Betta fish ate RCS?

[PaprikaFish]

Hello everyone,

It’s been a while since I’ve been on the forum, and I’m typing on my phone so apologies for any typos.

My female betta, Paprika, has been chilling in her 12 gallon for a few months and I decided to add some red cherry shrimp after observing peaceful behavior with snails. I added 5 large cherry shrimp this afternoon, and although there was some initial curiosity, she’s left them alone as far as I can tell. If they swim across the water column and she gets too close they’ll dart off and she’ll follow for a few seconds and then go back to ignoring them. At feeding time, I added some Hikari mini algae wafers to the tank.

I came back into my room to see Paprika’s stomach bulging, and I’ve been obsessively counting shrimp for the past five minutes lol. I only see about 3 or 4 at a time, but I know the other one could be hiding or something.

Anyways, my question is does she look bloated enough to have eaten one or two 1+ inch red cherries? Or could she have gotten into the algae wafer I put in (it wouldn’t be her first time for some reason she loves them).

EDIT: forgot to ask, but if she has eaten a shrimp, are there any measures I can take to make sure she passes it along without hurting herself?

thanks

 

[kamdyn]

all bettas are different. i had a betta that was more of a community fish, my brother has one that tries to eat him when he feeds it
also i dont know if there is any way to help him pass it

 

[BigManAquatics]

Honestly, wouldn't be surprised of the betta went after the shrimp or the wafer. I have one that likes to go for the algae wafers i give my snails on occasion. I would try fasting the betta for 3 days or so then try some frozen daphnia if the bloating hasn't gone down. Works as a good laxative.

 

[AcornTheBetta]

Hello everyone,

It’s been a while since I’ve been on the forum, and I’m typing on my phone so apologies for any typos.

My female betta, Paprika, has been chilling in her 12 gallon for a few months and I decided to add some red cherry shrimp after observing peaceful behavior with snails. I added 5 large cherry shrimp this afternoon, and although there was some initial curiosity, she’s left them alone as far as I can tell. If they swim across the water column and she gets too close they’ll dart off and she’ll follow for a few seconds and then go back to ignoring them. At feeding time, I added some Hikari mini algae wafers to the tank.

I came back into my room to see Paprika’s stomach bulging, and I’ve been obsessively counting shrimp for the past five minutes lol. I only see about 3 or 4 at a time, but I know the other one could be hiding or something.

Anyways, my question is does she look bloated enough to have eaten one or two 1+ inch red cherries? Or could she have gotten into the algae wafer I put in (it wouldn’t be her first time for some reason she loves them).

EDIT: forgot to ask, but if she has eaten a shrimp, are there any measures I can take to make sure she passes it along without hurting herself?

thanks

I think she ate them or at least killed them. When I added 5 RCS to Acorn's tank, everything was fine and I feel them some zucchini and I wake up the next morning and there are 3 and by the end of the day, 1, and then 0 by the next day. He did just fine eating his expensive food.

 

[Cherryshrimp420]

Looks like some overfeeding, but not from shrimp. I would cut back on the feeding for a bit

 

[86 ssinit]

Yes bettas eat shrimp!

 

[FishSupreme]

It's definitely possible. As long as your shrimp have la huge mass of java moss or a cave to hide in then you might find a good pairing. I wish you luck!

 

[PaprikaFish]

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to update that I found all five shrimp; the missing two were exploring Paprika's man cave, which she happened to be occupying (I guess they're really brave or really stupid haha) So my best guess is she ate the mini algae wafers again I'm going to try some blanched veggies bc this isn't the first time she's snatched the wafers right up.

Looks like some overfeeding, but not from shrimp. I would cut back on the feeding for a bit

Yeah, she normally has a 'healthy' shape which is why I was concerned when she became this bloated.

thanks for the help!

 

[Fishymom64]

I agree, maybe just fast her for a few days. I love your tank by the way!

 

[Zyzheng88]

That’s a female betta. I would argue that she will have less aggression, but it does not mean that she will not pass up a good meal. I have always told myself that the safest place for neos (RCS) is a tank without any other fish, snails, or even other shrimp lol. If you want to do a community tank, always be willing to let your fish dine on a five-star meal every once in a while because there will always be some risk. The only fish that is 99.5% betta safe is oto cats.