Betta Diet Question

[NeonBlueLeon]

Hello folks,
 
I have recently established a tank and got a betta for it.  After a few weeks, I still have had no real luck with dry food.  First, I tried Hikari betta pellets as they were recommended to me.  He never ate them well.  I tried an API betta pellet food which was much smaller.  Still no luck.  Since then I've tried an Aqueon brand betta pellet, and an Omega One betta flake.  No dice.  I've also been pre-soaking my food for up to an hour before feeding him.
 
I have in my freezer Hikari frozen bloodworms that I've been withholding from Scherbatsky (my betta) which are meant to be a treat.  I've asked my LFS what they feed their bettas since Scherbatsky just doesn't take dry food.  They told me they feed their cupped bettas bloodworms once a week.  Is that even a good idea?
 
So my question is, since he doesn't take dry food well, what alternatives can I follow?  Live only?  I have heard that a betta's natural diet consists of mosquito larvae.  Yum.  In reality, I'm sure fish in the wild never eat the aquarium staple of "flake" and "pellet" food.  So what could I do to provide a healthy, live/frozen food diet for Scherbatsky?  It'll be pricey, but hey, I love my fish!

 

[techen]

Wild fish will still eat fish flakes and so on. It's infact better from them as we pack everything into a flake that's good for a fish and not just fatty food.

As for your betta, pellets are the best plan. Does the betta eat them or does it spit it out? You may need to stop feeding them for a bit then try.

 

[NeonBlueLeon]

My betta chews (I think) for a bit and spits it out, then goes for it again, chews, and spits it out.  The process is repeated until he loses interest in the pellet he keeps spitting out.  By the time he lets it go, it's shredded and little particles are now floating around in the water.

 

[techen]

If hes chewing the pellet he's at least trying to eat it. My betta chews his pellet but never spits it out. It might be a case of crushing the pellet and teasing him with tiny bits of it then getting them to eat whole pellets. Just sounds like a picky betta.

 

[Mamashack]

Sounds like he's trying to soften it, Neon - do you soak the pellets first? If not try soaking them for 10 mins and see how he goes with that. He may still prefer to bite then spit it out. I'm sure mine gets a combination of his tank-mates' food too - tropical flake and pellet as well as betta pellet. In terms of ingredients there's not much difference between the betta pellet and tropical pellet I've got - only the size is different.

 

[betta fish]

Another thing is soaking the pellets in garlic juice by using a little minced garlic in the soaking water or soaking in the bloodworm juice as they go by smell/taste, he has been too used to eating bloodworm to bother with pellets so you may just have to persevere for a bit without giving in to the bloodworm yet until he is readily accepting the pellets as a source of food.

 

[Wildbetta]

Keep up with the pellets as your staple.  If you need to, you can fast him for a while to get him more willing to eat what you feed him.  If he is doing as you say though he is probably getting some food out of the pellets while he is chewing and spitting out.  Also if he was used to eating once a week at the store, it might take him a little while to get used to eating more often.  

 

[NeonBlueLeon]

Thanks everyone.  I do pre-soak my pellets.  I've pre-soaked even up to an hour before, but he still spit it out.
 

Another thing is soaking the pellets in garlic juice by using a little minced garlic in the soaking water or soaking in the bloodworm juice as they go by smell/taste, he has been too used to eating bloodworm to bother with pellets so you may just have to persevere for a bit without giving in to the bloodworm yet until he is readily accepting the pellets as a source of food.

Thanks for this suggestions, but I don't think it is an issue with appetite or pickyness.  He goes for the pellets when I drop them in and retries after he spit them out.
 

Keep up with the pellets as your staple.  If you need to, you can fast him for a while to get him more willing to eat what you feed him.  If he is doing as you say though he is probably getting some food out of the pellets while he is chewing and spitting out.  Also if he was used to eating once a week at the store, it might take him a little while to get used to eating more often.  

Alright.  I'll stay vigilant.  Perhaps I'll try a fast for him.  Before I try to feed him, I see him scavenging among the gravel and in the marimo balls; he looks so hungry!  You're probably right about getting used to eating more often.

He tends to shred up the pellets and the piece float around the tank so my water changes involve gravel vacs.  I'm tempted to try shrimp to clean up the food that float around, but with Scherbatsky being so hungry, it may not end well for the shrimp.

 

[Mamashack]

I think it's their way of breaking it up into smaller pieces - they just have no table manners at all! lol

 

[JoebW]

Haha bettas are clean animals!