The 5 Best Betta Fish Foods You Need to Try
All betta fishes are not created equal. Some are born with bottomless stomachs like a miniature shark, and others are picky eaters who turn their noses up to everything you offer. This refusal to eat can make life difficult for those with the former type. Fortunately, there are many high quality, high protein foods you can try feeding them to whet their appetites.
#1 Frozen Bloodworms
Given that betta fish eat small insects, crustaceans, and other meaty foods in the wild, frozen bloodworms (the bright red larva of midge flies) are one of the best foods you can provide them. Sold at most local pet stores, they typically come in a package of foil-sealed individual cubes or a frozen slab that you can break off pieces from. Hikari is the American brand we prefer to buy because their bloodworms have the best quality and are very clean.
One betta fish can usually finish a whole cube in one go. Therefore, you will need to freeze the cube in a container and then feed some bloodworms with a pipette, tweezers, or a pipette. While most betta fish will be content with a diet that only contains bloodworms, they also need other nutrients. You can rotate between two to three different foods so that they have the right nutrients and vitamins to live a long, healthy life.
Live Blackworms
Live foods are the best choice for betta fish because they most closely reflect their natural diet. We recommend live blackworms because as a true freshwater species, they can live for quite a while in your aquarium without fouling the water. Your betta fish will enjoy watching them burrow into the substrate. This provides hours of enrichment as he hunts down each one.
Live blackworms have two disadvantages: they may not be available in all local fish shops and can bring in parasites. However, we still highly recommend them, given how nutritious and mentally stimulating they are for bettas. Blackworms should only be purchased from a trusted fish store that has clean, odorless water.
#3 Betta Pellets
Although pellets might not look the best, they provide the most essential nutrients for betta fish in a small package. They don’t dissolve quickly in the water, and they float on the surface which is a nice feature for betta fish that have upturned faces and are used to eating directly from the water surface.
Xtreme Betta Pellets
Xtreme Betta pellets are a great choice. They contain high-quality proteins such as krill and come with a scoop so you don’t overfeed. The small containers can also be used to keep one betta fish. You don’t want a large jar of fish food that you can use for many years. The expiration date might still be valid, but the food will become old and stale through repeated exposure to moisture or oxygen. This can lead to potential health problems in your betta fish.
Freeze-Dried Foods
Freeze drying is a method of preserving food in a lightweight, dry form factor while retaining as much of the original nutrients and taste as possible. Therefore, we love using freeze-dried bloodworms and brine shrimp as an alternative to frozen foods. They can be kept in the water without freezing, unlike frozen foods. You can easily portion them out to provide the appropriate amount of food, and they can also be removed from your tank if you don’t like what your betta fish eats.
Hikari Freezed Bloodworms
Insect-Based Pellets
Fluval Bug Bite Betta Formula is another type of betta food. It is made primarily from black soldier fly larvae. This helps to closely mimic a betta fish eating an insectivore diet. It is rich in quality protein as well as essential vitamins and minerals that will help your betta stay healthy. It is a slow-sinking granule that some bettas might not like, but if your tank has corydoras or tetras, they will happily eat any leftovers your betta leaves.
Fluval Bug Bites – Betta Formula
In our experience, most bettas are not too picky and, if kept in a community tank with other fish, may even choose to snack on other foods you feed the aquarium. These top five foods are sure to please betta fish.