Bettas in community tank with tank mates... How do you feed?

[DizzyJenny]

Do the bettas eat the other fishes' flakes? Or do they just spit them out if they do? I still have my guy in a mesh breeder tank until the neons get a little bigger so its not an issue at the moment! Just curious is all :)


Thanks!

[Alcemistnv]

I've heard that bettas do, and one of the things to try and do is sprinkle the food in different areas, so the other fish can swim and eat while the betta is eating the piece he found.

[babystarz]

Yeah, they do. I had a disaster with my new sorority the other day, I just plunked in a pile of bloodworms for them all and one girl, in a bid for dominance, ate every single one and became so bloated I thought she was a goner.

Using pellets is the easiest way to be sure you're doling out individual portions. Drop one pellet at a time right in front of a fish and count how much every fish is eating. I can pretty accurately give them all the same amount this way. With live foods, only deposit one or two at a time in one place.

If you end up with a fish trying to eat all the food frequently, she might have to be netted at feeding time.