How to feed a betta fish: how many times a day, food (dry, live), how to do it correctly and often, fry, how long can they live without food

a brief description of

One of the most unpretentious fish known to hobbyists is the betta. The Siamese fighter is able to live in an ordinary cup. Just don't experiment on the poor guy. This is for general information.

Males are much more beautiful than their girlfriends, multi-colored, with bushy tails and disgusting characters. The females are gray, rather inconspicuous, and calm. Keeping two males is almost impossible, because the guys will definitely start fighting for territory. Such fights end with the death of one of the males. In addition, placing a girlfriend with a boy should be done quite carefully. The cockerel is capable of beating the bride to death.

How to care for betta fish

The betta fish, or betta fish (lat. Betta splendens) is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Natural habitat - freshwater ditches, rivers, streams of Southeast Asia. Often found in rice fields. The fish were first noticed by the inhabitants of Siam at the beginning of the 19th century. The “stranger” was distinguished by aggressive behavior towards its relatives. Later, the fighting fish was transferred to the imperial court, where it was studied by European scientists invited to the country. Residents of Siam used cockerels in “fish” fights: the males vigorously demonstrated their strength, but no deaths occurred.

The genus Betta has more than 70 species, and the Betta splendens is one of them. There are 6 other species of betta that are not classified as a specific species. The betta genus is divided into 2 groups: representatives of the first build a foam nest, the second - incubate the eggs in their mouths. Today, aquarium bettas come in a variety of shapes and colors, so it is important to provide them with constant care.

Characteristics

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Breeding rules

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Content

It is worth talking separately about the care and maintenance of betta fish. It all starts with choosing an aquarium. Many hobbyists prefer a small round tank with artificial plants. The minimum volume required by its occupant is three liters. However, it is advisable to purchase a larger aquarium - from five liters. We remember that the fish is a loner and perceives new additions as a threat to its territory. And he deals with him quite harshly.

So, the aquarium is selected and installed in the designated place. By the way, about the installation. The tank should be located in a warm place, away from direct sunlight and drafts. Whether it is worth using a background for an aquarium is something everyone decides for themselves. The caveat is that gluing a beautiful background onto a round tank is quite problematic.

It is worth using artificial stones as soil for an aquarium. The fact is that natural soil is difficult to clean, but it is enough to wash the stones once a week, and remove dirt with a siphon every three days.

Live plants are suitable as food for betta fish. Joke! It is better to plant artificial plants in a round aquarium, because live ones require a filter. The fish is quite capable of living without a filter, heater and other paraphernalia. The fighter breathes ordinary oxygen, so the aquarium is kept open.

Mistakes of beginner aquarists

The betta is a fighting fish that has an excellent appetite and can eat food in excess. The owner thinks that the cockerel is communicating with him, but at the same time he does not forget to slip food to the fish, and the fish gets fat and may die. Therefore, in order not to kill your pets, you need to familiarize yourself with what you need to have to feed individuals living at home in a common aquarium.

IMPORTANT ! For an active life, a fish must be slightly undernourished, otherwise if it becomes obese there is a high probability of its death.

Care

Before we talk about what food it is advisable to choose for your betta fish, let’s talk about caring for the aquarium and its inhabitants.

A small aquarium is cleaned every three to four days. Complete cleaning with water changes up to 85% occurs once a week. The cockerel is transplanted into another container, the soil, plants and shelters, if any, are removed and washed. Just be careful! Fish live in sedimentary water. Settling is carried out in open, clean jars or bottles and lasts 5-7 days. If this is not possible, you can use a water purification conditioner sold at a pet store. Pay attention to the products of the German company Tetra. Despite the cost, it is very high quality.

What is a siphon? This is a tool for cleaning aquarium soil. There are several types, we recommend purchasing the simplest one. Two tubes, and in the middle there is a pear, this is how this siphon can be characterized.

How to wash plants and soil? First, in running warm water, then the paraphernalia is rinsed in settled water or water purified with conditioner.

Where should I place the fish? Yes, at least in a clean cup. Only the water in which the betta will be should be from the aquarium. By the way, about the temperature of the replacement water. Be sure to wait until the water is at room temperature. It is unacceptable to put a fish in ice water, because the pet can float up with its belly.

Feeding

So we got to the types of food for betta fish. Our aquarium warriors love to eat, and modern technologies allow us to produce fish food for every taste and color. There are several types of food for betta fish.

