Bettas are carnivorous fish that need a high-protein diet to thrive. They’re also pretty picky eaters and will often refuse to eat even their favorite foods if they’re not served up just right. That said, betta fish are fairly hardy creatures, provided their needs are met. It is possible to feed them almost anything so long as it’s the right kind of food. If you’ve got a betta fish at home and want to know what kinds of food you should feed betta fish for sale, read on for our top recommendations.
What Are the Best Foods for Betta Fish?
There are a few factors to consider when choosing the best foods for your fish, including the species, age and health of your betta, as well as the water conditions in your tank. Temperature and water hardness are also important factors, especially if you’re looking to feed your fish live worms or insect larvae. Temperature can play a major factor in what types of food are best for your betta.
As you may know, bettas are native to tropical climates. When choosing food for your fish, you’ll want to keep this in mind. Age and health are important too. Young fish and the occasional adult are relatively hardy creatures, but bettas that are getting up there in years may have certain dietary needs that are different from younger fish.
What are the Best Types of Food for Betta Fish?
For the healthiest diet, we recommend feeding your betta a variety of different foods. A diet that is varied and high in protein will help your betta stay strong and healthy. For starters, you should always include good betta fish food in your betta diet. Specialty betta pellets are formulated to meet your fish’s dietary needs, and they can be an excellent source of protein.
For additional health benefits, we recommend feeding your betta high-quality freeze-dried or frozen foods. These foods are high in protein, as well as other vitamins and minerals that your fish needs to thrive. If you’re interested in feeding your betta live fish or insects, you should only do so if your fish is over 6 months old. Younger bettas may have trouble processing the nutrients found in live feeder fish.
Healthy Human Foods for Betta Fish
To meet a betta fish’s exact dietary needs, you’ll want to choose only healthy human foods for your betta’s diet. While it’s possible to meet all of your betta fish’s needs with healthy human foods alone, it’s not easy. You’d have to feed your betta fish a different healthy human food each day of the week for the rest of its life! Here are some healthy human foods for betta fish:
– Human-grade whole grains. Corn, oats, quinoa, barley, and wheat are all good choices. Just don’t feed your betta whole grains that have been enriched or fortified with vitamins. Betta fish don’t need any of these extras.
– Beans and legumes. These healthy sources of protein are safe for bettas. Just be sure to select those without added ingredients like saturated fat, added sugars, etc.
– Herbs and spices. These are completely safe for bettas.
– Vegetables. Betta fish can eat most vegetables without a problem. Just be sure to avoid any veggies high in oxalic acid, like spinach, rhubarb, and Swiss chard.
Safer Dry Foods for Bettas
Dry foods, while not as healthy as fresh vegetables or whole grains, can be a good choice for bettas. Dry food is usually fortified with vitamins and minerals that aren’t found in natural foods. This can be helpful. However, there are also artificial ingredients like colouring and preservatives that aren’t ideal. It’s best to choose quality dry food with as few of these non-natural ingredients as possible. Here are a few dry foods for bettas:
– Brine Shrimp. This is one of the best dry foods for bettas. It’s made from real shrimp and is high in protein and low in fat. The only downside is that it can be expensive and hard to find.
– Cichlid pellets. These are made from fish meal and are a good choice for bettas. They’re usually pretty inexpensive, and many types are enriched with vitamins and minerals.
– Flake and pellet fish food. Fish meal is high in protein and low in fat making it a good choice for bettas.
Harmful Human Foods to Avoid
There are a few human foods that should never be fed to a betta fish. These foods can make your betta sick, so it’s important to avoid them entirely. Here are the harmful human foods to avoid feeding a betta:
– Citrus fruit and peels. These are toxic to bettas. It’s best to avoid feeding your betta any citrus fruits, like oranges, lemons, or grapefruits. It’s also a good idea to avoid feeding your betta any citrus peels, like from oranges or tangerines.
– Potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants. These foods are high in oxalic acid and toxic for bettas.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are lots of different kinds of food you can feed your betta fish. It’s important to make sure that your betta’s food is healthy and not loaded with artificial ingredients or preservatives. You can find many healthy human foods for bettas at the grocery store or even at a local farmers market. Just be sure to avoid feeding your betta any harmful human foods. If you’re looking to keep your betta happy and healthy, it’s important to know what kinds of food to feed your betta fish.
