Did you know that the spectacular colors of your betta fish are greatly influenced by the diet you feed them? Well, the research proves it!
The health of your beta fish is also closely related to the feeding regimen. So what do betta fish eat and what is the best food for betta fish?
In this guide, we’ll give you all the information you need about feeding your medebetta to ensure it thrives and retains the stunning color it loves so much.
Not all betta fish are the same. Some are born with bottomless stomachs like miniature sharks, and others are picky eaters who pay attention to whatever you offer. If you have the latter type, this refusal to eat can be quite stressful. Fortunately, there are many high-quality, high-protein foods you can try to whet your appetite.
Bettas are generally easy pets to care for.
But one of the most important parts of your care is to make sure you’re consuming the right betta foods.
Before we start caring for betta fish, let’s take a look at the best betta fish food and our reviews.
Choosing food for betta fish can be difficult. Prefer live, freeze-dried or freeze-dried? Do they need vegetable matter in their diet or should they only eat meat? If you want to feed your beta fish the best possible food, you’ve come to the right place! Read on to find out the best food for betta fish!
Top [2021] 10 Best Food for Your Betta Fish
Best Betta Fish Food Reviews
1. Hikari Betta Bio-Gold Baby Pellets
One of the things about these Hikari granules that make them perfect for bettas is that they float. Since bettas prefer to eat on the surface, this floating grain is more palatable. It also allows you to track accurately how much your fish have eaten, which helps to avoid overfeeding.
It is important to keep uneaten food out of the water as it will help prevent water quality problems in the future. Plus, it saves you money in the long run because you only use what you need.
The first ingredient is fish meal, which is dehydrated and concentrated fish meat. In other words, it’s the protein that really impresses.
To promote a healthy immune system, these granules also contain stabilized vitamin C. To keep the color of your betta fish looking vibrant and prevent discoloration, there are also natural enhancers.
These pellets are very small and you should feed your beta fish 5 to 10 of them up to 3 times a day depending on the size of your pet.
2. Fluval Bug Bites Granules
Fluval Bug Bites granules are 40% composed of black soldier fly larvae. This is a very nutritious food for bettas and other fish. It is the main ingredient of this meal.
In addition, this food contains a number of other high-quality ingredients, including whole salmon. This ingredient is rich in Omega 3 and Omega 6. These help fish to get healthy skin, fins and scales.
Insect bites also contain amino acids, essential vitamins and minerals for a balanced diet that you can feed your fish every day. It is made in Canada and contains no artificial colors, preservatives or fillers.
This betta food is also processed in small batches. This ensures the highest quality product with amazing freshness that your fish will love. You are certainly in the right place with this fish food for your betta fish.
3. TetraMin Tropical Granules Nutritionally Balanced for Small Fish
These tropical Tetra granules are a complete and well balanced diet for tropical aquarium fish. It is best for mid-level feeder fish, as well as shy or juvenile fish.
The granules sink slowly and have vitamin C, which is great for fish like bettas. It also has a number of minerals, vitamins, and other elements that help enhance the color of your fish.
Tetra has created these granules to minimize waste, and because they break down slowly, they help improve the utilization of food in the tank.
It is best to feed bettas only a few pellets per feeding. This is because the fish may not be able to eat more than that. If the food stays too long, it will start to dirty the tank.
This is a good food option for people who breed bettas, as it has everything your fish need for a healthy life.
4. Ocean Nutrition Atison’s Betta Food
This floating pellet food from Ocean Nutrition delivers your beta fish food close to the surface, just the way it likes it. This food is 36% protein with minimal fillers and is well balanced to provide the betta with the proper nutrition it needs.
In addition, the natural ingredients will help enhance the color of the beta fish without having any negative effect on the water.
These are smaller grains, which is especially good for bettas as they can be picky eaters. They are much more likely to taste a small ball than a large one.
Just drop about 7 granules on the surface of the water twice a day, depending on the size of the betta. Keep the unused portion in the jar with the lid in place and the container will last for 6 months after opening.
5. Omega One Betta Food
If you have a beta fish that prefers flakes over granules, try this Omega 1. The main ingredient in this food is salmon and the natural pigments present in the skin of the salmon help your beta fish to have a clear appearance. and maintain vibrant color. The next 3 are herring, shrimp, and halibut.
That’s a lot of fish!
