Fusses With Pellets !

[misty1477]

My Sparkle has been eating tetramin FLAKES for about 2 months now. Eats them like a little 'piggy' fish

I recently got him Omega One Super Color Floating Pellets. They are considered "small" in size.

I soak the pellets to make them soft. He will take one and go down to the bottom of his silk plants to eat it (I guess). I watch him do this very carefully...I actually saw him "CHEWING" .... WOW

But...after he chews for a while, he spits out some white stuff. I figure he is ready for another pellet, so I jiggle the water with my finger where he normally gets his food and he doesn't zooooom to the spot. When I feed him flakes, he is like a crazy nut .... can't wait for the next flake to be dropped in. Soooo...I end up giving him a few flakes.

I don't understand this pellet action....is it kind of normal?

If this pellet-spit issue keeps up, I will have to do water changes in his 5 gallon tank every other day !!!

YES....I AM OBSESSED WITH MY BETTA

[jeremywadejunior]

He may just be getting used to the different food, since it's new to him. When I first fed my betta brine shrimp he would spit it out multiple times. But now he's used to them and gobbles them right up!

[Pucky21811]

It can be really hard for bettas to change food types; especially from soft flakes to harder pellets.

I converted recently, and while my Zamboni became a natural, Winnipeg seemed to go through the same motions your betta is. She still sometimes has trouble: she will inhale the hole thing, then spit it back out, and consume it again. She repeats this several times. The white stuff your betta spits out may be the pellet itself. I haven't seemed to have a problem; it is probably easier to eat each time he spits it out and re-eats it.

The fact that he is eating is is a good sign; I would suggest patience. Give him one pellet at a time until he is done eating that one, whether he returns to it or not. Repeat these motions for a few more weeks and see if there is any improvement. Good luck! :)
~Pucky

[vilmarisv]

Don't soak the pellet.
Be a little hard on him and offer only pellets until he starts eating.
Eventually, he'll be hungry enough

[clopez1]

You could also soak it in garlic water (mash garlic and soak it in water), they go crazy for that stuff but your tank will smell of it. I did that until he got used to it and now he eats the pellets without it. I put the garlic water in a pill bottle I rinsed out really well and store it in the fridge. I also would take scissors and cut the pellets and he quit spitting it out.

[megacoolguy10]

Switch to aqueon pellets I also have aqueon and omega my fish likes both but he loves aqueon.

[hannguyen]

My Betta did that when I first got him and just got a random kind of food they have at the pet store. I switched to Bio Gold, they are TINY and Biscuit loves them :D I also feed him Omega One Betta Buffet Flakes along with the pellets and he loves them flakes too since it's probably easier to eat

[misty1477]

Originally Posted by Pucky21811

It can be really hard for bettas to change food types; especially from soft flakes to harder pellets.

I converted recently, and while my Zamboni became a natural, Winnipeg seemed to go through the same motions your betta is. She still sometimes has trouble: she will inhale the hole thing, then spit it back out, and consume it again. She repeats this several times. The white stuff your betta spits out may be the pellet itself. I haven't seemed to have a problem; it is probably easier to eat each time he spits it out and re-eats it.

The fact that he is eating is is a good sign; I would suggest patience. Give him one pellet at a time until he is done eating that one, whether he returns to it or not. Repeat these motions for a few more weeks and see if there is any improvement. Good luck! :)
~Pucky

I give him one pellet at a time and watch him until he is done .... jeeepers fish....he takes 5 minutes fussing with it

I will still keep trying....since I have a 3.5 ounce container to use I think he is a "flake" betta. We shall see.

The only drawback here is how fast his tank gets dirty from the food he spits out. I guess I will be 'gravel vaccuming' more than I do 'carpet vacuuming' until this works.

[misty1477]

Originally Posted by clopez1

You could also soak it in garlic water (mash garlic and soak it in water), they go crazy for that stuff but your tank will smell of it. I did that until he got used to it and now he eats the pellets without it. I put the garlic water in a pill bottle I rinsed out really well and store it in the fridge. I also would take scissors and cut the pellets and he quit spitting it out.

Hmmmm....I love the smell of garlic.... I will try that .... but I will try cutting them in half first.

[clopez1]

Garlic is also good for the immune system and helps to protect against parasites..I felt bad after posting about garlic and I hadn't given him any for a while so I gave him a soaked pellet and he's dancing around his tank right now..I also would put a drop or two of the garlic water in the tank..Perks him up and gets him swimming in circles. That's a once in a blue moon thing though because of the smell and don't want to get him used to it.