what do betta fish eat? can they survive on vegetation or do they have to eat shrimp and stuff?

Question

my betta is curently surviving on bamboo roots. its name is cherry berry! :D

Answer 1

Betta's are carnivores. Your betta, I'm sorry to say, is not surviving on bamboo. He's slowly dying of malnutrition. I wouldn't panic as bettas are hardy. I've read about bettas lost in shipping who survived nearly 3 weeks without food.

Note I'm not saying a little vegetable matter isn't a good thing. My male bettas eat a portion of a cooked, and peeled pea once a week. (It cleans out their digestive tract.) My females seem to love the algae flakes I feed the mollies in my main tank. They get brine shrimp as well as the veggie flakes. (My bettas tend to eat anything.)

You need to get him a flake or pellet that is intended for a carnivore. It should list worms/shrimp/fish as it's 1st ingredient. Generally any flake or pellet labeled as being for should fit this description. You can also get freeze-dried brine shrimp and blood worms at a fish store. Just be aware that some bettas are picky and will not eat unfamiliar foods. (One of my males doesn't like the look of blood worms.) Just be sure not to over feed!!! (See below link) In fact I'd feed him only a couple of flakes/pellets the 1st day no matter how hungry he acts. Then work up to a normal feeding schedule. (Generally once a day with a skipped day once a week.)

Answer 2

Bettas eat other animals...they don't eat bamboo roots. The natural prey for a betta fish is usually aquatic invertebrates like bloodworms and mosquito larva or insects that have fallen into the water. If you look at a betta's mouth you'll notice it is up-turned (superior) so it can snatch floating food items like the above mentioned.
Anyone who tells you that your betta only eats bamboo roots is either ignorant or lying.

Answer 3

Bettas are carnivorous and DO NOT eat vegetation. You're mistaking his picking on roots to be eating.

Is your betta in one of those vases? If so, put him in REAL tank immediately. The plants in those vases make the water gross, often block the surface (bettas have labyrinth organs and need to get gulps of air from the surface of the water. They don't breath through their gills), and a lot of people think they eat the plant and thus their fish starve to death.

You can find betta pellets to feed him (Hikari makes really good high-quality ones), and buy him some dried bloodworms. Feed him 3 or 4 pellets in the morning, and 1 or 2 in the evening EVERY DAY. Every few days, give him a dried bloodworm (they're not as gross as they sound, I promise) instead of his normal evening meal. Bloodworms are like candy for bettas. Don't feed bloodworms too often.

His tank needs to be AT LEAST 2 gallons for him to be properly cared for, and he needs his water changed once a week. Use a water conditioner (AquaSafe) to get chlorine out of the tap water. Smaller 'pocket-sized' tanks are the result of serious misinformation about their natural habitats. Yes, bettas live in pockets of water in shallow rice paddies, but they aren't confined to those pockets. Bettas do jump (that why their tanks need covers), and they have an enormous lateral space to jump from pocket to pocket. Also, those 'pockets' can be up to 3 or 4 feet deep.

Also, keep the temperature at least 75 degrees. Bettas are tropical fish and they need warm water. Invest $3 in a thermometer to monitor the temperature. If you find that it is too cold, buy a heater.

Answer 4

Bettas can eat bamboo roots but what you'll need to get for it is ether betta pellets, flakes or dried bloodworms. If you go to Petsmart or Petco they'll most likely carry the type of betta food you're looking for.

Answer 5

Betta's DO NOT eat the roots of the plants and will not survive very long if this is all he is eating.You can buy food especially for Betta's..they also eat freeze dried blood worms.

Answer 6

You can buy specific food for bettas, called betta bites. They also eat blood worms and brine shrimp. You shouldn't feed the fish an all vegetarian diet as they will not get the nutrition they need.

Answer 7

There is a special fish food that betta's eat. They don't each shrimp, etc. You can buy the betta food in any pet store or local department store that has a pet section.

Answer 8

He won't consume the snail, yet he could desire to decide for the shrimp; it relies upon on your man or woman betta. i've got seen bettas coexisting peacefully with small shrimp, and that i've got seen bettas attack and consume super shrimp as quickly as they set eyes on them. feels like your betta is particularly placid, and the tank is sweet sized, so I say supply it a attempt. initiate with a affordable ghost shrimp in case you do no longer want to spend 5$ on an algae ingesting shrimp that'll only be potential lunch on your betta. FYI, in case your african water frog is an african CLAWED frog (as adversarial to an african DWARF frog), he will improve sufficiently huge to consume all your fish.

Answer 9

Bettas are omnivores but the majority of their diet should be meat. You need to go buy some fish food, maybe some bloodworms for a treat.

Answer 10

wen u get a betta in one of those vases they are said to live on the plants, but its best to go out and buy special made betta food