Figuring out the best diet for your betta fish can be quite a challenge.
There are many different brands and varieties of betta fish food available in pet/aquarium stores and online, but unfortunately, not all of them are high-quality or even good enough to keep your betta healthy!
Hikari Betta Bio-Gold Baby Pellets 3 Pack
Balanced, scientifically formulated betta pellets designed for optimal health and nutrition.
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Northfin Betta Bits 1mm Pellets 100g
Marine protein 1mm pellets designed specifically for bettas, promoting digestion and cleanliness.
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Omega One Betta Buffet Flakes
Nutritious dry food tailored for small breeds with skin and coat benefits.
Check PriceIf you’re struggling with what, when, or how to feed your betta fish, you’re not the only one.
Keep reading for more information on how to find the best food available for your fish, how to feed your betta a high-quality diet, and learn about all of the different types of fish foods available.
Key Takeaways
- Betta fish require a high-protein diet and cannot thrive on plant-based foods; the best options include live and frozen foods and high-quality pellets or flakes that list whole fish products as their main ingredients.
- Live foods offer nutritional benefits and encourage natural hunting behaviors but come with the risk of parasites. However, culturing your own live foods or buying from reputable stores can mitigate that.
- Overfeeding can lead to obesity and water pollution; it’s recommended to feed bettas small amounts 2-3 times a day and to remove any uneaten food promptly to maintain water quality.
What Is the Best Food for Your Betta Fish?
The most important thing you need to keep in mind when you’re looking for the best possible betta fish food is that these fish are naturally carnivores that require a lot of protein in their diet to remain healthy and thrive.
The betta’s upturned mouth reveals what they eat most in the wild: water-bound insects and insect larvae, and those floating on the surface.
Betta fish can’t survive on plant-based foods alone, and contrary to what some fish stores will tell you, they do not eat plant roots. The best betta fish diet should include a variety of freeze-dried foods, live foods like mosquito larvae, brine shrimp, and bloodworms, and betta flakes and/or pellets that are high in crude protein.
Betta Fish Flakes and Pellets
Most betta fish keepers choose a high-quality pellet or flake food as a staple diet for their pets, though it is not uncommon for betta fish to refuse flakes. Remember that betta fish tend to be messy eaters, and any uneaten food will sink to the bottom of the tank, where it will gradually decompose and compromise the water quality. So, be sure you remove any excess food as soon as you see that your betta has finished eating.
It is also important to buy fish food that is specifically meant for betta fish. Betta fish food is exceptionally high in crude protein, and tropical fish flakes won’t give your betta the nutrients it truly needs to thrive.
Because feeding nothing but this staple food wouldn’t make for the best diet, it’s a good idea to include a few other foods in your betta’s diet.
Live Food
Some betta keepers choose to feed live foods that are usually sold at fish stores, the most popular including brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, and bloodworms.
While this food will make your betta fish get some activity (betta fish feeding can be very exciting to watch!), you are also introducing the risk of bringing parasites into your tank. Because of this threat, it is never advisable to feed your betta fish anything that you may have found outside.
The best way to have a steady flow of reliable live foods to feed your betta fish is by culturing them yourself. For safe and fun live betta food, you can try hatching your own brine shrimp eggs or wingless fruit flies.
The second best way to get reputable live foods is by shopping at the best reputable fish stores. Many times the food you are buying is the same food they use to feed their fish; if it isn’t, don’t be afraid to ask why they might be feeding something different.
Reddit contributor mariathecrow suggests taking the following approach to feeding her betta live foods:
Sometimes I feed them crickets. Go to the pet store and find the tiniest pinhead crickets that you can find and get a few. They drown easily, so put them in one at a time, but my bettas LOVE them!
I’ve also tried blackworms, and tiny earthworms can be a treat as well. These are also free since you can just find them in the garden. Just never collect food for any pet from an area that has been sprayed for fertilizer or pesticides!
Frozen food
There are plenty of frozen fish food options available.
I personally always have at least two types of frozen food (white/black mosquito larvae, bloodworms, brine shrimp) lying around to offer my betta fish variety from time to time. These foods make a great betta meal when thawed properly and are easy to store!
For the most part, any fish food that comes live also comes frozen; there is just the convenience that frozen foods last longer and can be better rationed at feeding time.
