Bettas have an appetite for food and enjoy hunting for it. They eat insects, flies, ants, insect larvae and other high-protein sources.
However, many bettas can be picky about their food and will turn their nose up at anything put into their tank – particularly if they were raised on flakes and pellets from the pet store.
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Freeze-Dried
Betta fish love freeze-dried brine shrimp as a high protein source, providing essential amino acids for development and growth. However, it’s important that bettas consume freeze-dried brine shrimp sparingly – no more than two or three times per week.
Bettas prefer freeze-dried food because it closely replicates their natural diet, including worms, flying insects and smaller fish found in the wild. Plus, it provides essential nutrients that bettas need to stay healthy and strong.
Brine shrimp are the most common food choice for bettas, but you may also find freeze-dried bloodworms and daphnia in freeze-dry form. These provide additional protein and vitamins to your betta’s diet.
Live foods can be a beneficial addition to a betta’s diet, but they should only be purchased from an established fish store that sources them from trusted sources or farms. These will have been packaged watertight for transport and should not contain any disease or parasites that might harm your betta.
Live
Live brine shrimp are an excellent source of nutrition for many saltwater fish species. Not only do they stimulate predatory instincts, but they provide a significant nutritional boost to fish that are either omnivorous or carnivorous.
They can also be utilized as a training tool. For instance, if your aquarium is difficult to maintain due to high pH or salinity levels, floating brine shrimp in the tank and gradually changing parameters will acclimate them.
Brine shrimp can be fed to betta fish that have constipated due to a poor diet, or those struggling with changes in water salinity due to their highly adaptability.
Frozen
Frozen brine shrimp are an excellent way to provide protein and vitamins for your betta fish. However, they should be supplemented with other foods like pellets or flakes in order to promote their health and growth.
Brine shrimp are small crustaceans that live in various saline environments, such as oceans and inland lakes. Their gills enable them to adjust according to changes in salinity levels by absorbing and extruding ions as needed.
Baby brine shrimp make an excellent food choice for newborn betta fry, as they’re small and packed with essential nutrients. At less than 1mm long, these shrimp boast high levels of protein that are ideal for a betta fry’s diet.
Most frozen brine shrimp come in cube form, so you need to break it into smaller pieces so your betta fish can easily consume them. As a general guideline, only feed your betta 1.8 grams of freeze-dried shrimp per meal; just enough to keep them contented and healthy but not so much that they bloat.
Cooked
Brine shrimp are an ideal food choice for betta fish, as they supply them with essential vitamins and minerals. Furthermore, shrimp contain high levels of protein which aids in their digestion process.
Cooked brine shrimp come in many varieties, including frozen varieties. Frozen brine shrimp make for convenient storage and feeding for betta owners since they can be quickly fed and maintained.
The primary danger of freeze-dried brine shrimp is their potential to expand in water and cause problems for your betta. Therefore, it’s best to feed them slowly and in small amounts.
Some people like to feed their bettas cooked brine shrimp as a treat, but it’s essential that they understand this form of food is not intended as part of their regular diet and could potentially cause harm if overfed. Overfeeding may lead to swim bladder disorder, which is an uncomfortable and painful condition for the fish.
