So I feed my buddy twice a day. A treat before breakfast and dinner (a bloodworm) and then flakes. And every week I do a 50% cleaning, the thing that bothers me the most though when I do this is all the uneaten food swimming all around and it clinging to my fake plant, after I put the new water in it takes about five minutes for the old food to go back to the bottom. I was just wondering if I can somehow clean better so all that gross old food can disappear and my tank not be so dirty? Please help:(
So I feed my buddy twice a day. A treat before breakfast and dinner (a bloodworm) and then flakes. And every week I do a 50% cleaning, the thing that bothers me the most though when I do this is all the uneaten food swimming all around and it clinging to my fake plant, after I put the new water in it takes about five minutes for the old food to go back to the bottom. I was just wondering if I can somehow clean better so all that gross old food can disappear and my tank not be so dirty? Please help:(
Bloodworms are treats and should not be fed every day. Only give bloodworms at most twice a week. I reccomend getting your betta some pellets. pellets are easy to portion out so you know that you are feeding the correct amount. Pellets are a lot less messy as well, my betta never has left over food in the tank because the pellets are easy for her to eat. The best brands are new life spectrum and omega one/
How many gallons is your bowl?
If it is a 1 gallon bowl- do 3 water changes per week. 2- 50% changes and 1-100% change. Water changes are neccessary even if the water doesnt look dirty. Fish create ammonia, which is a colorless, invisible and TOXIC thing. It needs more water changes to rid of ammonia.
Some people will tell you to not do a 100% change. But this only applies to TANKS with filters, so they can be cycled. Your bowl cannot be cycled and therefore requires 100% water changes.
Last edited by teeneythebetta; 08-26-2012 at 08:57 AM.
....Bowl? How big of a 'bowl' are we talking here...?
Flakes can be quite messy, and unless they're all gobbled up right away there really isn't much nutritional value in them. Its best to feed a good quality pellet(Omega One, New Life Spectrum to name a couple)made specifically for bettas as a staple diet; about 2-3 pellets twice a day should do it.
Edit: Lol, Teeney beat me xD +1 as well to their information.
Well I would def do the pellets but he is wayyyy picky, like he won't eat them at all lol so I had to get the flakes, I will though feed him less bloodworms and it's only a gallon bowl and so I guess I'm gonna have to do a lot more cleanings :/
Well I would def do the pellets but he is wayyyy picky, like he won't eat them at all lol so I had to get the flakes, I will though feed him less bloodworms and it's only a gallon bowl and so I guess I'm gonna have to do a lot more cleanings :/
Oh, that sucks.. Well try to break the flakes into smaller pieces, like bite sized pieces. That way they are less likely to break apart and make a mess
What kind of pellets have you tried? Perhaps they were a little large and he just didn't like that?
I was having a little trouble getting one of my boys to eat the usual pellets I feed, which are a bit on the large side. I pulled out a couple of different brands though and tried them out and was able to get him to eat Aqueon pellets, which are much smaller.
You can try a couple of different pellet brands, and you can also try soaking the pellets in fresh Garlic juice to entice his appetite a little if he still doesn't take to them.
And don't give up if he doesn't take to it the very first feeding! Sometimes it takes a few trys, but feeding pellets, especially when you have such a small tank, will definitely help with the water quality issue you're having.
If in the end you really can't get pellets in him at all, just be really careful with the flakes; feed him just a few per meal, feed them one at a time, and watch to make sure he eats it before feeding him another flake. Its a little bit of work, but it will help eliminate the amount of uneaten flakes swirling around.
They are called Tetra Betta Floating Mini Pellets, I tried it for about two weeks when I got him and I starte worrying when he wouldn't eat them and do I got the flakes which he loved right away, I'll try the garlic thing and see what happens
Hmm...looking at the ingredients from what I kind find, I'd suggest you pick up a new pellet brand anyway like Aqueon, Omega One, or New Life Spectrum if you'd like to give the pellets a shot again. Looking at reviews too, they seem to have a track record of not being liked by bettas....
I reccomend both NLS and omega one brand, but of the two, i think youd have better luck with new life spectrum. The ingredients are absolutely amazing, its a very healthy food. But it has a more fishy smell than most pellets, and may be more appetizing as well.
I got them at petco. Or you can order them online..
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