Dry. This includes flakes and granules.
Frozen. Bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimp, glassy and common worms.
Live food, in our case - small bloodworms and worms.
Green food, which means lettuce and spinach leaves.

About dry food

What is the best food for betta fish? There is no exact answer to this question, because nutrition must be combined. If you choose from dry food, then you should pay attention to small granules made in Germany. Tetra - that's the name of the company - produces the ideal food for fish. The products are sold both in cans of various sizes and by weight. It is better to purchase food in packages, as they retain their freshness longer. The flakes may be too large for the underwater inhabitant; they are crushed between the fingers. An excellent food for betta fish is granules. It is worth giving preference to multi-colored small granules, because this type of food is mixed. Plant ingredients are combined with animal products.

Green feed and meat

Readers will be surprised, but food for betta fish includes boiled beef or chicken heart, chicken gizzards, shrimp and squid. All products are boiled, divided into small pieces and given to the fish. Spinach and lettuce are used as green feeds as mentioned above. They are scalded with boiling water, small pieces are torn off and placed in an aquarium.

How to calculate the amount of feed

To determine the amount of food that should be given to an aquarium betta at one time, it is not necessary to weigh the fish and calculate 5% of their body weight. There are several simple ways you can calculate the right amount of food.

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There is the so-called two-minute rule: how much a fish eats in 2 minutes is how much food it needs. Everything else is superfluous. After pouring a small amount of food into the aquarium, time it for 2 minutes and no matter how animatedly the owner of the luxurious tail eats, after the right time, remove everything that remains from the aquarium. Next time, give as much food as your pet manages to eat in the allotted minutes.

The same rule applies when you give your betta live food, such as bloodworms. See how much food he ate in 2 minutes and take the rest.

If you are giving your pet a kibble, offer no more than 4 kibble at a time. They should be of such a size that they fit into the fish's mouth. If the granules are too large, they must be further crushed.

Feeding frequency

Now let's talk about how often to feed your betta fish with dry food, frozen and regular. Dear readers, remember one rule! The cockerel is fed twice a day, the fish must eat a portion in two minutes. The faster the fighter finishes with the food, the better for the aquarium. Residues of food settle to the bottom, begin to rot, and in the absence of a filter, the consequences can be sad for the betta. That is why a small aquarium is cleaned every three days, but now we are not talking about cleaning, but about feeding.

When the cockerel feeds on pellets, you need to count out 5-7 pieces and give them one at a time. Swallowed? Got more. In the case of cereal feeding, the eating time is indicated above.

Do you give frozen food, fresh or natural? Replace one feeding with a dry product. Pieces of food should be small, remember this.

An overfed fish swells up like a balloon. The betta can swim on the surface, gasping for air, or “hang” in the middle of the aquarium. The owner will learn about overfeeding by paying attention to the fish’s belly. When the belly is swollen, a black dot below is clearly visible - the cockerel has overeaten.

This representative of the fauna is practically omnivorous in natural conditions. It can catch small insects, tear off pieces of green plant food, and can eat eggs and fry that pass into its mouth. Based on this, we see that this is a predatory fish and cannot be fed only with dry food in an aquarium. Necessary products for a betta that make up its diet:

Occasionally, dry flakes labeled “Feeding for cockerels” are given. Externally, these are small thin plates of green-brown color. When they hit the surface of the water they become soft and fish eat them well;

Granules developed by scientists for feeding the species and containing all the necessary composition. You also need to look at the composition of the granules; they should contain a total of at least 40% protein. Use daily;

Live food consisting of: Tubifex;
Artemia;
Bloodworm.

Bettas are predatory fish and protein foods will be a real treat for them. This food can be fed daily, or it can be dried or frozen. This food is frozen by spreading it in a thin layer on white paper. When it is completely frozen, the food is placed in a bag and left there in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. If it is necessary to feed, break off the required amount, defrost at room temperature, and feed the fish.

IMPORTANT! It cannot be re-frozen, as the food loses all its beneficial properties when re-frozen.

We must remember that live food can be contaminated and can lead to the death of the inhabitants of the aquarium, so it is better to use food that has been frozen.

IMPORTANT! Feed must be purchased in special departments or stores that sell factory-packaged feed. It is better not to purchase feeding from hands, as the product may be damaged and harmful when used.