March 14

Sarah Robertson

What Do Baby Betta Fish Eat?

It's a lot of fun to raise betta fish fry, and they can rapidly grow into beautiful representatives of their parents. It's critical to feed them a healthy diet if you want them to reach their full-color potential and live a long, happy life.

Betta fry is tiny and adorable, yet they have a voracious appetite. It may be difficult to start their food correctly, but it becomes easier as you discover what foods they despise and which seem to have the greatest impact on fry growth.

For a balanced diet, betta fries require live foods like earthworms, protozoa, and baby shrimp three to five times a day. For your Betta to eat for a five-minute period, provide enough food in each session.

Although it may appear that the options of living foods smaller than a beta mouth are limited, there is actually a wide range of alternatives to select from. Here are some of them:

  • Infusoria
  • Fee-living nematodes such as Vinegar Eels
  • Microworms
  • Banana Worms
  • Walter Worms
  • Baby Brine Shrimp
  • Daphnia
  • Fairy Shrimp
  • Grindal Worms 

Food that is moving will be preferred by a Young Betta Fry. You may be able to include certain pellets and frozen foods as they grow older.

Even before your betta fry is born, you must prepare the appropriate meals for them. Because as soon as they emerge from their egg sacs in the tank, they will begin to feed. Fresh, high-quality food must be accessible at all times to meet this need.

How Do You Feed A Baby Betta Fry?

When feeding a Betta Fry, there is no need to do anything unusual. Simply put the food in the tank and they will come for it once they detect the aroma. It's a good idea to keep your betta fish's diet varied, so they get enough nutrients throughout the week.

Nematodes, baby worms, and mosquito larva are the finest food alternatives for newborn Betta fry fish. Your baby Betta fries should be fed at least five small meals a day. As they mature, this pattern will start to alter and get less frequent. The best rule of thumb is to offer enough food so that your Betta may eat in 5 minutes at each feeding.

Feeding guidelines for baby betta fish 2

Feeding Guidelines for Baby Betta Fish

It is important to give your fry the proper diet so they can grow healthy and strong. It is recommended that you feed your fry 2-3 small pinches of food per day, making sure not to give them more than they can eat in 5 minutes.

First Few Days

The eggs of Betta fish hatch between 24 and 48 hours after the breeding pair releases its eggs. The male will act as a parent by defending the bubble nest against potential predators while caring for the eggs. When the eggs hatch, it's best to transfer them to a nursing tank so you can give them your full attention and care without having to worry about one of the adult betta fish gobbling them up.

When the fry emerges from the eggs, they receive all of their nutrients from their yolk sac and do not require additional food until they are swimming about the nursey tank looking for sources of food.

The fry can't eat food yet since it's too little to consume, so it must eat liquid-based foods like a runny egg yolk from a boiled egg. A small amount of the egg yolk is added to the water column, making it quick for them to consume it. This can cause the water to become foul quickly, so clean your filter a few hours after adding the runny yolk.

Preparing the Fry Nursery

If you haven't already, make a nursery tank for the fry after they've hatched in the spawning tank. One alternative is to remove the parents from the breeding tank and keep only the fry in the tank. A little sponge filter and a variety of live plants such as hornwort, java moss, and other bushy plants should be included in the tank.

These plants will offer refuge for the fry, allowing them to feel more at ease and free of anxiety, which will lead to them maturing into healthy adults. It's also simpler to feed them in a tank that doesn't have any other fish competing for food. If you don't have enough surface agitation, add a little air stone or a bubble wall to the tank to promote a greater oxygenation. A 10-gallon tank is sufficient; it does not have to be large.

Infusoria

It's the first form of liquid food that betta fry can consume other than a runny egg yolk. This is a portion of excellent food for newly hatched fry since infusoria are tiny and easy to consume.

This should not be their only source of food, and they should only eat infusoria until their mouths are big enough to bite tiny particles. If the eggs have been laid and judged fertile, an infusoria hatchery should be initiated as soon as possible. The infusoria are large enough for the betta fish fry to catch, and they move fast through the water, appealing more to them.

