When you clean your tank, do your fish eat the uneaten food/waste?

Question

Both my betta, in separate tanks, scramble to eat the stuff that comes up when I clean the tank. That is gross. Is that normal? I feed them once a day, every other day.

Answer 1

Yes, most fish will try to eat all the stuff that floats up.

Answer 2

If you use small tanks for your Betta's, bowls, vase's etc. You can just as easily remove them (small cup of lukewarm water) Then clean the tank in the sink with tap water...use your hand to swish around the glass, shells, gravel, or whatever you use to flush out the uneaten food and fish waste. Refill with tap water that is lukewarm and dump your Betta back in. No additives required. We own 13 Betta's for over two years now and it is that simple. Don't forget to leave space on the surface so your Betta can get his air bubbles to breath. Did you know that a Betta can live up to nine years if you don't over feed him? A grain a day is about all they need...a little more at times or even skip a few days don't hurt them either.

Answer 3

No fish will eat the excrement. But if there is left over food or algae coming up when you clean then most fish will go after it. If you have a lot of this coming up, then you really should be cleaning the tank more often. A little is normal, a lot is a sign of a housekeeping problem that needs to be addressed.

Answer 4

There's no fish that will subsist on waste, however, said the waste could really be rotting food which they'll eat or something else that they will eat willingly it may be there's some type of worm or flea, it does however, suggest that a little more food would be appreciated.

Answer 5

Get fish that are bottom feeders, that way your betta will not eat it when it comes up.

Answer 6

They might eat th uneaten food, but not the waste. They'll eta it, then spit it back out.

~ZTM

Answer 7

yes it is and that fine if you don't want them to eat those stuff the remove them before you change the water