Beta fish (called Siamese fighters) are great for a home or office aquarium. These are easy to care for, they are more active than most species of pet fish, and they are beautiful. Beta fish are carnivores, so they should consume foods made with meat, and they should not consume the dried vegetable pellets that most fish do. If you know the diet of beta fish and how to feed them properly, you can keep them alive for a long time.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Feed the Right Amount of Food
Step 1. Give him a quantity the size of his eyeball
A beta fish's stomach is about the size of their eyeballs, and they shouldn't consume a larger portion of food at one time. This means that they should consume about 3 red worms or brine shrimp per meal. If you give them granules, this portion equals 2 or 3 soaked granules per meal. A beta fish can consume this amount 1 or 2 times a day.
Step 2. Decrease the portion if you do not eat all the food
If your fish doesn't eat all of its food, decrease the portion you give it. If you usually use 4 pellets per fish, reduce the serving to 3 pellets for a while. If you notice that the fish eat very quickly, you can increase the portion again to 4 granules.
Step 3. Pick up the uneaten food
Uneaten food can attract bacteria that are harmful to fish. This creates problems especially if the fish consumes its food after it has spoiled.
Use a small net that you would use to collect the droppings or transfer the fish to another tank
Step 4. Feed him frequently
Beta fish should eat every day or almost every day. If you have a beta fish in your office and you cannot feed it on the weekends, there will be no problem as long as you feed it the other 5 days of the week.
A beta fish will starve if it does not eat in about 2 weeks; so don't panic if your fish doesn't eat for a few days due to illness or adjusting to a new home
Step 5. Provide some variety
In the wild, beta fish feed on a variety of smaller animals. Feeding him the same type of food for a long time can be detrimental to his immune system and may cause him to eat less.
You can change the type of food as often as you like. Try to give your betta fish at least one type of food that is different from what you normally give it at least once a week
Part 2 of 3: Choosing the Right Food
Step 1. Give it worms
In the wild, the main diet of beta fish is made up of several species of small aquatic worms. The most common worm to feed beta fish is the red worm, which can be found live, freeze-dried, frozen, or in a gel.
- You can also use the tubifex worm, which is frozen. Live tubifex worms often carry parasites or bacteria, so they should be avoided.
- The best living worms are white, grindal, and black.
- You can find these worms at most major pet stores.
Step 2. Feed it insects
You can give it live or frozen insects. The most suitable options are daphnia (also known as water fleas) and fruit flies.
You can find these insects at most pet stores
Step 3. Feed him other options
There are a number of frozen meats that beta fish can also eat. You can give him brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, or frozen beef heart. You can find these options at most major pet stores.
Part 3 of 3: Avoid an inappropriate diet for your fish
Step 1. Avoid excess dry food
This includes dried granules, flakes, or freeze-dried foods. Some fish foods will be marketed as beta fish food, but may cause digestive problems due to indigestible fillers and a lack of moisture.
These granule foods absorb water and expand in the fish's stomach until they are 2 or 3 times larger than the original. Some beta fish will suffer bad reactions, which can develop constipation problems or bladder disorders
Step 2. Soak the dry granules
If you only have dry food, soak it in a glass of water for a few minutes before feeding it to your beta fish. This will expand the granule to its full size before the fish digest it.
Do not overfeed your beta fish, and reduce its portion if you notice that it suffers from abdominal distention. You may have to switch from your food to live foods if you suffer from abdominal bloating on a constant basis
Step 3. Don't always follow directions
The containers for the pellets or fish flakes often say something like "give your fish everything he eats in 5 minutes or feed him until he stops eating." This does not apply to beta fish. In the wild, their instinct is to eat as much as they can, as they don't know when their next meal will be.