Betta Eating Snail Food

[Lysander]

So, my betta is housed with a few ghost shrimp and a mystery snails. I feed my mystery snail I mixed diet, but I’ve been running into an issue when feeding him his sinking shrimp pellets.
Everything my betta sees it sinking, he swims to it and carries it around. I assume he’s trying to eat it, but it’s too big. However, after being in the water, it gets softer and he can pick at it. Seen him do it.
He’s a bit bloated now. I can deal with that, but I’m unsure what to do about feeding my snail and betta.
I was thinking, on the days I feed shrimp pellets, I don’t the betta. I’m just concerned he’d be getting too much of just the shrimp stuff, cause I change my bettas diet more often than my snails. I was also wondering if there was too much snail food in the tank and that’s what was happening?
Suggestions?

 

[SM1199]

I wouldn't suggest letting your betta eat the shrimp pellets, solely because he almost certainly will dominate the snail/shrimp food. Plus, it's not food meant for bettas, and he will likely eat all of it before he lets any of the inverts get to it, so then he'll still be bloated.

I have probably too much experience with greedy bettas... And I can tell you now, as long as he's free in the tank, he will by all means find and eat every last bit of snail/shrimp food, no matter how well you hide it or scatter it. I made a pile of rocks and shoved algae wafers way down into the crevices between them. Guess what bloated boy I found stuck in the crevices of the rocks an hour later?! And yes... With the algae wafers gone. So, my suggestion is to isolate him for the times you feed the shrimp pellets. You could put him in a breeder box/net for half an hour or so while you let the inverts eat their fill, then remove uneaten food and release the betta. If you don't have/don't want to buy a breeder box or net, you can make a makeshift one by floating a plastic betta cup (the ones you buy with the fish at Petco or Petsmart) or even just cutting the top off of a large plastic water or soda bottle. If you want to get fancy, you can even poke holes in the bottle to let some water permeate through.

Good luck!

 

[InsanityShard]

I actually feed my snail at night before bed when the room is dark and the lights are off, to avoid my betta going for the food. So far, it's working.