I Have Wierd Fish...

[flautist]

Well, I gave up on the crushed pellet... it sinks to fast and it's just too messy. I figured flakes would work, because they float longer. Seemed reasonable. But not with my girls! Princess shoved all the others out of the way. I thought she was going to hog it all at first. Nope. She chewed every single flake and spit it back out. I thought, "Okay, she doesn't like the flakes." Wrong again. Once she had chewed up all the flakes and spit them out, thus making them start sinking, she joined in with the others in hunting them!

When I picked up the flakes, I also picked up some frozen brine shrimp. This is a delicacy for bettas, right? Not my boys. I don't know about my girls, because Princess hogged them all. Only 2 out of my 4 boys liked them. Which is fine with me, because I had an allergic reaction to them. They smell AWFUL, and they made my eyes water and burn. The burning is gone now, but they still hurt. So, no brine shrimp for my babies. They'll have to be content with just blood worms. I think that's fine with them, they all like those.

 

[ILM]

Hm, none of my bettas would ever eat flakes--some of them would never eat pellet even. Yeh, my fish are spoiled and I work like a dog to bring home the good stuff for them. I'm assuming your lfs doesn't sell frozen mysis shrimp, glassworms (white "mosquito"larvae)? I think fresh brine shrimp (live still) smell good but I love the smell of hte ocean. I've fed my bettas earthworms (Red Wigglers which are smaller worms but still pretty big for small fish like bettas)--twas funny because the fish were obviously interested in that wiggling thing but it was sooooo big and how do you get it in your mouth (you don't fish); you can chop up earthworms and feed it to your betta. And plain cooked chicken (no sauces, no spices, no oils, etc.)--just pick off very very small bits with your fingernail and drop it in the tank--it might take him awhile to taste it and decide it's good eating. Don't overfed and don't feed him raw meat. They've been fed bits of whatever fish we're eating too (fresh fish, nothing that's been canned).

 

[Naughtygirlrlw]

I agree with the fresh caught fish, one of my husbands friends went fishing last year and sent over some sturgeon for hubby. I held a small chunk in the sorority tank and they went MAD! They were like miniature little Jaws instead of my lazy, docile girls

 

[silver tipped]

Hi,

I am so glad that I am not the only one with fussy bettas. My females are just as bad.

I have tried betta flake food, tropical flake food, daphne in jelly and froxen bloodworm.

The flake food they taste, spit out and let fall to the bottom. When they are ready they will go and hunt for it but I don't like leaving food on the floor for too long.

The daphne in jelly they will eat a bit but it comes out in big pieces and they have only tiny mouths. What they don't want gets left on the floor and goes mushy (very messy).

Same goes for the frozen bloodworms. Its a kind of 'you expect me to eat now. I'll eat when i'm good and ready'

Still I love them and thats all that matters.