Hi! I'm new, and have a question about feeding

[DeannaNAmanda]

Hi betta people! Just got my first betta, and it's going great, except for one thing: I'm getting conflicting information on when/how much to feed my fishy. The people who sold him to us told us to feed him once a week, but in doing some research online many people seem to be feeding theirs twice a day. This seems like a big discrepancy, going from one feeding to 12 feedings a week (accounting for a day of fasting). So what's the real deal. How often should we feed our Squishy?
Thanks!

[jeaninel]

Once a week is not enough. I feed mine once a day but only because I work such long hours. Once or twice a day feeding 2-3 pellets each time should be good.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Hadoken Kitty]

Squishy should, ideally, be fed anywhere from 2-4 pellets depending on size up to 2 times a day. Also, account one day for fasting. If you would like, you could feed a very small amount of frozen brine shrimp or frozen blood worms as a treat for your fish. Your fish should not be fed more than it can eat in under one minute as far as the frozen foods go. If your fish gets a larger belly after eating, you may be feeding him too much, so try to cut back a little.

I'm only showing you the link for pictures sake, but the info isn't too bad, really.
http://www.bettatalk.com/food.htm

Not all pet store employees know what they are talking about, particularly the ones at larger chains. You are lucky if you find one who does, unfortunately. They don't want you to think that fish are difficult to take care of, so they tell you to feed you fish less. This, in turn, will cause your fish to poop less. Which, following, will be less to pick up after in the tank. This is not taking care of a fish!!!!

I hope this helps some. I'm sorry if the pet store employees confused you. They do this a lot....just take all info you get with a grain of salt and compare. If it seems logical, and your gut is telling you it is right, then it probably is.

[waterdog]

Thank you for having a name that made me laugh. I think squishy is the best name I ever heard!

I feed mine 4 pellets once a day. Everyone varies slightly, but for pity sake DO NOT LISTEN TO PET STORE EMPLOYEES! Can you tell that's a sore subject for me? LOL I was in Petsmart one day and overheard a woman asking an employee about her "milky" water (cycling of course) The employee advised her to put in a moss ball to clear it up, then change it and put in a new moss ball once a week. Reallllllllllllly? I've heard them tell people they don't need a heater. Realllllllly? I even heard one tell a customer they can put two bettas on a 1 gallon tank! (yes, I stepped in on that one)

Just make sure it's a high quality pellet, like Omega One.