[Cara]

It it a matter of finding a nice balance through trial and error? I'm having trouble getting Fred's food just right, I gave him three pellets this morning and let's just say he won't get any food tonight. So how did everyone find just the right amount to feed?

 

[jaysee]

If you are counting pellets then you are in absolutely no danger of feeding too much. Question is then whether you are feeding enough.

I use trumpet snails to monitor my feeding. Their population is food dependent - too much and they overpopulate the tank. Not enough and the colony dies off.

 

[Cara]

My issue is that with three pellets Fred was looking rather rotund immediately after eating. I had planned on trying for three in the morning and three in the evening, but I think three at a time may be too many. So I believe tomorrow I'll try 2 in the morning and two in the evening, but that just...doesn't seem like enough.

 

[jaysee]

The belly should look round, like it's got food in it not fat, but plump.

What size are the pellets you are feeding? Would make a difference if they were 0.5 mm, 1 mm, or bigger, you know?

 

[Cara]

They are 1mm NLS All Purpose Pellets.

 

[jaysee]

I don't count pellets, but I did the last time I participated in such a thread. I counted the 1 mm pellets I feed my bettas (and trumpet snails) - 25. Way more than I thought I was. I'm not suggesting you feed 25, but 2-3 (4-6 a day) 1 mm pellets is under feeding IMO.

 

[Cara]

Hm, from what I've been read on here I thought 6-7 pellets a day seemed pretty average.

ETA: I misspoke(typed?) in my previous answer, if I cut down to two pellets a day I would throw an afternoon meal in there.

 

[jaysee]

I think two 1 mm pellets a day plus a treat is barely feeding the fish. You'd be better off feeding more pellets and forgoing the treat, IMO.

I think many people are afraid of over feeding and so they overcompensate.

 

[Cara]

I'm not sure where you got that I was forgoing pellets for a treat?

My current plan is either 3 pellets two times a day or 2 pellets three times a day, as 3 at a time seems to make him appear bloaty.

So he would be getting on average 6-7 pellets a day.


ETA: Oops I saw my mistake, I meant if I cut down to 2 pellets a meal, I would throw an afternoon meal in there. So two pellets 3x a day. My bad.

 

[jaysee]

I didn't say that you were doing anything. I said that if you were only going to feed two 1 mm pellets and a treat, that it would be better to skip the treat and feed more pellets.

Since you are feeding NLS you don't have to worry about bloating from "over feeding".

 

[Cara]

I saw my typo in my earlier post, I meant two pellets a meal not two pellets a day. Totally my mistake.

 

[jaysee]

It's okay

Yeah I still think it's under feeding, but that's my opinion.

 

[JessiesGill]

I feed the NLS Betta pellets. They are 1mm but tend to be on the large end of the range. I feed an average of 4 pellets, twice a day. I only give him one at a time. After he eats one, he does a lap around the tank. After three, it takes him longer to return to his feeding spot. After the fourth, he is completely uninterested in food. I see that most people here say the typical betta will eat until he pops; I guess he isn't typical. If a pellet sinks he will ignore it until I siphon the gravel. That's why I've always fed him one at a time. When I look at him from above, he has a nice gentle taper to his body, and he doesn't look like the photos of underfed bettas that I've seen.

I noticed that the amount he eats is related to his water temperature. When I first upgraded to his 10 gallon tank, my 25 watt Hydor didn't get the water up to 80. It was closer to 76, and he only ate about half of his normal intake. As soon as the new heater got him back to 79, his appetite was back to normal. This week I've raised the temp a little to assist the Dr. Tim's that I used, and he is eating a little faster than normal, even skipping his first two laps around the tank. Higher temp --> higher metabolism --> more food. He's never been bloated, and since I feed him the good stuff, I don't worry about overfeeding.

 

[jaysee]

I see that most people here say the typical betta will eat until he pops; I guess he isn't typical.

I see that too, and I have no doubt that fish have eaten a lot and died. But I thinks it's more a function of what they ate than how much. I've experimented with over feedings and have never been able to feed a fish to death. But I feed NLS, so that wasn't a surprise.