It’s really great that you are taking on the responsibility to find out how much food you should feed your Betta Fish. Also named the Siamese fighting fish, your Betta has special food requirements to ensure the fish lives a long healthy vibrant life. These Tropical fish are beautiful in the wild and even more beautiful when cared for properly under display of aquarium lighting.
How Much Food do Betta Fish Need to Eat?
Well Less is more, when it comes to feeding Betta’s.
Betta fish do not require very much food. As with all small fish their stomachs are tiny so to fill it with food will not take very much. A Siamese fighting fish’s stomach is about the size of one of its eye balls so as far as quantity goes the amount to feed a Betta is not very much.
I would compare it to bloodworm pellets and say that 3 pellets is enough food for one feeding. That is how much I feed my Betta per feeding. Make sure that your fish gets that food if you have other fish in the tank as another tank mate might eat the food on the Betta.
What do Betta Eat in Their Natural Environment?
In the wild a Betta Fish’s diet will consist of insects, larvae, mosquitoes and smaller fish (fry). Worms are also a part of the Betta’s diet in the wild. Chances are you won’t be opting to feed your fish those food choices. Luckily for you and I there are nutritional foods made specifically for Betta species.
Best Betta Fish Food for a Beautiful Carnivore
Betta Fish are carnivores so the food choices should make sure the fish’s needs are met. Betta’s will prefer live food options like worms and larvae’s as well as live brine shrimp and bloodworms.
The problem with live food is that it’s not always available to purchase live food depending on the area you live in. If you happen to live in a tropical region then chances are live food is an option at your local pet store or market so that is the food I would recommend you purchase.
If you are like me and do not live in a Tropical region then you will want to purchase frozen or freeze dried brine shrimp as well as Betta pellets to ensure you cover all nutritional requirements of your fish. If you get pellets and they are the mini pellets 3 should do per feeding however your Betta will let you know if that is too much if they don’t eat all of the pellets after a few feedings.
How often do You Have to Feed a Betta Fish?
This is a great question and will mostly depend on whether your fish only eats when you feed it or does it have other food it will graze on maybe from other fish being over fed.
The quick answer is on average you can feed your Betta twice a day as long as you ensure they are really eating all of the food you are providing and that any extra food in the aquarium after 5 or so minutes is cleaned out so you don’t have algae problems or an ammonia spike in the water.
How Long Can a Betta Fish go Without Eating?
Some Betta experts will tell you that it is good to go a day without feeding your Betta to help the fish’s digestive tract process properly.
Myself personally I wouldn’t go a day without feeding the fish. I would prefer you just cut back on the quantities you feed the fish or instead of feeding it twice in a day try feeding it once a day for a couple days if you feel you need to cut back feedings for some reason.
Like all living creatures your Betta needs to eat to survive so why cut back on feeding it?
The downside of not feeding a Betta is that they can and will most likely turn aggressive and pick at other fish if you let them start to get hungry. Remember that these fish are carnivores.
Can Betta Fish Eat Goldfish Flakes?
Well sure your Betta can eat Goldfish flakes but it won’t be getting the nutrients it needs to be healthy. Goldfish are omnivorous so their diet requirements differ from a carnivore which is what your Betta is. That means that the nutrients will not be sufficient.
That being said if you are out of Betta food and just want to make sure your fish eats and all you have are Goldfish or Tropical flakes then sure give it some to tide the fish over until you can pick up the proper food.
Can Betta Fish Eat Tropical Flakes?
This answer will be similar to the previous answer for whether Betta can eat Goldfish food or not. The difference here is that Tropical flakes are mostly plant based foods which is not an ideal diet for your Fighting fish. Plant based fish flakes will help keep your fish full during whatever time it takes for you to go purchase the proper food.
If you feed your Betta only Tropical flakes for an extended period of time you will start to notice a change in how your fish behaves. Betta fish have a reputation of being nippy little fellas who like to be aggressive and bite at other fish. Here is a situation where your Betta will definitely get aggressive because it is missing meat in its diet.
Conclusion to How Much Food to Feed Your Betta Siamese Fighting Fish
I hope I have helped you understand the importance of how much you should feed your fish as well as what type of food is necessary for a healthy fish. It is not just good enough to give food to a Betta you must ensure you are providing the right food so the fish can thrive. Foods your fish needs are;
- Frozen or freeze dried brine shrimp or bloodworms.
- Live brine shrimp, larvae, insects and bloodworms.
- Betta pellets which are the most convenient and very nutritious but you should still try to provide some of the previous foods mentioned to ensure a well-rounded diet.
- Amazon has a very good selection of Betta foods for you to choose from check it out. Recommended Betta foods.
Remember that less is more unless you have a very hungry fish and if you find the fish is being aggressive try feeding a bit more to see if that solves that problem, Usually it will. If you are new to owning an aquarium and are looking for ideas on what to stock a tank I have a really good article on the best fish choices for a 10 gallon aquarium. I suggest this article because I feel a Betta would be a good fit for a 10 gallon tank.
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