Your Betta Won't Eat?
by: Ong Hui Woo
Feeding your fish is no different from a kid. Although it is very easy to feed your Betta fish, they will not eat everything you throw in. You can try putting in fish flakes, but I can tell you they rather starve than to eat them. It’s not that they have turned bulimic, but certain food just does not appeal to your Betta fishes. Here are a few useful tips.
Live shrimp brine
The keyword is live food; they are the best food you can serve on the Betta table. Feeding them with live shrimp brine is like having Sashimi for us. It has lots of protein, vitamins and minerals for excellent growth. You can compare the ‘skin color’ of your Betta fishes when they are consistently fed with the shrimp brine. You can find live shrimp brine at the local pet shop, but they can be pricey.
Live worms
Betta fishes are carnivorous. They like things that will wriggle around, so worms are attractive to them. I like feeding my Betta fishes worms, but maybe only about once every two weeks. Why? Worms are messy and dirty and they can contaminate your tank very easily. I have to clean them thoroughly before I give them to my precious Bettas. Any kind of worms require cleaning first and if they are not frozen, please throw them away after a day. So the trick here is to buy the minimum but enough to keep your Bettas happy for a meal or two. Remember, if it stinks, do not eat it, the rule is applicable to both humans and Bettas.
Pellets
For busy people who want to feed your fishes quickly and spend the rest of the day switching cable channels, try fish pellets. Clean, fast and convenient. Looks for pellets that have shrimp brine mixed in them. Betta fishes are not natural pill eating species, so you might have to take a while before they start to eat them. Do not over feed them also, look at their tiny bellies and estimate how many pellets would fill them up.
For most people, getting live shrimp brine and live worms on a regular basis is not feasible. The best strategy then would be to go on pellets and feed them the live food one or two days before changing the water in the tank. Then it would be like treating your Bettas to a feast before sending them to a rejuvenating spa!
For more information on keeping Bettas, visit http://www.tothefish.com
About The Author
Ong Hui Woo
http://www.tothefish.com