Baby Brine Shrimp Nauplii

After eating infusoria for a few days baby betta fish will be ready to eat slightly larger food such as brine shrimp nauplii. This is the next step up in size after infusoria. You can feed the baby betta fish frozen brine shrimp nauplii by dropping about 10 to 15 of them into their jar or tank. Be sure not to drop too many at once, as baby bettas will need time to catch and eat each one of them.

Freeze-Dried Tubifex Worms

After a few days of feeding baby bettas the brine shrimp nauplii, many pet stores will carry freeze-dried tubifex worms as food for your betta fish. These are much larger than brine shrimp and should be fed to baby betta after they have finished the brine shrimp.

Some good frozen or freeze-dried betta fry foods are:

  • Bloodworms
  • Daphnia
  • Tubifex Worms
  • Micro worms

These foods are high in protein and mimic a similar diet the fry will eat in the wild.

Freeze-dried tubifex worms can be fed to your baby bettas by dropping 5 or 6 of the worms into their jar or tank. Again, do not drop too many at once to avoid overcrowding and feed them in small amounts over time.

Larger Foods

Once baby betta reaches 3 to 4 weeks of age you should be able to begin feeding them larger foods such as daphnia and bloodworms. These can be fed to your baby bettas by dropping a few of the food items into their jar or tank.

Flake food is also considered suitable for baby betta fish; however, do not feed it exclusively because your baby betta fish need more nutrients than can be provided by flake food. Flake food is very easy to find in most pet stores and is considered a staple for much different fish.

Once your baby betta is around 4 weeks old you should stop using infusoria completely, as it is no longer suitable for their age. This will leave you with brine shrimp, tubifex worms, or daphnia as the primary foods they eat.

Properly feeding your baby bettas is a very important part of their growth and development. Make sure to only offer small amounts of food at a time and feed them in small intervals throughout the day.

Foods to Avoid

Betta fish are unable to consume plant material properly, resulting in bloat. Bloating may also slow down the digestion and absorption of protein meals, resulting in your betta fry developing slowly. Betta fish fry should not be fed algae or leaf matter. Algae and leaf matter may be present in commercial fry preparations, which makes it necessary to examine the contents before purchasing foods for fry. 

Feeding Frequency

Feeding frequency for baby betta fish varies depending on the type of fish food that you choose. It is important to note that baby betta fish are very small and therefore it is not good to overload them with food in one sitting. You should feed them three times a day, once every 8 hours.

However, you might also need to consider their activity level as well as the water temperature because if it is too hot or cold for them, they will be less active and won’t eat as much.

Not only will this have a negative impact on their digestive system, but it can also cause the risk of getting sucked into the filter when feeding the fish. In addition, the water conditions might get affected by all the leftover food in your aquarium.

If you plan to purchase food for your betta fry, here are some things that you should consider:

  • Protein content – knowing the amount of protein that your baby bettas need is important not only for their growth but also for their healthy diet.
  • Moisture content – this is a must as it will make up most of the fry’s diet and if there isn’t enough, they might lose weight or even die.
  • Nutrient blend – this also varies depending on the type of food you choose, so take note of its ingredients and see which ones are best for your fry’s needs.
  • Dry vs. frozen – some juveniles can be picky when it comes to foods that come in dry or frozen forms because they might not eat them as readily.
  • Results – if you have been using a certain type of food for your fry and they are now growing bigger, then stick to that brand for now.

Frequent Questions

What Do Baby Betta Fish Eat in The Wild?

The diet of a wild betta fish is entirely meat-based. This implies that their food consists only of tiny invertebrates and insects. Water-bound larvae, such as mosquito larvae, zooplankton, and crustaceans are the most common items eaten by them (although they will eat whatever they can swallow).

When they are not feeding on these natural food sources, betta fry also feeds on their yolk sacs to support them until they have developed enough strength to survive in the wild.

What Does Do Baby Beta Fish Eat in Aquariums or Fish Bowls?