This isn’t just a high-protein meal, it’s one that will taste great for your bettas. Omega One also uses all-natural protein binders that keep these flakes from breaking down in the water.
That means all food scraps are easy to clean up and won’t break down or change water chemistry.
6. New Life Spectrum Betta Fish Food
These New Life Spectrum granules are packed with protein, including Antarctic krill, herring, squid, and mussels. All-natural ingredients have also been added to enhance and maintain the colors of your fish.
While protein is the main ingredient, this food also includes seaweed meal, as well as fruit and vegetable extracts to provide a complete diet that includes all essential vitamins and minerals.
These granules are slightly larger at 1mm each. They are semi-buoyant and will stay towards the top of your tank and then begin to slowly drop to the bottom. This food is really easy on your beta fish’s stomach, so if you’re a picky eater, give it a try.
The ingredients have been carefully chosen to be easy to digest and leave as little waste as possible to keep the water balanced and healthy.
7. Betta Fish Flake Food
Betta flakes are a staple among water sports fans, mainly because they are so easy to use.
There is only one thing you really need to remember:
When feeding flakes, it is vital that the flakes you use are made specifically for betta fish to ensure they are high in protein.
That’s pretty much the long and the short!
The only downside to using flakes is that it is difficult to control the amount of food your beta fish eat; the amounts are not as easy to measure with flakes as with pellets or live foods, for example.
And when it comes to cleaning up after meals:
The scales also tend to sink quickly to the bottom of aquariums, making cleaning difficult. Sometimes when the flakes float to the surface of the water, bettas mistake them for debris and avoid eating them.
While quick and easy, betta fish flakes may not be your top choice because of this.
8. San Francisco Bay Brand Freeze Dried Bloodworms
You can use freeze-dried animal foods such as shrimp, krill, and daphnia to replace meals once or twice a week, but they should not be used as the main ingredient due to their low nutritional value.
Consider them a gift for your betta.
You can also keep portions of animal foods frozen until you need them. However, you must ensure that the food is completely thawed first and cannot be refrozen afterwards.
9. Repashy Spawn & Grow Freshwater 3 Oz JAR
Repashy offers premixed gel foods that can be combined with boiling water to form a gel. The gels can be frozen and stored as a food reserve.
How to prepare Repashy gel food:
1. Boil some water.
2. Mix well 1 part Repashy Gel Mix with 2-3 parts boiling water.
3. Pour the solution into a mold tray.
4. These gel mixes can be cut into smaller pieces and fed directly or frozen for future use.
5. Frozen gels must be completely thawed before feeding by adding each one to warm water.
10. Brine Shrimp Hatchery Dish + 3 Months Supply of Brine Shrimp Eggs
Brine shrimp are small saltwater crustaceans that lay dormant eggs that you can store for long periods of time.
Incubate your own brine shrimp is a relatively simple process, although there are a number of important factors to consider:
First of all, find a container to grow your shrimp: a plastic / aquarium container that you can add water to and keep it aerated. (The water can be aerated with an air stone or air pumps.) Then add water without chlorine.
For every 40 ml of water, add 1.25 grams of aquarium salt. Then add your aerator and leave for 12 hours before adding the brined shrimp eggs.
To keep things simple, you can purchase a brine shrimp hatching kit and carefully follow the included instructions.
Betta Feeding FAQs
How Much Should You Feed a Betta Fish?
How much your beta fish should eat at one meal really depends on the size of your beta fish. One way to determine how much a beta fish should eat is to look at the size of its eyeball.
Believe it or not, a beta fish’s eyeball is roughly the same size as its stomach. Usually this is 2 or 3 small balls, depending on the size of your fish.
If you find granules left, try reducing the amount you feed your fish with each meal a little. Another thing you can try is to soak the dry pellets in a little water before placing them in the tank.
This will prevent them from expanding so much inside your fish’s stomach and may help regulate their appetite.
How Often Should You Feed a Betta Fish?
Bettas need to eat once or twice a day. Adult bettas can usually survive on one meal, while babies or young fish that are still growing need 2 meals a day.
We’ve mentioned this before and we’ll mention it again, but it’s very important not to overfeed your betta fish. If you are not at home and are skipping an evening meal, it is better to skip it than to feed twice as much in the morning.
What Happens When You Overfeed a Betta Fish?
One of the main problems that overeating can cause is constipation. This is especially true if you are using a low-quality food with a lot of fillers that tend to be harder to digest anyway.
