LetDiceFly

Is there anything a betta won't eat? I got some otos and introduced them to my 18 gallon with the female bettas. I dropped an algae wafer in there for them (after dark) and when I checked on them later one of the girls is pigging out on it. I hear other people have otos and bettas, how do you contend with this problem? I've also heard of bettas that are finicky. I have never seen this, any betta I have ever owned will eat anything that remotely resembles food.

roxanne

what i do is break the wafer into smaller pieces that way everybody get's some. all fish seem to like the wafers so there is really no way to stop them just work with it and find what works for you. i'm right there with you our two bettas will eat anything that touches the water...

COBettaCouple

Bettas can get pretty constipated on those. One practice is to break it up and drop the pieces into hiding spots after lights-out, but a lot of Bettas figure that out and perhaps the best bet is what we do with our Plecos and Angels. The Angels won't touch cucumber or zucchini slices so your otos might need one of those in a veggie clip.

LetDiceFly

I will try the cucumber or zucchini next. I think there is enough algae in the tank to keep the otos happy until Angelina poops. I will try putting it under the driftwood I have in there where I've created a one inch gap between the substrate and the wood. Perhaps she will be less inclined to squeeze in there to get it.

COBettaCouple

They LOVE to squeeze into tight spots.

pamd

I have the same problem with Candi the betta and her cories. The best thing I've found so far is to soak the cories' pellets, which are shrimp pellets, for a couple of hours or so, then squish them into the tiniest pieces possible, then put them down a very long Starbuck's straw (actually two straws stuck together) near the substrate after lights off. Of course, Candi learned too fast for her own good that the bottom of the "green straw" means food. Took about two times. Poor little Cories, much as I think they're cute, aren't bright enough to associate the bottom of the green straw with food, but I think they're getting enough food. The busted-up tiny particles sink to the bottom. Candi only goes for the larger particles.

Not sure how this would work with otos.

Want some of the algae from my tank? I can send you a few big glumps of it.

COBettaCouple

Yea, unfortunately I think corys navigate to food more on smell than sight and a Betta is likely to find food before them.

LetDiceFly

The bigger cory that is with Flash isn't such a problem, I push the pellet into the substrate and the cory eventually finds it. Flash isn't much into digging. In fact I've thrown some shrimp pellets in the other tank and not had too much problem. The bettas will poke at it and carry it around but most of it breaks up and spreads around, which is just great for the tiny cories I have in that tank.

COBettaCouple

Are you using the Omega One shrimp pellets? I found other brands pellets turned into huge gooey messes.

pamd

Yes, I use Omega One shrimp pellets. As you know but for others, they're not gooey at all, even after soaking. They're more powdery.

LetDiceFly

I'll keep that in mind, the ones I have (Wardley) aren't particularly bad, they crumble, but they don't particularly make anything gooey. The Hikari algae wafer, now that made gooey mess, what wasn't immediately eaten.