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Feeding
Bettas are carnivorous. They do not eat plants, the
roots of plants, or microscopic bacteria living on the roots of plants. (This is in reference to the recent fad of sticking
bettas in a vase with a lily as its only food. Don't support this cruel treatment, and provide a proper home for your
betta if you've already purchased one of these vases.) You must provide a carnivorous diet for your betta, and this
can be in the form of special betta pellet food, live foods, or a combination. They also generally dislike flake forms
of food that are used with other fish. If you choose to
give your betta live foods (or freeze-dried live foods), try bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimp, or even mosquito larvae (if
you catch these yourself they should be pesticide-free and from clean water only). Your betta may not care for some
of these foods as first; they can be finicky and their preferences are usually based on what they were raised on. While
it can be cute to watch your betta spit out the offending meal, it's not very healthy and probably stressful. Therefore,
it's a good idea to find at least one kind of pellet food that your betta likes as a staple, and use the live foods as treats.Feed
your betta small amounts of food daily. Keep an eye on its belly to see if you've got the amount right. A betta
with a gently rounded stomach is a healthy one. If it appears stretched more than that, it is overfed, and less=underfed.
If you skip a day or two, like while you're on vacation, your betta will be angry, but fine. This is actually healthier
than using the "weekend feeders" which can overfeed and dirty the water while you're away.
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