If you notice that your fish’s belly is a bit bloated, that it has stopped wasting, or has lost its appetite, the problem is likely constipation.
Constipation can quickly progress to something a little more serious, which is why it is so important to avoid it. If the constipation is severe or prolonged, a swim bladder disorder can develop. The swim bladder is a part of your fish’s body that allows it to swim up and down in the water.
What to Feed Betta Fish When Out of Food?
There are actually quite a few things you can feed a beta fish in a pinch and you may already have some in your kitchen. Remember how small bettas are and take their stomach size into account if you decide to try any of these foods.
A betta fish will eat small pieces of tuna or shrimp, but make sure they are very small and remove any uneaten pieces. You can also feed your betta peas one at a time. Boil it first and peel it off. Then cut the inside into small pieces.
How to Feed a Betta Fish While on Vacation?
There are a few things you can do when you go on vacation and need to feed your beta fish. Think about how long you will be away first. If you only go for a few nights or a long weekend, your betta will be fine until you come back. But more time and you will have to act.
The easiest thing is to ask someone to take care of you. If you have a betta fish in a bowl, you should clean it just before you leave so you don’t have to worry about water while you’re gone. You can ask someone you trust to come to your home to feed you, or you can simply take the bowl to someone you trust to feed you daily.
Make sure to explain exactly how much food your betta should be fed and how often. Having someone to take care of your pet is really the only option if you are going to be away for more than a week.
Another option is an automatic feeder. There are many possibilities. The best type is the type that allows you to plan the specific times you want your fish to eat. Keep in mind that there is no guarantee that these machines are as accurate as needed. There is a possibility that they overfeed or underfeed your beta fish while you are away.
One way to avoid this is to set the feeder a few days before you go to make sure it is working properly. That way you can fix any issues before you go.
Food blocks are another great option if you’re away less than a week, but don’t want to leave your fish without food. Food blocks are designed to float in water and dissolve slowly to release small amounts of food at a time.
They are designed to last about 2 weeks, but are intended to feed an entire aquarium. This only works for a beta fish for a few days; longer and you risk releasing too much food and coming home with a stuffy betta fish.
How Long Can Betta Fish Go Without Food?
Believe it or not, a beta fish can actually go without food for about 14 days, perhaps because it has had to learn to cope with the dry seasons and limited food in the wild. So if you are concerned that the fish is overeating, it is not a big deal not to eat for a day or two.
We’ve already talked about managing your fish food while on vacation, but knowing how long a beta fish can last without eating can help you feel comfortable before you travel.
It also shows that it is always better to overfeed than overfeed. Your Best Betta Fish Food can go without food for a while, but too much at one time can cause all sorts of problems.
Why Won’t My Betta Fish Eat?
There are actually many reasons why your betta is not eating. Some are easy to treat and others can be more serious and require immediate action. We’ll start with the basics first.
The first is an easy fix. Your fish may not like their food. Remember they are notoriously picky eaters. If you’ve recently changed foods, you may not like the changes. You may have gone from flakes to granules or vice versa, or the taste may be unpleasant.
If your beta fish is no longer interested in your food, one of the easiest solutions is to try a higher quality recipe. More real protein can taste better and make the fish hungry again.
Another thing that can ruin your beta fish’s appetite is stress. This is normal if you are bringing your fish home for the first time before they get used to the environment. If you’ve had your beta fish for a while, but recently moved to a different aquarium or added something new to the environment, it may take a day or two for your beta fish to get used to it.
Conclusion
All of our selections are nutritionally formulated for bettas and will help them live their best lives. That said, our top quality Best Betta Fish Food is the New Life Spectrum formula. They are packed with proteins, such as krill, herring, squid and muscles.
We also really like that it includes natural fruits and vegetables like seaweed flour, as well as things you find in your own kitchen like zucchini, kiwi, tomato and peas. These ingredients not only give your beta fish the nutrients it needs, they also make this recipe easier to digest than other formulas that contain corn or wheat flour.
If you have a picky eater, especially someone prone to constipation, this food is worth a try. They are semi-buoyant so they will hang from the top of the tank to attract fish to try them. The all-natural ingredients taste great and are good for the fish’s stomach.
Finally, they are designed to leave as little waste as possible. So anything your fish don’t eat won’t spoil and will cause just as many water chemistry problems as other foods.
