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Feeding and stimulation

314 views 7 replies 2 participants last post by  RussellTheShihTzu 
#1 ·
Hello I'm new to this forum and I just got my Betta fish yesterday. I'm pretty sure I've been feeding him the same brand as the store and even occasionally crushing it for him, he still sometimes spits it out, is this maybe because I feed him too often? I feed him one or two pellets every handful of hours... I know they can eat a lot but how much is too much?

Also I have another question regarding keeping my Betta "entertained", per se. I don't want my little guy to get bored and then depressed, I know from experience as a kid these fish can be quite temperamental. I put a small mirror on one side of his bowl for him but I feel like it's not enough. Maybe I should give him a bigger bowl with more space and more plants. I'm not really sure. We kept my old Bettas in tiny bowls with nothing but pebbles on the bottom and they were fine, what do you guys suggest?
 
#2 ·
Welcome to the Bettafish.com and congratulations on your new boy.

First, take away the mirror. They should only be used sporadically because you don't want your Betta to over-flare and blow his fins.

Second, just feed him two or three pellets twice a day. If you do it at the same time, you'll soon notice him getting antsy around feeding time. :)

You can entertain him! Make him jump for a pellet; follow your finger to the top and reward with a pellet or frozen bloodworm. Give him plants to play in. One of mine snakes through the ground cover and in and out of of the bunched plants. You can also get him a ping pong ball and drop it in occasionally.

Size of tank depends on your budget and space. I like the 10 gallon kits. Usually you only need to buy a thermometer and a small heater. With a 10, if you decide you want another Betta you can divide the tank into two or three sections. Plus you can have three Bettas but only need one water change!

Or, if you're sure you'll never get another Betta, a five gallon kit is nice. Get one with a fluorescent bulb instead of LED. Then, if you want to do plants, you'll have good lighting. Or, you can get an incandecent hood and use compact fluorescent bulbs instead.

I have a 2.5 Mini Bow and one of my Bettas prefers its smaller size.

Have fun and post a photo when you can.
 
#6 ·
You can put double-sided tape on the lid or around the tank. Leave it for about three weeks. It's self-correcting and very effective.

My Mom's cat used to crouch on the top of the fridge and when someone would walk by (especially a guest), he'd bop them on the head. After sticking to that tape a couple of times, he'd eye the fridge, turn his back, flick his tail and walk away. It was really funny. But, of course, we never laughed....out loud. :)
 
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