Feeding

[Amour]

That was you? Thanks so much for your advise! Ninja Dude LOVES those pellets. I'm definitely going to see about those other two foods you recommend.

[Campbell]

Originally Posted by Amour

Also, someone on here told me something that makes a lot of sense. "I never feed my betta anything that has 'fish meal' as it's first ingredient."

Wait, I thought it was a good first ingredient because that meant meat was the main part, and I should avoid pellets with wheat as a first ingredient?

[Amour]

The pellets that LionMom recommended me have Salmon as their first ingredient. Followed by some other fishes. Don't have the bottle with me at the moment. But my betta loves them and they smell like real fish instead of like dead fish like most betta foods from pet stores smell like.

It's like feeding my betta lobster for dinner instead of fish sticks.

[Sarada]

I feed mine 3 pellets twice a day. They are happy and healthy and never look bloated. Every couple of days I replace a feeding with bloodworms.

How often am I supposed to feed my corys?

[Ajones108]

SALMON as the first ingredient? As much as I don't have a problem with this and really don't see it as an issue, I've got to be the one that points out, we are feeding our bettas... fish. >_>;

[Campbell]

Oh okay, gotcha. I might order that later. I was just confused because I was told to look for foods with more fish meal than wheat.

Originally Posted by Ajones108

SALMON as the first ingredient? As much as I don't have a problem with this and really don't see it as an issue, I've got to be the one that points out, we are feeding our bettas... fish. >_>;

Haha, yup. They're carnivores for the most part.

[XSprinkleFaceX]

LMAO. It sounds so "cannibal" eh Ajones108?

[Lion Mom]

Originally Posted by Amour

That was you? Thanks so much for your advise! Ninja Dude LOVES those pellets. I'm definitely going to see about those other two foods you recommend.

You are MORE than welcome - I am ALWAYS glad to help out another fish person when I can!!!

One more thing - I only feed once a day & I also fast them one day a week. Guess that's actually two more things, huh?

We feed our fish (especially carnivores like bettas) fish because most of us don't have a bunch of insects sitting around to feed them. Also, ANY fish will eat another fish if they can fit it in their mouth!!!

And if we DID have insects sittin' around, I would be concerned with disease, parasites, etc.

[Adastra]

Personally I don't advocate the use of freeze-dried foods--I have had negative experiences with them causing extreme constipation. Consider the fact that betta bodies were not made to digest dry, air-filled foods, and there is an inherent loss of nutrition in the freeze-drying process. Frozen foods are easier to digest and more nutritionally valuable than freeze-dried foods. If you must use your freeze-dried foods, break them into small pieces and soak them in tank water until completely rehydrated.

Where pellets are concerned, the most important thing is the meat content. Bettas are carnivores and can't absorb nutrients from plant matter, so meat must be the first ingredient. Generally the more specific the meat, the better--for instance, fish meal is not as good as whole fish meal, which is not as good as whole salmon or other types of whole fish. The best foods have multiple whole fish ingredients, such as halibut, krill, squid, etc.

Feeding amount depends on the activity level of the fish--for instance, rosetails, halfmoons, and double tails tend to be less active than veils, plakats, and females due to their heavy finnage. This is just an example, all fish are individuals and depending on their personality, tank size, and temperature may have different activity levels. But on the same diet, the less active are more likely to become obese because they don't burn the same calories. Double tails are also prone to swim bladder problems and bloating due to their body structure, so extra caution should be taken to prevent bloating in double tails.

Feeding small amounts multiple times a day and soaking pellets or other dry foods thoroughly in tank water are simple ways to prevent bloating.

I think someone asked about feeding their cories--keep in mind that cories are omnivorous and have different dietary needs from bettas. It is advised that you supplement their diet with blanched vegetables like zuchini and peas--I suggest doing more research about their dietary needs.

[Sarada]

Thanks Adastra...I have shrimp pellets for my cories, I wasnt aware of them eating veggies.