Betta fish are always hungry and will eat whenever you serve them food. With such eating behaviour, knowing if betta is hungry and needs food or if they are eating out of enthusiasm becomes challenging. So, Is my betta fish hungry? Let us find out.
Betta fish require two to three pellets at a time twice a day to ensure adequate feeding. If they are not getting that much amount of food and then showing behaviour like lethargy, digging substrate, and nipping plants, they are hungry and require food. Feed your betta fish one to two times a day.
This article will also discuss how to tell when betta fish is hungry and how often we should feed our betta fish. So, let us get into it.
Contents
How to tell when betta fish is feeling hungry?
All these are the signs that will indicate that your betta fish is hungry:
- Your betta fish will become lethargic.
- Your betta will start digging substrate and swim all over the tank.
- Your betta fish will look skinny and weak.
- Your betta fish will start tearing apart the live plants present in the tank.
- Hungry betta fish will come to the surface more excitingly whenever they see you around.
- You last provided food to your betta fish a long time ago.
Lethargy
When your betta fish is hungry, it will only be interested in moving a little and will hover at one spot.
By doing this, they preserve their energy, which is their natural behavior.
Bettas are active swimmers and like to swim around the tank and respond quickly to anything, but this is only the case with healthy and happy bettas.
Bettas that are suffering from weakness due to underfeeding and illness will become lethargic.
So, betta fish staying in one spot and not moving much is also a sign of them being underfed and suffering from issues.
Also read: Why Is My Betta Fish Not Active?
Digging substrate and exploring the tank
Digging into substrates and swimming in the area they rarely visit is also a sign of your betta fish feeling hungry.
Your betta will swim all over the place in search of food, and you will encounter dug holes and bitten plants.
Such behavior of your betta fish indicates that your betta fish is feeling hungry and searching for food.
Also, if your betta fish is swimming at the top of the tank, then it is possible that they are not hungry and suffering from other issues.
Appear weak and skinny
Your betta fish will appear weak and skinny when being underfed.
However, this will not be the case when being not fed for hours or a day or two.
They will start to look skinny when not fed for a week or more.
So, if your betta fish looks weak and skinny, then the reason for this is illness or starvation.
Torn and bitten live plants
Bettas are carnivore fish and require only meat-based food in their regular diet.
However, they will nip at plants and tear them off when they are hungry.
Your betta fish will consider eating the latter and picking apart the plants when they are starving, and there is no meat for them.
Torn plants are an indication that your betta is feeling hungry and needs food.
Coming at the surface
Your betta will show excitement when you walk near the aquarium as soon as they learn that you feed them.
So, when your betta fish is feeling hungry and you walk near the tank, they will come to the surface as they think they will now get their food.
However, don’t get manipulated by this behavior, as your betta fish will show you that they are hungry every time.
So, if you have fed your betta fish and then also they are coming to the surface when you come nearby, avoid providing them food.
Also read: Why Is My Betta Fish Floating At The Top Of The Tank?
Not provided food for a long time
Betta fish require food daily, and not giving them food for a long time will make them starve.
They have small stomachs and can’t eat much food at once.
If you have not provided food to your betta fish for more than two days, they are underfed and need food.
Why is my betta fish always hungry?
Bettas are voracious eaters and will eat as much as you provide to them.
With such eating behavior, you will end up overfeeding your betta fish.
They will always look hungry to you and show you every time they are hungry.
Bettas have a stomach size similar to their eye, which means that they will not be able to eat much food at a time, and also, we should not feed them in much quantity.
Overfeeding your betta fish will result in them suffering from constipation and bloating, which can cause swim bladder disorder and many other issues.
So, it is advisable to feed your betta fish in quantity mentioned in the product.
How often should we feed food to our betta fish?
Betta fish have a stomach size similar to their eye, which means they cannot eat much food at a time.
Feed your betta fish twice a day, keeping a 12 hours gap between each feeding.
To avoid overfeeding your betta fish, feed them 2-3 pellets at a time, as feeding more than that will end in overfeeding.
If you are feeding live, freeze-dried, and frozen food, feed them 2-3 pieces at a time.
Overfeeding causes constipation and bloating to your betta fish, and they will suffer from a life-threatening condition.
Underfeeding will make your betta fish weak and stressed and become prone to diseases and parasites.
So, it is necessary to feed your betta fish in an adequate quantity.
Also read: How Often To Feed Betta Fish?
What should we feed our betta fish?
Bettas are carnivore fish and require meat-based food in their regular diet.
They feed on larvae, wrigglers, worms, and other insects in their natural habitat.
| Serving Quantity | Serving Quantity | No of Times |
|---|---|---|
| Betta Pellets | 2-3 pieces at a time | Two 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 |
You can feed them various food like pellets, flakes, bloodworms, mosquito larvae, blackworms, brine shrimp, and daphnia in captivity.
There are pellets specially made for bettas, which you can feed on a regular basis.
You can consider feeding them live, frozen, and freeze-dried food one to two times a week.
Also read: Can Betta Fish Eat Bloodworms?
Conclusion:
Bettas are voracious eaters and are always ready to grab the food whenever you serve them.
With such eating behavior, you can end up overfeeding your betta fish. So, feed your betta fish 2-3 pellets twice a day to ensure adequate feeding.
Betta fish being lethargic, coming to the surface, digging substrate, and exploring all over the tank indicates that they are hungry and need food.
Reference: Wikipedia, ScienceDirect