Whether it’s brine shrimp, bloodworms, or mosquito larvae, make sure to follow the instructions on the back of the package before throwing the cube into the tank water! Typically you will want to take some water out from your tank, put the cube in, and wait for a few minutes until the cube starts to dissolve and fall apart.
Never use tap water during this process as that will indirectly add nutrients and heavy metals into your tank water that you may not want, affecting your overall water quality and the health of your fish!
One of the main problems fish enthusiasts run into is that frozen food can be messy; these cubes surprisingly contain a lot of food, and it’s easy for pieces to be quickly carried away by the water current under decorations and into the filter.
It is best if you turn all equipment off during feeding time so that you can remove any excess food to prevent leftovers from breaking down and causing future water quality issues.
Freeze-Dried Food
If your betta fish doesn’t eat fish flakes and you don’t have access to live foods or frozen foods, there is always the last alternative: freeze-dried foods. These foods will typically be the same, with a selection of bloodworms, mosquito larvae, and brine shrimp, but all of the moisture has been removed.
While freeze-dried foods are an easy alternative, they don’t always provide the best supplementation because so much nutritional value has already been taken; there is also a common issue that these foods tend to expand in the gut of the betta fish after being eaten, causing your fish to bloat or become constipated possibly.
The simple fix to this is soaking the pieces of food in tank water or other prepared liquid before feeding. However, you never have to worry about introducing parasites into your tank, and it’s an easy food to give if you don’t have many other options!
High-Quality Betta Food
With all the betta fish foods that all claim they are the best, it can be difficult to figure out which one to buy. Luckily, the ingredient list can tell you a lot!
As mentioned before, betta fish are carnivores that need a very high protein diet. However, protein-based ingredients, like fish, are quite expensive, more expensive than cheaper plant-based ingredients like wheat or soy.
Many manufacturers of betta food, therefore, choose to use more plant-based ingredients and other cheap options like fishmeal instead of using whole fish; fishmeal is all the leftover bits that fisheries don’t have any other use for after all the quality pieces have been sold to market.
The downside of this, of course, is that the food is not the absolute best that it could be for your betta.
A betta food that lists more plant-based ingredients and fishmeal at the top of the ingredient list is bad quality, and you should avoid it. A betta food that lists “whole” fish products as the first few ingredients is a better idea and will lead to a much healthier fish.
An example of a popular and good-quality staple fish pellet is the New Life Spectrum Betta Formula.
Note: many websites list that flakes are not good betta food. This is because many flakes are of bad quality and contain too many plant-based ingredients and fillers.
However, not all flakes are inherently bad: the same rules apply, and there is nothing wrong with high-quality betta flake food.
The 5 Best Betta Foods
In this part of our guide, we review the five best betta foods currently available on the market.
Summary Table
| Food Product Name | Type | Main Ingredients | Nutritional Highlights | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Life Spectrum Betta Formula | Pellet | Antarctic krill, herring, squid, New Zealand mussel protein | 37% crude protein min, 5% crude fat min, 4% crude fiber max | Made in the USA, it enhances color, and contains garlic for immunity |
| Northfin Food Betta Bits | Pellet | Whole Atlantic krill meal, whole sardine meal, organic kelp | 45% crude protein min, 5% crude fat min, 5% crude fiber max | Slow sinking, easily digestible, high in Omega 3 & 6 |
| Omega One Betta Buffet Flakes | Flake | Salmon, whole herring, whole shrimp, kelp | 43% crude protein min, 12% min. crude fat, 2% crude fiber max | Rich in Omega 3 & 6, natural beta carotenes for color |
| Hikari Betta Bio-Gold Baby Pellets | Pellet | Fish meal, wheat flour, soybean meal, rice bran, krill meal | 38% crude protein min, 4.0% crude fat min, 3.0% crude fiber max | Contains artificial coloring, a balanced diet |
| Fluval Bug Bites Tropical Fish Food | Granule | Black soldier fly larvae, salmon, fish protein concentrate | 40% crude protein min, 12.5% crude fat min, 5.0% crude fiber max | Nutrient-rich larvae as the main ingredient |
| Live Foods | Live / Frozen | Brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, bloodworms | High protein, natural diet | Risks of parasites; culturing live foods is recommended |
New Life Spectrum Betta Formula
New Life Spectrum Betta 70g Fish Food
Check Price on AmazonNew Life Spectrum Betta Formula semi-floating pellets are the perfect food for a balanced diet.
