Betta fish have a stomach size similar to the eye and cannot eat much food at a time, and this is why most betta owners end up overfeeding their betta fish.
Overfeeding can cause many issues to your betta fish, but can our betta fish die from overfeeding? Can betta fish die from overfeeding? Let us find out.
Betta fish can die from overfeeding as overfeeding makes your betta suffer from life-threatening issues like swim bladder disorder, bloating, and constipation. Feed your betta fish two to three pieces of pellets or any other food twice a day to prevent overfeeding.
This article will also discuss how to know if our betta fish is being overfed and how often we should feed our betta fish. So, let us get into it.
Contents
How critical can overfeeding be for a betta fish?
Overfeeding your betta fish can make them suffer from a life-threatening condition.
Also, in the worst case, when left untreated, they can even pass away.
Overfeeding can cause constipation, bloating, and swimbladder disorder in your betta fish.
Issues like constipation, bloating, and swim bladder disorder will make your betta fish suffer from eating and moving.
They will become lethargic and be at the bottom of the tank most of the time.
Also, overfeeding ends up making your tank water conditions dirty which causes ammonia spikes, lack of oxygen, and various other issues.
Ammonia spikes will burn your betta fish fins, tails, and body, making them suffer from pain.
Oxygen deficiency will make your betta fish gasp for air at the surface, and they will come under stress.
We should always avoid overfeeding our betta fish, as overfeeding is not good for their health, and they become vulnerable to various issues when being overfed.
How do I know if I am overfeeding my betta fish?
All these are the signs that will indicate that your betta fish is being overfed:
- The most common sign is a bloated belly. Your betta fish will develop a bloated belly. So if you notice your betta fish stomach being swollen and distended, it’s a clear sign of overeating.
- Food leftovers are the second most common sign of overfeeding. Bettas are voracious eaters and will eat anytime you serve them. They will leave the food uneaten when being overfed. So, if you find foods floating all over the surface, you are overfeeding your betta fish.
- Lethargy is also a sign of overeating. Your betta fish will not be much interested in moving and will be inactive, sitting at the bottom of the tank most of the time.
- Swimming weirdly is also a sign of overeating. Betta fish can have problem swimming because of swim bladder disorder due to a bloated belly caused by overeating.
- You will notice long, watery, and loose stools caused by constipation.
- Poor water conditions can also is a sign of overfeeding, as overfeeding will make the water dirty with leftovers, and the ammonia level of the water will also increase.
All these are the signs of your betta fish being overfed. If you encounter your betta fish showing more than one sign we discussed above, you can be sure that they are being overfed and need proper treatment.
Also read: Why Is My Betta Fish Not Eating?
How to deal with an overfed betta fish?
You can treat your betta fish suffering from overfeeding by cutting their food and performing a water change.
If you are feeding your betta fish three times a day, cut it by one time and feed it twice in small quantities, and if you are feeding your betta two times a day, start feeding it one time a day.
Performing a weekly water change of 50% will help you get rid of excess waste and leftovers.
Continue to feed your betta fish less food until you see the signs of recovery.
Now you have to deal with your betta fish according to the issue. If your betta fish is suffering from constipation, then follow these steps for recovery:
- Start by letting your betta fish fast for four to five days.
- Don’t worry. You are just helping your betta fish to digest the food completely before having more.
- After four to five days, start feeding your betta fish with a high-fiber food like boiled peas. (Betta fish will feed on boiled peas despite being a carnivore fish)
- Once your betta fish recovers from constipation, you can follow the normal schedule and feed them various types of foods.
- Make sure to feed your betta fish the recommended quantity, as you can again end up overfeeding them, and they will suffer from constipation.
There are many other issues that your betta fish can suffer from when being overfed, and the most common issue they can suffer because of overfeeding and constipation is swim bladder disorder.
The swim bladder is an organ that helps fishes to maintain their buoyancy.
Constipation due to overfeeding can cause swimbladder disorder.
You have to treat your betta fish with antibiotical treatment or use Epsom salt to treat swim bladder disorder.
We have a different article for the complete information on how to treat swim bladder disease in bettas. You can read the article here.
How often should we feed our betta fish?
As discussed above, betta fish have a stomach size similar to their eye.
They cannot eat much food at a time and should be fed in small portions multiple times.
You should prefer to feed your betta fish in a quantity that they can finish eating in one to two minutes.
However, consider feeding your betta fish two to three pellets twice a day.
| Serving Quantity | Serving Quantity | No of Times |
|---|---|---|
| Betta Pellets | 2-3 pieces at a time | 2 times a day |
| Brine shrimp | 2-3 pieces at a time | 1-2 times a week |
| Mosquito larvae | 2-3 pieces at a time | 1-2 times a week |
| Bloodworms | 2-3 pieces at a time | 1-2 times a week |
| Daphnia | 2-3 pieces at a time | 1-2 times a week |
| Tubifex Worms | 2-3 pieces at a time | 1-2 times a week |
Feeding more than that will result in overfeeding, and your betta fish will go through a critical condition.
Overfeeding your fish makes them obese, bloated, and constipated, which is not good for them, and they can suffer from life-threatening issues. In the worst case, your bettas can even pass away.
Consider feeding your betta fish with betta pellets every day as a staple part of their diet.
You can feed them live, frozen, and freeze-dried food once or twice a week as a treat to your bettas.
Consider feeding them with bloodworms, brine shrimp, tubifex worms, mosquito larvae, and mosquitoes as live, freeze-dried, and frozen food.
| Days | Betta Food |
|---|---|
| Monday | 2-3 pellets twice a day |
| Tuesday | Live, freeze-dried, or frozen food 2-3 pieces twice a day |
| Wednesday | 2-3 pellets twice a day |
| Thursday | 2-3 pellets twice a day |
| Friday | Live, freeze-dried, or frozen food 2-3 pieces twice a day |
| Saturday | 2-3 pellets twice a day |
| Sunday | Let your betta fish have a fast on Sunday to maintain their appetite. |
Also read: Can Betta Fish Eat Bloodworms?
Conclusion:
Betta fish can go through critical conditions when being overfed.
Also, they can even pass away because of overfeeding in the worst case.
Overfeeding can cause issues like constipation, bloating, and swimbladder disorder in your betta fish, making them suffer from a life-threatening condition.
It is necessary to adequately feed our betta fish the right amount of food.
Consider feeding your betta fish two to three pieces of pellets or anything twice a day to ensure adequate feeding.
Reference: Wikipedia, ResearchGate, ScienceDirect,