Feeding Live Foods

[ravekiss]

As some of you know, I've been trying to get my Starbrite to eat for a week and half (since I got him) with no significant luck. I decided to go down to my lfs and buy him some live food to entice him. I picked up some tubiflex worms and some brine shrimp. He loves them!! I fed him some worms on Saturday evening and he ate greedily but when I tried feeding him the bio-gold (staple), he turns up his nose on them still. I cant keep feeding him live food, I'm sure its not good as staple. What can I do? What are the restrictions on feeding live tubiflex and brine shrimp.

 

[BettaMomma]

Well...
I have a somewhat similar situation.

My little Liza will eat nothing except frozen blood worms.
So... I've decided to just go with it - and I follow them up with peas every time I feed them to her. Tthat way it keeps the worms flowing right on through. I did lots of research and found out that if the worst case scenario is really that she won't eat any pellets or anything (I have tried EVERYTHING), then this isn't all that bad of a diet for her. You just have to make sure that if you can only get them to eat live foods that you make sure to get some peas going through them to keep everything moving.

Occasionally I will try something different for her, and I still have no luck. But I plan to keep trying. She might surprise me one day.

 

[ravekiss]

I guess thats what I'll have to do for him. I'll still keep trying other foods though..he might surprise me too!

 

[BettaMomma]

Yep.
If he's not full grown, don't expect very fast growth from him.
I've had Liza for a couple of months now and she hasn't grown really, at all. She's still very tiny and now half the size of my other girls.
Good luck

 

[ravekiss]

I think he is full grown, thanks Bettamomma. How's lucky?

 

[Dart]

my metallic will only eat frozen bloodworms, he refused to even look at pellets, i think he likes dark coloured things or he likes pretending to be a hunter

 

[ravekiss]

Its amazing how they're all different...a bunch of personalities to love.

 

[Crab Paste]

I only have three bettas so I guess I might be seen as a 'part timer', but anyhow....

Betta 1, readily accepts flake food (not initially intended for him but he actively seeks them out). He also now accepts live/frozen bloodworm or BS. I think this is down to feeding of flakes only in the store. He's in a community tank and he loves exploring. He's the one in my signiture. Even with small fry in there he doesn't bother them at all and none of the fish bother him!

Betta 2, readily accepts live/frozen bloodworm or BS and now also accepts 200 micron granules. (I don't know what they are exactly as they came with a batch of free samples when I purchased my 150gm BS eggs, but they are listed as granule alternative to BBS).

Betta 3, readily accepts live/frozen bloodworm or BS and thats about it.

None of them accept Hikari Betta Bio Gold and believe me I've tried.
So they may be fussy eaters but we don't all enjoy the same food do we?