How often and how much to feed a Betta fish
Are you confused about feeding your Betta fish? The instructions on the food bottle you bought said to feed your Betta 2-3 times a day, however the pet store salesman said feed him every other day? Don’t worry if you are confused, you are not alone.
Feeding your Betta properly is not only important in providing your fish with the nutrients they need, but it is also important for overall tank / water conditions.
The problem:
- If you don’t feed your fish enough, they will starve.
- If you feed it too much, it will overeat to an unhealthy state, actually putting on weight and producing more waste. This means that the water in the tank gets dirty more quickly and if you don’t keep up with the water changes, your Betta will get sick.
- Any food the Betta hasn’t eaten will float to the bottom of the tank, rot, and cause harmful bacteria to grow. Again, this leads to poor tank conditions and stresses your Betta fish.
The solution:
- Adult Bettas: Feed once a day, just enough so they can eat in about 2 minutes. After that, they either overeat, which is very unhealthy, or the food will rot as I said above and degrade tank conditions. If you feed your Betta pellets, this is probably between 3-6 pellets per day
- Skip 1 Day a Week – It is really good for your Betta fish to fast once a week, it helps flush toxins from their digestive systems.
- Betta fry’s: feed twice a day
More questions:
Why does Betta fish food say to feed them 2-3 times a day?
Simple, so you will use more food and have to buy more. No expert will tell you to feed your Betta multiple times a day.
Is it okay to skip more than one day?
If you are going on a weekend trip and don’t have someone to take care of your Betta fish, don’t worry. Bettas are known to survive by going a few weeks without being fed. So skipping a few days won’t do any harm. In fact, maybe giving your Betta fish a little more to eat right before you leave is a good suggestion, one of the few times it is okay for him to overeat.
Now you also need to make sure your Betta is eating the food that you are giving it. Watch your Betta eat closely for a few minutes the next time you feed him. Maybe you are feeding your Betta fish regular fish flakes, they seem to eat them, but actually they just chew and spit them out? So not only is your Betta not receiving proper nutrition, uneaten flakes degrade tank conditions.
