How much

[Crazy4Coffee]

Should a betta eat? I got him free off of Craigslist he came with a vase type thing, a net, water treatment stuff and Aqua Culture Betta Food they are very tiny pellets. I've had him for two almost three days and he started feeding on the second day! (yay!) 5 pellets in the morning and 5 in the evening. today i gave him another 5 pellets this morning. is this too much? (the pellets are super tiny, about the size of a poppy seed.) Is it not enough?

[ElmoFish]

I wouldn't recommend giving him more than 5-6 a day, not twice a day.. 2-3 in the morning and 2-3 at night to spread it out, overfeeding can lead to illness.

[Jupiter]

FREE!?

Yours look tiny, but I wouldn't feed him more than 3 in the morning and 3 at night. Giving him 10-12 a day is way too much. Bettas will eat like crazy if you let them, lol.

My pellets are a bit bigger, I give my girls 2 in the morning and 2 at night. This weekend I'm planning on fasting them.

[AlexXx]

cute lil guy! beautiful colors! i feed mine 1 pellet in the mornings and one in the evening, and fast them every once and a while

[kelly528]

If you are planning on keeping him in that bowl, I would go for about 3 per day:

a) I'm assuming the bowl isn't heated, because that's just impossible! Bettas need heat and when they don't live in a warm enough environment their whole metabolism slows down. If he isn't digesting as fast as he should, he will be more prone to bloating.

b) Bowls don't offer alot of swimming space. So all those pellets will go straight to his thighs...er... caudal peduncle. Remember, most bettas die prematurely from an excess of fat on their liver!

So just bear this in mind for now, and please consider purchasing some suitable living quarters for your betta (craigslist is an awesome place to start!) You may want to check out this thread: http://www.fishforum.com/betta-fish-...are-faq-20058/ It is awesome and includes a shopping list for all the things you need to give your betta a long, happy life. I once kept my guy in a 1g bowl... you will be amazed at the personality they develop when in the right environment!

*Oh-- and just another helpful tip: a betta's stomach is about the size of his eye, for reference!

[Crazy4Coffee]

thanks for all the Quick responses.

yes, i read that thread the other night. I wondered if i was feeding him too much or not. So, 2 in the morning and 1-2 at night? he is little, but beautiful! I do plan on getting him a bigger tank i've only had him for 3 days :) this is just what he came with.

[Vikki81207]

Yep 2-3 in the morning and at night is right =D
I'm glad you like him so much and want to get him a bigger tank, if only everyone who had bettas in tiny homes did that. You're so lucky to have found such a beautiful guy for free with that stuff. Congrats!

[dramaqueen]

2-3 in am and 2-3 in pm, like everyone else said. I would recommend upgrading to a bigger home, if you can. Welcome to FishForum.

[Crazy4Coffee]

You will be happy to know that he is now in a 1gal. tank with a light on the top :) he's also pooping up a storm ICK! LOL