These small pellets (<1 mm) are made from Antarctic krill, herring, squid, New Zealand mussel protein, seaweed, kelp, microalgae, natural spirulina, as well as fruit and vegetable extract. This includes garlic which can help bolster immunity.
The guaranteed analysis reads:
- 37% min. crude protein
- 5% min. crude fat
- 4% max. crude fiber
- 10% moisture
- 8% ash
- 8000 IU/kg Vitamin A
- 2500 IU/kg Vitamin D
- 200 IU/kg Vitamin E
These pellets can sometimes be too big and hard for some betta fish to eat, so hobbyists soak them before feeding. Otherwise, the ingredients on the packaging are recognizable, and guaranteed analysis meets our standards for a healthy betta.
Northfin Food Betta Bits
Northfin Betta Bits 1mm Pellets 100g
Check Price on AmazonNorthfin is a lesser-known aquarium brand that has delivered high-quality equipment and supplies for years. This includes their food for betta fish.
Northfin Food Betta Bits is expensive but one of the best foods you can get for your betta fish. They are comparable to New Life Spectrum Betta Formula pellets but sink faster.
The ingredients include whole Atlantic krill meal, high omega-3 DHA herring meal, whole sardine meal, and wheat flour. For a balanced diet, Northfin Food Betta Bits also includes organic kelp and spirulina, as well as garlic for bolstered immunity.
The guaranteed analysis reads:
- 45% min. crude protein
- 5% min. crude fat
- 5% max. crude fiber
- 9% moisture
- 9% ash
- Vitamin A acetate
- Vitamin B12 supplement
Northfin Food Betta Bits is very high in protein, so feedings should be spaced out. However, these floating pellets are perfectly sized and easy on betta digestive systems.
Omega One Betta Buffet Flakes
Omega One Betta Buffet Flakes
Check PriceIf your betta fish doesn’t like pellets, then Omega One makes a great flake alternative.
The first few ingredients listed on Omega One Betta Buffet Flakes are identifiable salmon, whole herring, wheat flour, and whole shrimp. There is also some protein from greens, including pea protein, kelp, and spirulina, for a natural diet.
The guaranteed analysis reads:
- 43% min. crude protein
- 12% min. crude fat
- 2% max. crude fiber
- 8.5% moisture
- 8% ash
- Vitamin A Supplement
- Vitamin B12 Supplement
- Vitamin E Supplement
This product may contain artificial coloring and can be high in protein for betta fish so it may be best used as a regular supplement. However, this food is packed full of natural proteins that help keep betta fish strong and happy.
Omega One Betta Buffet Flakes are also available in pellet form.
Hikari Betta Bio-Gold
Hikari Betta Bio-Gold Baby Pellets 3 Pack
Check Price on AmazonHikari makes feeding your betta fun. Not only is Hikari Betta Bio-Gold innovatively designed to dispense pellets, but it’s also good food for your fish!
Hikari is a very popular aquarium brand, and its products live up to expectations for the most part.
While high-quality and rich in protein, the first ingredient of Hikari Betta Bio-Gold is fish meal. This is followed by wheat flour, soybean meal, rice bran, potato starch, and eventually, krill meal.
The guaranteed analysis reads:
- 38% min. crude protein
- 4.0% min. crude fat
- 3.0% max. crude fiber
- 10% max. moisture
- 12% ash
- 0.7% min. phosphorus
- 19,000 IU/kg Vitamin A
- 2,900 IU/kg Vitamin D3
- 1,500 IU/kg Vitamin E
These floating pellets are fun to feed as long as you’re able to get them out of the packaging. They also contain artificial coloring so that they may serve better as an occasional treat.
Fluval Bug Bites Tropical Fish Food
Fluval Bug Bites Tropical Fish Food
Check Price on AmazonIf you’re looking for something different to feed your fish, then Fluval Bug Bites Tropical Fish Food might be your betta’s new favorite food.
Fluval Bug Bites Tropical Fish Food is exactly what they sound like pieces of bugs. These small granules are made from black soldier fly larvae, salmon, fish protein concentrate, green peas, and potatoes.
