Is It OK To Only Feed Pellets & Flakes?

I’m reading about different types of foods for the betta I just got this weekend.

Right now he gets mini pellets and eats them well.

I was thinking of using flakes on occasion to give him some variety.

Is it OK if that’s all he eats? Or is it mandatory to also feed blood worms and brine shrimp?

 

Just as you wouldn’t prefer to eat the same thing every day, you should also offer your fish a variety of healthy food options. Happy fish are usually healthy fish.

 

Pretty much what Bgreen82 said. Bloodworms and brine shrimp are more of a once a week kind of a treat. A few choices of a good quality pellet with 40%+ crude protein and no fillers to rotate through the week will be good for a staple

 

Mine loves bug bites, it’s his favorite food.

 

Would it be OK to alternate between the pellets and flakes and then feed the brine shrimp as a treat?

 

Would it be OK to alternate between the pellets and flakes and then feed the brine shrimp as a treat?

Yes, that would be fine. Like peachsonas said though, look for quality pellets and flakes with 40%+ crude protein.

 

This is what I have. Omega One mini-pellets and Aqueon tropical flakes. 41% crude protein.

 

This is what I have. Omega One mini-pellets and Aqueon tropical flakes. 41% crude protein.

They look fine, especially the Omega One pellets.

 

When my kids were raising praying Mantids we used to buy wingless fruit flies for the young mantids. The Betta loved these things. I also feed him some frozen blood worms and betta pellets

 

Betta's would also love live mosquito larvae which are very easy to culture in an outdoor tub in summer or all year round in a warm climate.

 

Yes it is, preferably high quality. I can recommend Omega One flakes, freeze dried brine, and frozen bloodworms. I have tried several other foods, but these are the ones my fish seem to like the most. They go crazy for brine and bloodworms but I give it to them sparingly. That is all I feed my fish, feel free to switch it up, your betta would love brine and I suggest freeze dried bloodworms because the frozen type comes in cubes and it would be way too much for a single betta.

 

Thanks for the tips!

 

He doesn’t seem to care for the flakes very much. Might just stick with pellets and the occasional treat unless that’s not a good idea.

 

That should be ok, you can always get a couple different pellets to mix it up. Bug bites, omega one, and hikari micro pellets have been my favorites and generally recommended as decent food. Anything with 40%+ crude protein should be fine though.

 

I also don’t like how the flakes make a mess and you have to skim them out. I like the variety of pellets idea.
Thanks!

 

Bettas are carnivores, not omnivores like much tropical fish. Many, if not Most of the prepared foods, even ones labeled as "betta foods" contain a lot of wheat and grain fillers that are nothing but fiber for a betta. You need to find a quality betta pellet, such as new life spectra Thera Plus A, or their betta formula, and you need to supplement it with meatier things like frozen blood worms and daphnia. These foods are very important to a carnivore's longevity, and should not be thought of as a treat.