When you come to Betta fish, you will find colors in your aquarium and life. They are among the most colorful fish species. These Asian natives are found in shallow Marshes water, ponds, or slow-moving streams. These diurnal require immense care. About caring food is among the top care requirement for Betta fish. In this article, you will learn what they eat, do they love to eat shrimps, what you have to do if you are going to feed them over freeze-dried shrimps, and how to feed live brine shrimps to your Betta fish.
What do Betta fish eat?
Betta fish are carnivores. They love to jump over insects, flies, ants, insect larvae, and other high-protein food. They love to eat, and you can find them something chewing every time in your betta fish tank. But it is necessary to feed them in a balanced way. Otherwise, they have a short life in your aquarium.
In captivity, they are in real trouble when someone stocks them in a little bowl and feeds them over plant roots and leafy vegetables. Such food endangers their life as they are carnivores. If you are going to stock them in your fish tank, then you have to provide them ample space to live and balanced and loved protein diet.
If you visit an aquatic pet store, you will find specially prepared Betta fish-eating pellets. These pallets are rich in protein. You can also find ordinary fish pellets, but they are not suitable for them and leave you in a lurch about a balanced diet. Therefore, you have to buy and supply specially designed Betta fish pellets. They will help to avoid under or over-feeding.
Some favorite and suitable diets for Betta fish are in the following.
- Betta Pellets
- Betta Flakes
- Bloodworms
- Brine Shrimp
- Daphnia
- Mysis Shrimp
- Tubifex Worms
- Mosquito Larvae
Moreover, due to their carnivorous nature, freeze-dried bloodworms and brine shrimps are also favorite food for every Betta. But there are some exceptions regarding such food. The exception is that you don’t have to make it their staple food but give treats once or twice a week.
Here is a thing, do you also think that you can raise them over human food? If your answer is yes, then revise it. Bread and plant roots are strongly prohibited for them. In the case of vegetables, skinned pieces of Pea are helpful in case of constipation. Beef and mutton are also suitable up to a limit, and they can only eat up to an extent.
Can Bettas eat shrimps?
In the wild, the Betta fish are predators and voracious eaters. Can Bettas eat shrimp? It is a question with two answers. These are opposite, i.e., Yes as well as No. Yes, in the case of such shrimps, which are smaller in size. No for those which are equal or larger. They love to jump over cherry shrimps, ghost shrimps, crystal red shrimps, bumblebee shrimps, and all of the baby shrimps.
Here is a question raise why feed shrimps? Betta fish are carnivorous by nature. There is a natural tendency to eat high-protein food. In the wild, they love to eat insects and insect larvae. If you are going to stock Betta in tank, it’s necessary to feed them according to their nature. It will make them happy. Otherwise, stress causes discoloration of Bettas and shortens their life. There are three main types of shrimps that you can feed to Bettas as food.
- Live Shrimps
- Frozen shrimps
- Freeze-dried shrimps
Live shrimps
Live shrimps have a high nutritional value, and Bettas also love to feast over live shrimps. Make sure before adding them into the tank that they are free from every infection. If they carry any diseases, there will be no more Betta in your tank. Acclimate them with aquarium water for at least 20 minutes, then freely add them to your fish tank. While adding, spread them all around the different corners of the tank. Here are some pros and cons of feeding shrimps to Bettas.
Pros
- It will satisfy their natural tendency to hunt.
- Make Betta active.
- It is beneficial in case of constipation
- They will not toxify tank until their death.
Cons
- It may carry diseases along with them
- They are more costly than frozen and freeze-dried shrimp
Frozen shrimps
Frozen shrimp
Live shrimps are more costly. Frozen shrimps are the best for Betta fish if you can compromise on the nutritional value. They are available in pet stores in cube form. Just chip off from the cube and add it into the Betta fish tank. Here are some benefits and downsides of frozen shrimps.
Pros
- Easy to feed.
- More control over nutritional value.
- You can store it for up to 6 months.
- Free from infectious diseases.
Cons
- Low nutritional value.
- Extra cubes may pollute your tank.
- It will make them dull.
- It may cause stress because of not fulfilling the hunting hunger of Bettas.
