Betta fry are small and adorable fish with an appetite. Raising these finny little creatures can be a lot of fun as they grow into vibrant adults.
Eating properly is essential for their health and development. They need enough nutrients and protein to develop into strong adult bettas.
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Vinegar Eels
For the ideal food for fry betta, vinegar eels are your ideal choice. These small freshwater worms are easy to culture and provide nutritious and sustainable nutrition for small aquatic pets.
They’re more cost-effective than micro worms and won’t sink as quickly, making them easier to keep in your tank. Furthermore, these common fry foods move throughout the water column and can survive longer than other popular fry foods like banana worms and baby brine shrimp.
Start a vinegar eel culture in a bottle with an extended neck (like a wine or soda bottle). Fill the bottle up until its neck starts to narrow with your vinegar eel culture, then tuck a wad of filter floss down at the base and fill with dechlorinated tap water.
Infusoria
Infusoria are the ideal food for fry betta because they provide them with essential nutrition that other foods cannot provide. Furthermore, these crunchy snacks contain natural calcium which is crucial for healthy fry growth and development.
Growing infusoria at home is easy! All you need is a jar, water from an established aquarium and some plant matter like lettuce, peas or carrots.
Once your jar is full of water, add the plant matter and place it in a sunny window for four to five days. As this culture develops, you should notice the water begin to turn green or cloudy.
Once the water begins to clear, you can harvest some infusoria and feed it to your betta fish. Be sure only give your fry a small amount of liquid from the jar at a time as too much will kill off the infusoria and pollute your tank.
Baby Brine Shrimp
Baby brine shrimp (nauplii) are an incredibly nutritious and easily digestible food for fry betta. Not only do they provide calcium, protein-lipid, and other essential nutrients to your fish, but they’re also great sources of iron, selenium, and other essential elements.
Brine shrimp are tiny saltwater crustaceans of the Artemia genus. They lay encapsulated eggs or cysts which must then be rehydrated in salt water for 18-36 hours before hatching.
After your betta fry have eaten infusoria for several days, introduce them to baby brine shrimp. Offer small amounts several times a day in order to maximize growth and development.
Tubifex
Tubifex worms make excellent food for fry betta as they provide them with essential protein to grow. These worms can easily be raised in captivity and fed various organic waste products found in slow-moving water bodies like ponds, swamps and marshes.
Entomological worms can be harvested from either a sewage system or from commercial worm farms and sold in many pet stores that specialize in aquatic pets. Freeze dried worms also make great options since they’re stored for extended periods without spoiling and safe for fish consumption.
Tubifex are not like blood worms in that they do not carry a parasite that could harm fish; however, they must still be handled and cleaned carefully before being fed to your pets as food. They should be soaked in water with an effective chemical dechlorinator for several hours prior to giving them to your aquatic friends.
