[GamesAndFish]

So, recently I got yet another Betta. (I'm at five now, it never ends.)
Her name is Eclipse, and she is a yellow CT. Thing is, she's too small for new life spectrum pellets. For the first few days I was able to get her to eat Mysis, until 4 days ago when she started to not be interested in them.:roll:

So, I went and got some frozen blood worms. She eats them, It's just the fact of I really don't want her to be missing anything in her diet.
(she is still quite small, after all.)

What type of frozen/live food schedule would be good for her to grow on? At the current time, I'm wasting a whole block of blood worms because my other fish do not like them, and I put them in tank-water beforehand, making it impossible to get back into the little container to freeze.

Please tell me a good feeding schedule for her, that will be nutritionally blanced and varied?

Thanks~

 

[Betaphototramp]

Harry was a very fussy eater, wouldn't eat pellets and didn't really go for the blood worms I tried. I had some Tetra Bettamin flakes and tried them. I crushed them small enough for him to try and he went crazy eating them. A few weeks ago I needed to replace the flakes and I went to Petco to pick some up. They were out of the Tetra brand, and I started reading labels, I found the Omega one Betta buffet had the right mix for Harry and I brought it home and tried it. I really thought he would turn his nose up at it and not eat. Boy was I wrong. He gobbled all I put in and was looking for more. (Harry loves to eat) I have tried to go back to Tetra brand but Harry won't eat it. So I would try the Omega one Betta Buffet and crush the flakes small enough for her to eat. The diet needs on the package you will find are the right balance and no Vegetable by products. After a few weeks of using it with Harry His colors have gotten so much more vivid. I really love the way he looks and he loves to eat.

 

[MikeG14]

These pellets are excellent for small fish who have trouble with the larger ones.

http://www.omegasea.net/products/nutrition/color-mini-pellets
They will provide a fully balanced diet. You could still give her frozen blood worms as a treat once in a while.

They are available at Petco & Petsmart and your local fish stores.
You could also try cutting the NLS pellets in half or using a pepper grinder (a brand new one).

 

[GamesAndFish]

Thanks! I think I'll try them. The ingredient list looks great! I've been avoiding Omega One for quite a bit now, because my other female's tail turned completely clear from it within a few minutes.

(Her tail literally goes from bright red to clear, usually when something is wrong, like wrong temp, not enough sleep, etc.. So I threw the Omega One pellets away.)

The thing is, she will not even go after pellets, which is why I was wondering about an all live/frozen diet.

Later today, I might be able to go to the fish store to get it.

 

[artemis35]

The thing is, she will not even go after pellets, which is why I was wondering about an all live/frozen diet.

I know that a nutritionally balanced diet is important to you, so high quality pellets really are the ideal way to go. She isn't interested in pellets right now because they are a challenge to eat, plus she has had tasty frozen foods available as an easy alternative. But, almost all bettas will eventually take to pellets.

A 100% live/frozen diet can be nutritionally balanced. But it requires a large variety (not just bloodworms and shrimp) of often hard-to-find frozen foods and/or live foods (which, beyond fruit flies, you probably need to culture yourself). It is a lot of work, especially when it is only for a single fish.

My advice would be to stop feeding any frozen foods and keep trying with the pellets. The micro pellets suggested above are a good idea. Also, try putting some of your NLS pellets in a baggie and crushing them with a rolling pin or some other heavy object. You can also try soaking some of the pellets in garlic juice for a few minutes before offering to your fish (many love the taste of garlic).

Don't be afraid to let her get hungry if she continues to refuse the pellets. Bettas can go for more than a month without food, so a few days (or even weeks) won't permanently harm her. She'll be grumpy and you'll feel awful, but in the end she will most likely eat (and learn to love) the pellets. Good luck!

 

[GamesAndFish]

Guess there's no way to go about it but to be tough on her huh... (-_-')

I'll have though, because my mom's already freaking out about blood worms being in the freezer when I told her what they were. We do have lots of garlic, so I'll go try that now.

The rest of my Bettas literally look like they're ready to kill me if I miss a meal not on a fasting day, so just not feeding is going to be totally odd for me.

Her reaction normally is, *pellet plops in* *turns to look at me* "Stop putting that litter in my tank, you know I want the worms"

Off to go soak some in garlic

Thanks

 

[GamesAndFish]

Update-thing I guess. I got the color mini pellets, as well tried some Betta flakes. She cares about neither. Though the mini pellets came with a cute little spoon... I might test them out on my Golden cloud minnows.

So, what exact frozen/live foods would I need for a balanced diet for her? I'll try pellets again when she's older, but for now, I prefer not starving her! There's Quite a few fish specialty stores and like four different pet stores to choose from, so I'm sure I'd be able to find most of the things.

Ah well I need to go to school now. Bye!

 

[afirose333]

Harry was a very fussy eater, wouldn't eat pellets and didn't really go for the blood worms I tried. I had some Tetra Bettamin flakes and tried them. I crushed them small enough for him to try and he went crazy eating them. A few weeks ago I needed to replace the flakes and I went to Petco to pick some up. They were out of the Tetra brand, and I started reading labels, I found the Omega one Betta buffet had the right mix for Harry and I brought it home and tried it. I really thought he would turn his nose up at it and not eat. Boy was I wrong. He gobbled all I put in and was looking for more. (Harry loves to eat) I have tried to go back to Tetra brand but Harry won't eat it. So I would try the Omega one Betta Buffet and crush the flakes small enough for her to eat. The diet needs on the package you will find are the right balance and no Vegetable by products. After a few weeks of using it with Harry His colors have gotten so much more vivid. I really love the way he looks and he loves to eat.

+1^

After trying to get my new boy to eat pellets (Omega One & Hikari) for almost two weeks with poor results (only 1-2 pellets per day). I went to Petco and got him the Omega One Betta Buffet Flakes. He's now finally got a full round belly and is no longer a sad skinny boy. I assume it was just the texture that was an issue for him. Good Luck!

 

[Schmoo]

If you have a fussy eater, sometimes you have to stand your ground. The O1 Color micro pellets are a good pellet (I feed them to my HMDT and my guppies). If he won't eat the pellets, don't feed him for a day, and try again. I'm sure the frozen worms taste much better, so if she knows you'll cave, she'll turn her little nose up every time.

 

[artemis35]

If you have a fussy eater, sometimes you have to stand your ground.

Difficult as it is (and, believe me, I know - I've been in your shoes) this ^^^ is the only solution.

Bottom line: she likes the frozen food she has been getting, and until she is really, truly hungry she won't try the pellets.

It's only been two days since you started this thread. Even if she has eaten nothing in this time period, she is likely not nearly hungry enough yet to "give in". Like I said previously, bettas can survive for well over a month with zero food. She will not "starve" in just a few days (or even weeks).

 

[GamesAndFish]

It seems during the day while I was gone, she DID eat some of the mini pellets in her tank! (Couldn't find my fish turkey baster siphon thing before I had to run to school)

She was just being mean and picky in front of me (; - so, so mean.

Thanks everyone! I was really freaking out, because the only other girl I've ever had, is a total pig who looks for more food even when stuffed. (She also seems dead-set on trying to swim through the glass)

I'm glad this did not drag on for longer, I mean, she still is growing after all. (entire body from my thumb nail to knuckle. Not like Baby-baby sized, she has color all the way, just tiny.)

Really, thank you! (So happy to have found out about the micro pellets!):-D