Feeding bettas...

[DizzyJenny]

My betta is in a 10 gallon tank community tank with a penguin biowheel filter. How much and often should he eat? I've been giving 3 pellets in morning and night. Is this too much? He always seems ravenous.

Also, I asked my LFS how much and often they feed the bettas. She said 3 pellets a week. What??! Is that normal because they are in the small cups? Their bettas don't look starved... That info just surprised me and I was afraid I was over feeding.

Thanks!

[teeneythebetta]

Originally Posted by DizzyJenny

My betta is in a 10 gallon tank community tank with a penguin biowheel filter. How much and often should he eat? I've been giving 3 pellets in morning and night. Is this too much? He always seems ravenous.

Also, I asked my LFS how much and often they feed the bettas. She said 3 pellets a week. What??! Is that normal because they are in the small cups? Their bettas don't look starved... That info just surprised me and I was afraid I was over feeding.

Thanks!

For starters, NEVER listen to any care advice pet store employees give you. Oh the joys of pet store employee advice

That pet store is wildly underfeeding their bettas.
What brand of pellets are you feeding? the amount depends on their size.

Feed twice a day.. If your betta looks bloated at all, then you should feed less. Do not feed at all for one day out of the week- bettas are known to easily get their digestive system backed up, this day of fasting allows their system to get a break. :)

[thekoimaiden]

It depends on the size of the pellets. I have some large pellets and some really tiny ones. Three large pellets would be waaay too much for some of my bettas. A good rule of thumb is that a betta's stomach is about as large as his eye.

Teeny is right about the pet stores. They are often not the best place for advice. Smart of you to double check that advice on the forum!

[babystarz]

If he is eating them right away every time, 3 pellets 2x per day sounds about right. I can't believe the things that come out of pet store employees' mouths sometimes XD

[GreyHounD]

I second demotion!

LFS employees don't know how to take care of their fish. Try talking to the manager because he/she know's what's right.

[teeneythebetta]

Originally Posted by GreyHounD

I second demotion!

LFS employees don't know how to take care of their fish. Try talking to the manager because he/she know's what's right.

Aha not always. Some managers are just as bad..

[DizzyJenny]

Originally Posted by teeneythebetta

For starters, NEVER listen to any care advice pet store employees give you. Oh the joys of pet store employee advice

That pet store is wildly underfeeding their bettas.
What brand of pellets are you feeding? the amount depends on their size.

Feed twice a day.. If your betta looks bloated at all, then you should feed less. Do not feed at all for one day out of the week- bettas are known to easily get their digestive system backed up, this day of fasting allows their system to get a break. :)

Thanks! I feed him the Hikari Bio Gold pellets...

[DirtyHarry12]

Originally Posted by DizzyJenny

Thanks! I feed him the Hikari Bio Gold pellets...

I feed my little guy Harry 2 pellets a day and while he's hungry all the time, their tummies are the size of their eyeballs. Imagine how much we eat a day and our stomachs are only the size of our fists.

2x a day pellets and fasting 1 day a week is good. My little guy got blocked up when I first got home cause he actually ate a 'fuzzy' that got dropped on the top of the water after we'd finish getting his home ready that I didn't even see til he ate it. I felt so bad cause he wouldn't eat for days. I thought I'd killed him. Luckily he survived.

[Perseusmom]

Thats crazy 3 a week ! I feed mine 3 in the morning and 3 at night but I use New Life Spectrum and they are very tiny pellets.

[914joe]

It's very confusing ,no mater who you ask every one has a different opinion ,if you read some of the directions on the food containers ,they say to make it an all you can eat buffet for five minutes.I am using betta bio gold and they are much smaller than other pellets i have seen, i give mine 3 to 4 twice a day .