightless fruit flies
Live black worms
There are others, but this list is a good start.
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Post by julmos on Mar 12, 2004 17:22:08 GMT -5
I feed a tiny piece of leaf lettuce to my Betta (the vicious red fish) to cure constipation. The small bit of lettuce floats. Makes it easier to feed. And, he seems to like it.
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Post by starlight on Mar 12, 2004 20:31:02 GMT -5
It's not uncommon for bettas to refuse freeze-dried for pellet food. I had one who would bloat up when he looked at it. There are many options besides blood worms that are good for you Betta. Great food for Bettas. Frozen brine shrimp or brine shrimp in gel (note that BABY brine shrimp are higher in fat and don't have enough nutritional value to sustain a betta everyday, but can be fed as treats) Frozen or live daphnia Frozen glassworms Frozen beef heart Frozen Tubifex (not live, they are notorious for harboring parasites and bacteria) Frozen mysis shrimp Live white worms Live grindal worms Live flightless fruit flies Live black worms There are others, but this list is a good start. ======================================== What I've learned is that feeding a diverse diet is the best thing for bettas. I haven't fed pellets in two years. I keep Betta Bites around and feed as a treat (one pellet) after I've treated/dipped the betta and I want him to get back to their usual behavior. I'll post my weekly menu in the next post, it has quite a few items that were on your list. |
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Post by starlight on Mar 12, 2004 20:58:08 GMT -5
This is what I feed my bettas including fry.
Weekly Diet Morning----------- Evening
Sunday Homemade Gruel*-- Mysis Shrimp
Monday Brine Shrimp --- Grindals
Tuesday Blood Worms --- White Worms
Wednesday Brine Shrimp --- Grindals
Thursday Blood Worms --- White Worms
Friday Gruel ---- Mysis Shrimp-fresh
Saturday Pepso food or fast
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The Bloodworms/Brine Shrimp and Mysis Shrimp are all Hikari Frozen Bio-Pure line. The freshwater mysis are on the large size and need cutting, they are made by another company. The homemade gruel is a frozen mixture that the bettas really love. It's a combo of beefheart/chicken/shrimp/cod/spirulina/vitamins and garlic.
Treats FD Bloodworms/FD Daphnia/Betta Bites
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Post by ACKislander on Mar 13, 2004 9:58:06 GMT -5
If I told my bettas what you were serving, they'd pack up and move to your house. What a great menu, I bet their really happy.
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Post by starlight on Mar 13, 2004 10:31:08 GMT -5
If I told my bettas what you were serving, they'd pack up and move to your house. What a great menu, I bet their really happy. Thanks! They seem to be happy and always hungry. I feed them controlled amounts based on their size and food needs. I have some six week old fry that I'm just beginning to acclimate to my regular diet. I fed them their last baby brine shrimp yesterday. They are beginning to really put on size. To see what they do to a bunch of grindals is amazing. At this stage, they're little eating machines! In January I was getting some bettas from an old time breeder. His bettas are in amazing condition and he regularly gets spawns from 300-500. I asked him if he could help improve my conditioning. When I showed him my weekly "menu", he said it was better than what he feeds. I still don't feed fruit flies or live brine shrimp to adults. I refuse to feed blackworms or tubi's in any form. The point of all this is that variety is the best for bettas. Even if you only have one or two bettas, it's easy to supplement and improve their diet by feeding frozen food. Imo, Hikari frozen is the best. |
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