Strange foods your betta likes?

[DazzleKitty]

Besides the things you find at pet shops, is there any other odd foods around your house that your betta enjoys to eat, and is safe for them? Someone in another thread mentioned they put a bit of cooked crab meat into the tank and their betta liked it. And now I've heard of ants and fleas being fed to them. I remember something saying a while back that bettas like peas too.

I love giving my dog treats, so I think I would like to treat my betta to something tasty and different every now and then to keep his diet interesting and full of variety. I alternate between pellets, flakes, and freeze dried bloodworms.

Has anyone here found anything else that they enjoy? Stuff that is 'people food' but you fish enjoyed?

I thought this may be an interesting discussion that would lead to some fun ideas of how to give our bettas something yummy and new to eat every now and then.

[TaylorW]

Hehe, I gave my betta a *tiny* piece of popcorn once, and he loved it! But I wouldn't suggest that any try this :P I haven't given him anymore since, I was afraid it would make him sick.

[tsoto80]

I have been wondering this question myself. My Red wont eat betta pellets and he spits out the blood worms he is the most pickest fish I ever seen! I wanted to try some alternative methods.

[TaylorW]

Have you tried frozen food? My betta LOVES it! :)

[Ethan]

I fed my betta bread once but SADLY HE DIED!!!!!

Plz don't try this I think it was the yeast

[TaylorW]

Originally Posted by Ethan

I fed my betta bread once but SADLY HE DIED!!!!!

Plz don't try this I think it was the yeast

It could have swelled in his stomach when it got wet, causing it to become lodged in his stomach or possibly rupturing his organs...

If you soak food in tank water before feeding, it won't swell in the fish's stomach. I'd say the dry bread expanding in his belly is what got him, not the yeast or the bread.

[LikeDiscoSuperfly]

I havent ever offered my betta anything other than fish food.. i.e. betta food/bloodworms/brine shrimp.

[JKfish]

bugs. it was actually a complete accident, but a small cricket (probably escaped from when I was petsitting a lizard) got into my tank, and my betta ate it before I could fish it out. If you have still water outside in the summer, you could gather mosquito larve, rinse them, and feed to your betta, they're supposed to love live food. Oh, and shrimp... My dad was being wierd once, and he had a piece of shrimp that was supposed to be dipped into the shimp cocktail and eaten, but instead he took a small chunk and put it into the tank to see what my betta would do. Needless to say, he loved it XD

[Oldfishlady]

I make my own fish food out of raw shrimp smashed together with crushed fresh garlic and blanched baby spinach and all my fish love it...I freeze it too since I make large batches and break off what I need each day

Since nearly all my tanks are open tops I get lots of bug that fly in going to the light and this drives my Bettas nuts....pretty funny watching a tank full of half grown Bettas going after a moth that fell in or chasing a fly that never falls in...laffs......they will gang up on the moth and play tug-O-war and rip it apart all that is left are the wings and the moth dust on top the water

I chop up red worms from my yard/garden (pesticide free) and they go nut for them

I smash snails and feed the meat

I gather lots of different critters from my water buckets outside and feed my fish-mainly mosquito larva, daphnia, seed shrimp, copperpods, maggots........and really small dragonfly and damselfly larva...but you need to be careful with them and make sure they eat them so they don't grow up in the tank and later eat the fish

Guppy fry is another thing my Bettas love to eat

As long as the foods are pesticide free and meaty food that you eat need to have limited oils/grease on them so you don't pollute the water or make a water change after feeding....but don't feed too much at a time.......

Remember when soaking pellets to use very small amount of tank water or dechlorinated water so you don't leach out all the added vit/mim/supp/etc.....it doesn't take much and you don't want to feed empty calories and cause nutritional related health problems......

When in doubt....don't feed it.....

Good varied diet can go a long ways......

[JKfish]

OFl, how do you make your fish food? that sounds really interesting, and I want to try it.