Freeze-dried shrimps
Freeze-dried shrimps
The other beloved feast for your bettas is freeze-dried shrimps. These shrimps are more favorable for the bettas for many reasons. They are free from diseases as they pass through a complete storage procedure. Therefore, no need to worry about these. Among the many other benefits is that once you are in stock of freeze-dried shrimps than you can for a more extended period without visiting the store.
Here is a thing that you have to keep in mind while feasting these shrimps on your Bettas. For the sake of prolonged shelf life, these are dehydrated. Therefore, you must soak them in water for about 20 minutes before feeding them to your bettas. Otherwise, your bettas will face a constipation problem. Here are some benefits as well as downsides of using these shrimps.
Pros
- Their nutritional value is higher than of live shrimps.
- They are easy to keep and easy to feed.
- They are free from infection and have no chance to carry diseases.
Cons
- Easy to feed but take time because it requires soaking freeze-dried shrimps in water for about 20 minutes.
- Improper soaking can make your Betta sick, like constipation.
How to feed freeze-dried shrimp for Bettas?
Freeze-dried shrimps are high protein value and common food for Bettas. Their less quantity is enough for your Bettas. As compared to live and frozen shrimps, there are some exceptions in the case of freeze-dried shrimps. Here is the proper procedure to feed freeze-dried shrimps to Betta fish in the following.
How to feed?
Don’t direct add them to Betta fish tank. They absorb water to regain their original volume because these shrimps are dehydrated. Therefore, soak the freeze-dried shrimp in a water bowl or container. After 20 minutes, supply it to the fish tank.
If you don’t soak them in water and directly feed them to Betta, they will regain their original volume in the Betta stomach. After gaining their original volume, they will expand to Betta’s stomach. It leads them to multiple diseases such as constipation which is at the top of the list. Here are a few benefits and downsides of eating freeze-dried shrimps.
How often and how much to feed?
It is recommended not to make shrimp a staple because they are rich in protein, because it will cause trouble in your tank and among your Bettas. It is enough to supply shrimp’s feast to your Bettas twice or thrice (2 or 3 times) per week.
Each time, you can only offer a small amount of freeze-dried brine shrimp to bettas, which is as big as their eyes. If you feed them more than that, they will be overfed. Overfeeding causes many problems, such as water contamination and algae growth.
How to use live brine shrimp for Bettas?
Live shrimps have a higher nutritional value as compared to frozen shrimps. In case of frozen, chip off from the cube and put it in your fish aquarium. But live shrimps require a different procedure than frozen and freeze-dried shrimps. You will find one brief method to use live brine shrimps for Betta.
It needs to acclimate brine shrimps. For acclimatization, you have to put it in water for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, you can introduce them to your fish tank. Don’t dump them in water at once. Release them at a few minute intervals around the tank. Don’t forget to spread them all around the corner of the tank. So everyone gets their fair share. The suitable feasting frequency is 2 or 3 times a week. And the food you offer for them each time should not be bigger than their eyes.
Conclusion
The colorful Betta makes your aquarium a fun place. These are hardy, but they require a strict diet plan. Due to their carnivorous nature, they love to eat high-protein food. There are special high-protein Betta fish food pellets and you can feed them with pellets once or twice a day. But remember shrimps are their favorite food. There are three major categories of shrimps; live, frozen, and freeze-dried shrimps. All of these have different methods to feed and impact Betta fish life. Make sure don’t overdo with shrimps, otherwise, they will get arrested for multiple diseases like constipation, blotting, and many more. The most important point is that supply shrimps twice or thrice a week for betta.
FAQ
Can we grow shrimps for Betta fish?
Of course, you can grow your shrimp stock. You need shrimp eggs, baking soda, salt, and distilled water, for uprearing. Add about ½ teaspoon of eggs, ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, and 2 teaspoons of salt to a distilled water container. Make it aerated with a bubbler. After a few days, you will find the baby shrimps, and you can feed them to Betta fish.
Are bloodworms suitable for Betta fish?
Yes, you can feed bloodworms to Betta fish. But, bloodworms are not beneficial as shrimps. Because bloodworms have a high protein value but lag in other essential nutritional constituents. They are not suitable as shrimps.
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