My daughter got a Betta (fish) for her Birthday. How often should she feed it?

Question

The person who gave it to her said it should be fed 1-2 pellets every day. My hubby says it only needs to be fed every couple of days...who's right?

Answer 1

Bettas can safely go up to a week without eating before they show any harmful effects.  However, to maintain peak health they should be fed small amounts at least once a day, although a "fast day" once a week is also good for fish.  Since part of the joy of owning fish is feeding them, many people prefer to feed their fish a pellet or two twice a day and this will not harm the fish, either.  The risk of overfeeding comes when uneaten food is allowed to sit on the bottom of the tank and rot, breaking down into toxins and fouling the water.  As long as the betta is not fed any more than it will eat in a few minutes, there is little risk of overfeeding.  Bettas are intelligent fish that will usually stop eating once they are full.

Answer 2

Your not ment to feed them every day cos in the wild they only eat every 2-4 days and if you feed then too much they can die

I feed my Betta once a day but my other fish sometime eat it first

if hes hungry he looks for food in the tank and it stops him getting bored

but every Betta different Hope you have fun with yours!!

Answer 3

Actually, I feed my bettas once a day before I go to sleep. Also note that many Betta's reject pellets so you may have to move to flakes or blood worms. There are a lot of myths about bettas, including how often they should be fed. I've had many Bettas over periods of years, and I've found that once a day is best for healthy active bettas, also a varied diet increases vividness of color and promotes activity. If you have any future concerns with your betta, you can email me, [e-mail]

Answer 4

It is easier to overfeed a fish than underfeed one.

You should feed it 2 pellets everyday, but i can go a few days with no food

Answer 5

Read the label on the fish food.  Mine states to feed 3-4 mini wafers daily.  Mine actually eats more when he's happy and feeling good.  You'll find as many different versions on the internet of what you "should do" for your betta as you will listings.  Feed them 1 piece at a time.  When they don't show interest anymore, then stop.  Right now my fish is only eating 2 wafers, so I'm a bit concerned.  Good luck with your new fish.

Answer 6

I feed my betta once in the morning and once at night. I change it up for him and do flakes, pellets, and bloodworms. He`s been happily alive for 2 years now.

Answer 7

Ok, well i've had betta fish my whole life. You only need to feed it a couple pellets a day.  Never overfeed because it will dirty the water very easily just feed like 2-3 pellets. :)

Answer 8

Nice to know your daughter like fish.

Fish will not stop eating,they will eat and eat every time you feed them.

If there's only one fish then,feeding it 1-2 pellets twice per day will be find.

Answer 9

Bettas will eat less they are stressed. I feed my bettas 2 pellets in the morning and some frozen blood worms at night but that's not nessecary.

Feed them 2 in the morning, and if they isn't any floating around at night, feed them another 2 or 3.

Bettas are very picky eaters and if they don't take to the food, don't worry, they will eventually when they get hungry enough.

Answer 10

give him 2 pellets in the morning and 5 at night.

it worked 4 my betta.

Answer 11

wow, neither of them are right, a beta should be fed either every day or 2 times a day, and if you feed it once a day you need to feed it about 5 pellets and if you feed it 2 times a day, you need to feed it 2-3 pellets at a time. Both of those ppl are saying to feed the betta not enough!