Feeding question

[MaterialGirl]

Hey guys,

I'm a new betta owner (I have one betta, male named Bow) and I had a question regarding feeding. I finally got water quality and temperature under control, so now Bow is doing very well :). However I wondered about the feeding schedule you all use. Right now I'm just using flake food (I found suggestions for a better pellet food that I'm going to go get later this week), but Bow eats... a lot. I've had him for about three weeks now and it seems like since I got a heater for him all he does is eat. I feed him at least twice a day and he eats all of it each time, but still hangs out around the feeding spot looking for more food. I don't want to over feed him, but I don't want to underfeed him either. What food do you guys use and how much and how often do you feed it?

Thanks!

[aokashi]

bettas are always hungry an begging for food. but you definitely should not feed them just because they look hungry
try to control the amount to 1 portion equivalent to the size of their eye, twice a day.

[eemmais]

I feed mine 2-4 pellets a day. My pellets are tiny, about the size of the tip of a pencil. I use Aqueon BettaFood, and he seems to like it!

[Kytkattin]

I don't even feed my fish everyday, but I have enough plant life the sustains other life that is edible for them that it is really nice. When I do feed I give about 10 pellets, but they are the New Life Spectrum micro pellets. I don't remember the specific formula. Bettas are great beggars though. They make you think they are starving all the time!

[Kevron56]

I feed my betta, Blooey, twice a day Hikari brand Biogold pellets. 2pellets in the morn and 2 pellets in the eve. In the past I am guilty of overfeeding... When you do it once and see the repercussions such as bloating, constipation, etc you realize it wasn't worth it. I think if you browse through this forum, most people run into trouble due to overfeeding vs. underfeeding. I really like Bow's colors btw!

[Myates]

Twice a day is recommended.. for a healthier betta smaller frequent feedings is ideal. Twice a day is about what most people can do so it's recommended more often. Depending upon pellet size, 2-3 pellets per meal is fine (based on a 2x daily feeding).. also depends on how big your betta is.. and it's age.
Feeding a bunch at once with a lot of time in between isn't the best.. think of it like us eating a huge meal and then not eating for a couple of days.. then eating another huge meal. That would cause havoc to our system and theirs.
Keep in mind their stomachs are about the size of their eyes, but doesn't mean one pellet is plenty either- their stomachs are designed to stretch some for feeding, it's normal and natural to have a slightly rounded belly after they eat.

Edit: Didn't see you asked until after- when it comes to my pet bettas I use a mix of Omega One Betta Buffet, Atison's Betta, and some flakes created by IBC, homemade and live foods.
It varies on how much I feed based on each fish- my breeding ones are getting more of the higher quality foods/live food a little more often, the others get fed twice a day with the Omega and Atison's, throw in homemade food + live every couple of days.

[sainthogan]

You want to see a slightly rounded belly, not flat and not fat. Their bellies don't always round out until a while after you've fed them, so if you fed him, and his belly looks huge a half an hour or so later, you've fed him too much, so cut back on the amount your giving him at feedings. If you see his belly getting bigger while you're feeding, don't give him anymore, and then give him a little less at his next feeding.
Generally 2 feedings per day is good, with the occasional snack in between such as freeze-dried or frozen blood worms, daphnia, fruit flies, etc. These are good for treats once or twice a week.