The guaranteed analysis reads:
- 40% min. crude protein
- 12.5% min. crude fat
- 5.0% max. crude fiber
- 10% moisture
- 9% ash
- 1.5% min. calcium
- 0.8% min. phosphorus
- 2,500 IU/kg Vitamin A
- 2,400 IU/kg Vitamin D3
- 75 IU/kg Vitamin E
These bug bites are naturally made and packed with protein. The unusual ingredients can help introduce a new source of food to hungry bettas.
How Much and How Often Should You Feed Your Betta?
Bettas are small fish that don’t need a lot of food, especially if you are feeding high-quality food. Two or three pellets/worms/etc. are enough for a day, although you can vary the frequency of feeding and the amount of food you give each time; skipping a day every once in a while is fine, and so is feeding twice on some days or dividing the food into 2-3 meals.
If your betta happens to be refusing food because of stress due to transport or illness, don’t worry. A few days without eating won’t do much harm.
If the fish is stressed from transport, leave the lights off to reduce stress and try again in a few hours with some worms instead of the less tasty-looking pellets.
If there doesn’t seem to be anything outwardly wrong with your betta fish and you haven’t transported it recently, check that the water parameters and temperature are correct; of course, there are days when your betta fish may just not want to eat, but this shouldn’t last for more than a day otherwise.
How to Not Feed Your Betta Fish
Keeping your betta fish well-fed and happy may seem easy, but there are quite a few (beginner) mistakes to avoid! These are a few of them:
- Don’t follow the ‘feed as much as your fish can eat in five minutes’ rule. Betta fish (and other fish) will almost always accept food even when they’re not hungry, so this is a one-way ticket to an obese fish.
- Don’t reward jumping behavior with food. It’s very interesting and exciting to watch a betta jump for food, but it’s quite dangerous as the fish could accidentally jump out of the aquarium or hurt itself on the lid.
- Don’t use holiday/weekend fish food blocks when you are planning to go away for an extended amount of time; these can quickly malfunction and pollute the water, leaving you to come home to murky water and, most likely, a dead fish. As long as your betta is well-fed, a few days without food are harmless. If you are going to be gone for more than a few days, it may be worthwhile to have someone keep up with feeding your betta on its regular schedule.
- Don’t leave uneaten betta fish food in your aquarium; remove it immediately. Rotting food can cause bad water quality and will eventually become very dangerous to your betta as ammonia builds in the tank.
- Don’t feed too much freeze-dried food. It’s fine as a snack from time to time, but it’s known to cause constipation and other problems when fed regularly.
- Don’t thaw and re-freeze frozen food. This promotes explosive bacteria growth! Any leftover thawed food should be disposed of and not fed to your betta.
Why Does My Betta Fish ‘Throw Up’ Its Food?
You may have experienced your betta fish ‘throwing up’ its food; there are a few reasons why this may be happening, and most of the time, it’s actually because of the betta fish!
You could be feeding your fish the best betta foods available, but honestly, some bettas are just that picky. Many betta fish were raised eating one type of food at the store and are reluctant to try anything else initially.
If your betta still refuses to eat after a couple of days, there are a few ways to get around this problem.
The first method you could try is by offering live food, especially bloodworms. Most betta fish won’t say no to a couple of bloodworms! However, try to avoid feeding bloodworms too often as they do not have the best nutritional value and can be risky (and expensive) to feed, as mentioned before.
The second way is by making the betta fish food more appetizing. Many hobbyists soak their betta foods in a garlic mix, such as Garlic Guard, when they have a picky eater. This seems to spark their appetite just fine!
Lastly, your betta may be spitting out its food because the food is simply too big to swallow. You can try cutting up the pieces even smaller or soaking them in the garlic mix to help break them up.
If none of these methods work, your betta may have an underlying illness or parasites or may even be constipated.
Continue to monitor your betta for any other signs of distress and treat accordingly. There are a few ways to treat a constipated betta either through peas or fasting, though it is best to do some research and keep trying until your betta gets better!
Conclusion
Your betta’s diet is the key to having a healthy and colorful fish. There is a large selection of betta fish food out there, and a lot of it is not actually what your betta needs to thrive. Before picking up fish food, take some time to read the ingredients list on the back and ask yourself:
- What is the first ingredient listed?
- Is this food specifically betta fish food, or is it meant for tropical fish?
- How can I offer my betta variety?
As long as you don’t overfeed, your betta will be very appreciative of the different foods you give!
If you have any questions about finding the best betta food, the different types of betta food available, or have other betta fish feeding concerns, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
