My Betta Toshi

[Ladytcat2003]

Hi Betta family, I am having a slight problem with my Betta Toshi. I have had him since March. He has such a big personality from the start. I truly believe he was human in a former life. Lol!! Toshi has always been a very picky eater. He let me know from the beginning what he likes and dislikes. I think I have the only Betta in the world that doesn't like bloodworms. He doesn't like the flakes or pellets either. After lots of trial and error I hit the jackpot with Mysis shrimp, the freeze dried version. But I was concerned about the nutritional value of the dried kind. So I opted to buy the frozen mysis shrimp. He loves, loves, loves, them. BUT, they do not float and sink directly to the bottom of his tank. So it makes the bottom nasty and requires me to siphon the tank more often than it's convenient. I purchased one of those little bowls that is used to feed pet shrimp and started putting his food in it, but he'd rather sleep in it. Lol!! So I'm asking you folks here for some advice on what would be a solution to my sinking mysis shrimp problem?? Thanks in advance for all of the great advice I know you'll post.

 

[PorshaF]

Garlic juice contains a natural chemical which helps with fish appetites. You could soak his pellets or crumbs in the juice for a bit and see if that can inspire him to eat, which will help with balancing his diet

 

[Avel1896]

Hey
I gave my Betta 3 pieces (pellet size) of fresh garlic once a week his life long, after his fast day and before any other food, making sure he swallows garlic, coz that is also a good dewormer.

If he doesn't like bloodworms () you can go for vinegar eels, artemias (both rinsed), daphnias, mosquito larvas (home garden made)... I also fed mine with small pieces of mussel, trout and trout-eggs. Every time he went crazy with this

 

[Sgooosh]

Garlic juice contains a natural chemical which helps with fish appetites. You could soak his pellets or crumbs in the juice for a bit and see if that can inspire him to eat, which will help with balancing his diet

but where are the fish breath mints

garlic also prevents/treats existing parasite issues.

 

[PorshaF]

but where are the fish breath mints

garlic also prevents/treats existing parasite issues.

Maybe cucumber

 

[Ladytcat2003]

Garlic juice contains a natural chemical which helps with fish appetites. You could soak his pellets or crumbs in the juice for a bit and see if that can inspire him to eat, which will help with balancing his diet

Thank you. I will definitely keep that in mind. He has a great appetite. He's just very picky about the food he eats. And since Bettas are surface eaters, he prefers his food to float or be moving around. That limits his menu. The frozen mysis shrimp sink straight to the bottom. I've been mixing some of the dried shrimp in in with the frozen ones to rehydrate them. Those will float and he gobbles them down. It's just a painstaking ritual to have to go through. It's my fault that he's spoiled rotten. Lol!!

 

[Ladytcat2003]

Hey
I gave my Betta 3 pieces (pellet size) of fresh garlic once a week his life long, after his fast day and before any other food, making sure he swallows garlic, coz that is also a good dewormer.

If he doesn't like bloodworms () you can go for vinegar eels, artemias (both rinsed), daphnias, mosquito larvas (home garden made)... I also fed mine with small pieces of mussel, trout and trout-eggs. Every time he went crazy with this

Thank you. Toshi has such a bold personality, he let's me know when he doesn't like something. It's quite comical. He also likes music with his meals. I'm usually humming when I feed him and he will literally stop eating when I stop humming. He will linger at the front of his tank and stare at me as if to say..."why did you stop?" He knows his name when I call him, he comes out and greets me. Of course he does none of this when I'm trying to get a video. Anyway, I have tried the daphnias and it was mixed in with some mysis and brine shrimp. He tasted it and that was that. He wouldn't touch it. Needless to say, I have a surplus of extra food from my trail and errors.

 

[Ladytcat2003]

I see several people advised to give him some garlic. I have chopped garlic in my refrigerator since I cook with it regularly. Can I give him a piece of that?? It's the kind packed in water not the one in olive oil.

 

[Avel1896]

I see several people advised to give him some garlic. I have chopped garlic in my refrigerator since I cook with it regularly. Can I give him a piece of that?? It's the kind packed in water not the one in olive oil.

Of course (pellet size ) give him garlic first, before any other food making sure he swallows it.

 

[Ladytcat2003]

Of course (pellet size ) give him garlic first, before any other food making sure he swallows it.

Thanks again. I appreciate any advice I get. This is my first time having a Betta and I want to be the best Betta mom I can be. Now all that's missing is the pics. Getting those will push me right up there to the "proud momma" status.

 

[Avel1896]

Toshi has such a bold personality...

We had some kind of ritual with my Cupang : I hit tank edge once for pellets day, twice for vinegar eels, 3 times for plankton JBL, etc.... If I gave him pellets instead of eels, he spat them out, then took the time to think and finally ate them coz after all, a little of what he fancied did him good

 

[Ladytcat2003]

We had some kind of ritual with my Cupang : I hit tank edge once for pellets day, twice for vinegar eels, 3 times for plankton JBL, etc.... If I gave him pellets instead of eels, he spat them out, then took the time to think and finally ate them coz after all, a little of what he fancied did him good

Its amazing to see that fish actually have personalities. I've always knew that mammals and other species of animals, have individual personalities but it never occurred to me that fish would have them. I shouldn't be surprised since they are sentient beings, but to actually experience Toshi's personality...it's amazing. Toshi's tank is set up in the living room and most of the time he's relaxing and napping throughout the day. But as soon as there's some activity going on in the same room as he's in, he wants to be a part of it. He swims back and forth as if he's following us. And he'll stop and lock eyes and really communicate with me. And he has been this way since day one. I got him in March, and it's like he already knew his name and how to tell me his likes and dislikes.

 

[Avel1896]

Agreed ! Especially predator fishes. An acquaintance of mine breeds the smallest of dwarf puffers and says they're very interactive fishes, almost "charmer" !

 

[Ladytcat2003]

Agreed ! Especially predator fishes. An acquaintance of mine breeds the smallest of dwarf puffers and says they're very interactive fishes, almost "charmer" !

I was actually looking to add a tankmate or 2 with Toshi. But since he has such a big personality, I decided to let him stay solitary. Since Bettas are predatory and aggressive, I believe he would give some poor fish nightmares. Lol!! And I think he likes the individual attention. I have a small nano tank, 3.5 gal that I thought about putting some cherry shrimp in. Some said that I could put them in the tank with Toshi, as long as they have a hiding space that they could retreat to, but I'm figuring that since Bettas are carnivores and Toshi loves his mysis shrimp food, that he most likely would make the cherries a meal. I haven't set anything up yet. I might just keep the 3.5 as a spare. One never knows when an extra tank might be needed for one reason or another. As the saying goes..."Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it."

 

[Colin_T]

If the fish can eat whole mysis shrimp, then simply put 1 in at a time and let him eat it. When he has eaten that offer him another.

You can use a pair of tweezers to hold the food just under the surface for him to take.

If the food is too big, use a pair of scissors to cut the mysis into smaller bits and offer 1 or 2 bits at a time.

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Freeze dried food is quite nutritious because they make it at a low temperature and simply dry it out. However, it does contain a lot of air and this can be an issue for some fish. If your fish is happy eating frozen mysis shrimp, then that is fine.