Just a few questions....

[Boredomb]

Hey everyone I have been a member of TFK for awhile now and have ventured into the Betta world today.
I had no intentions of buying a Betta today but when I saw this solid white Halfmoon I couldn't help myself. I had to get him!

Now I am curious about what to feed him?
I have some NLS Betta formula pellets. As I had heard they don't really like the flakes. I also have frozen bloodworms and Daphnia that I keep for my other fish.
I also have worm cultures Blackworms,Micro,Walter,Banana worms, and Vinegar eels. These are cultures I have had for several months. I keep them going pretty easily. Will the Betta eat any of those??

Here is the whole tank.

I will be adding some more plants tomorrow along with a Black background. How important is it for them to have a "hiding" place? Also what can work as a hiding place? Is a hiding place just to escape the lights? I have Water Sprite in the tank that won't take long to cover the top of the surface. This will make the tank pretty dim.
Any advice will be much appreciated!

[Julio1983]

I would say feed the nls and maybe bloodworms as treats?

[Boredomb]

Figured any worms would be treats but are the Micro/Walter/Banana worms too small for Adult Bettas for treats? Also 2/3x a week?
New Life Spectrum has some good food in other species but how is it for Bettas??
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[aemaki09]

NLS betta formula is actually a really great food, I'd keep feeding him that. You can feed him other live/frozen foods one or two times a week as a treat, but not as a staple in his diet, they are more like junk food than anything really healthy for your betta.
He might eat the blackworms, but the other types are too small for him to pay attention to. I've tried Micro and Banana with mine and the only ones that pay mind to them are my fry and endlers.
Its really important to have a hiding place. You can get something as simple as a terracotta pot, or get a cave of some sort. You could also heavily plant your tank and let him hide in/behind them. I prefer to keep my tanks looking natural so I dont have any actual caves or anything, just a bunch of tall thick plants and a piece of driftwood they can get under. I dont believe its because of light that they need a hiding spot. i think its so they can get away from everything going on outside of their tank if they want to and to have what they think is a safe place to rest.

[Boredomb]

Originally Posted by aemaki09

NLS betta formula is actually a really great food, I'd keep feeding him that. You can feed him other live/frozen foods one or two times a week as a treat, but not as a staple in his diet, they are more like junk food than anything really healthy for your betta.
He might eat the blackworms, but the other types are too small for him to pay attention to. I've tried Micro and Banana with mine and the only ones that pay mind to them are my fry and endlers.
Its really important to have a hiding place. You can get something as simple as a terracotta pot, or get a cave of some sort. You could also heavily plant your tank and let him hide in/behind them. I prefer to keep my tanks looking natural so I dont have any actual caves or anything, just a bunch of tall thick plants and a piece of driftwood they can get under. I dont believe its because of light that they need a hiding spot. i think its so they can get away from everything going on outside of their tank if they want to and to have what they think is a safe place to rest.

Thanks for the info! I know worms are high in protein and are general a treat for most fish. I have a Dwarf Puffer that just eats snails and worms (blood or blackworms). So I was just curious as to the rule of thumb for feeding them to Bettas.
My Micro/Walter/Banana worm cultures are for my Scarlet Badis that are being picky about taken prepared foods. So i had to have some variety for them. I am still working on getting the to take prepared.
Anyways I plan on putting in some Hornwort, Anacharis, and Java Moss tomorrow. I don't really like the idea of putting pots or "caves" in my tanks but I will if its needed. I am like you though and I prefer the natural looking tanks. The driftwood thats in the tank now has some spots that he can get under and swim though. So thinking that might work. Though not sure if it is the best since the fins can rip easy.

[aemaki09]

Sounds like you have it figured out pretty well. If you could get like an amazon sword or something bushy that would be a great alternative for him to hide in, or just bunch the hornwort or anarchis up really tightly and that might help. As long as he has a couple places to go for cover he will be fine!
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[Boredomb]

I bought a Amazon sword today. Its in the back right corner of the tank. Its not very big but it shouldn't take to long for it grow. The last one I had grew like a weed and got huge! I need to go back to the store and get some root tabs as I thought I had some. I don't have much Hornwort or Anacharis but it should start getting taller for me to cut and divide so I will have more to plant.

Is there a need to feed anything else besides NLS as a staple food or is NLS by itself enough? The more I think about it the more I think I will just feed him bloodworms 1x a week and not worth about the rest of the worms.
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[indjo]

IME if you feed non pellets too often, specially live food, they will eventually ignore the pellets. all worms contain more fat than shrimp like foods. Though it's okey, but it would be better to feed worms sparingly. IMO wormy foods are best for growing bettas. Adult bettas will become fat/thick quite quickly.

I don't know what the rule of the thumb is (any fish). Even local hobbyists feed different kinds of foods. It's more about personal preference influenced by availability. BTW, I feed mine frozen blood worms as a staple and other live foods as treats (I could store frozen and mine would never take pellets). I often have to greatly reduce adult's feeding because they're too fat.

[shellieca]

Beautiful tank & beautiful Betta! I may be a little jealous!

[Boredomb]

Originally Posted by indjo

IME if you feed non pellets too often, specially live food, they will eventually ignore the pellets. all worms contain more fat than shrimp like foods. Though it's okey, but it would be better to feed worms sparingly. IMO wormy foods are best for growing bettas. Adult bettas will become fat/thick quite quickly.

I don't know what the rule of the thumb is (any fish). Even local hobbyists feed different kinds of foods. It's more about personal preference influenced by availability. BTW, I feed mine frozen blood worms as a staple and other live foods as treats (I could store frozen and mine would never take pellets). I often have to greatly reduce adult's feeding because they're too fat.

So just a question here Indjo, If worm food is high (higher then most food) in fat and generally makes Bettas thick and fat why do you feed them as staple food? I can understand feeding only what you can get locally as I couldn't get live Blackworms for a long time and the first time I could I started a culture of them so I would have some in the future.

I am just trying to figure out the best foods to feed for the fish in terms of nutrition and have a little variety for him too.

Also one more question what's the best temp to keep them. I have the tank set at 78°. Does it need to be higher/lower???