In aquariums or fish bowls, one of the best food that your betta fry can eat is live brine shrimp. One single grain of brine shrimp contains a lot of nutrients needed for their growth and development. Make sure to avoid feeding them flakes because they do not have enough nutrients for baby bettas to survive in the long run.

Live brine shrimp can be found in most pet stores and live food shops. It is also easy to hatch and they do not pose any threats for your betta fry if you feed them too much or erratically. However, this also means that you need a separate aquarium with an air pump and airstone so they will hatch properly.

You can feed them microalgae in form of commercial fish food pellets or brine shrimp if you wish to have a more natural approach to feeding your baby betta fish.

However, it is best to feed them brine shrimp since they are easy to digest and will help the baby betta build its strength faster. As soon as you notice fry in your aquarium, start feeding them brine shrimp right away so they will grow bigger and healthier.

When To Start Feeding Betta Fish Fry

When to Start Feeding Betta Fish Fry?

The best time to start feeding your baby betta fish fry is as soon as you notice them in the aquarium.  

If you fail to do so, they might not survive long enough to become bigger and stronger. You should also keep an eye for any signs of illness or disease so you can stop feeding them or find a treatment for this immediately.  

How Long Can Betta Fry Go Without Food?

When betta fish fry is free-swimming, they can go three days without food (48 hours after hatching). For the first three days of their existence, they will get all of their nutrients from the egg sack, but after that, they will require 2-3 smaller feedings per day.

How Often Should I Feed My Betta Fish Fry?

You should feed your betta fish fry at least two times a day or more depending on how many there are in an aquarium.

In addition to this, you should also remember that baby betta fish eat very slowly. This is because, unlike other adult bettas, these small creatures have not developed the ability to suck in huge amounts of water in one gulp.

Therefore, you should only give them small amounts of food and make sure to remove any excess food from the tank. If you fail to do this, then there is a huge chance that dirt, uneaten food particles, or decaying matter might pollute the water and thus cause problems for your baby betta fish.

Can Baby Bettas Eat Flakes?

Flakes are not suitable for baby bettas because they might lack the necessary nutrients for healthy development. Flakes also contain too much filler, which will only serve as a breeding ground for bacteria and parasites if left uneaten. Unlike other types of processed foods, flakes do not float on water so it is best to avoid using them in the tank altogether.

How Fast Do Baby Bettas Grow?

Since betta fish are considered to be one of the fastest-growing species in captivity, you can expect your baby bettas to grow bigger within a couple of months.

They will grow up very fast and by then, they should already be able to consume more complex types of food that are easily digestible.

Before this happens though, you have to introduce them slowly with small amounts of food that is easily digestible.

If you are not sure whether your betta fish fry has developed enough strength to eat commercially prepared pellets, then start feeding them microalgae, brine shrimp, or bloodworms instead.

Also, remember that baby bettas normally grow at least twice their original size before they can leave their tank and be placed in a larger aquarium.

Summing Up

To summarize, brine shrimp or microalgae should be used to feed betta fry until they are capable of eating commercially prepared fish food pellets. Remember, as well, that betta fry grows at least twice their initial size before being able to move to a bigger tank. Betta fry can eat a variety of different food items.

You can feed them commercial fish food pellets, but you can also give them live or frozen foods such as brine shrimp, bloodworms, and mosquito larvae. The ideal time to begin feeding your betta fish fry is as soon as you notice them in the aquarium.

You should also keep an eye for any signs of illness or disease so you can stop feeding them or find a treatment for this immediately. In addition to this, you should also remember that baby betta fish eat very slowly. This is because, unlike other adult bettas, these small creatures have not developed the ability to suck in huge amounts of water in one gulp.

Last but not least, since baby betta fish eat very slowly, it is best to feed them small amounts of food every two hours or more depending on how many there are in an aquarium.

Sarah Robertson


I am a passionate blogger who also happens to be a fish keeping enthusiast. Writing about my hobby is something that I absolutely love to do, and it's no secret that my chosen topic is always centered around fish keeping.

Sarah Robertson

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