Food That Siamese Fighting Fish Eat

Siamese fighting fish, also known as bettas, naturally graze for food at the water's surface because their mouths are upturned. In the wild, they feed on zooplankton, mosquito larvae and other small floating bugs. Commercially prepared betta pellets provide everything your fish requires for optimal health, but general purpose floating fish flakes or pellets are also suitable in the smallest size. Feed fresh foods such as daphnia, bloodworm and brine shrimp in addition to pellets for a varied diet.

  1. Commercial Fish Foods

    • General flake, pellet and granular fish foods contain many of the essential nutrients required by Siamese fighting fish, but choose an appropriately sized pellet, because some standard all-purpose fish foods are too big for a Siamese fighting fish. Specially formulated floating betta pellets are the optimum size and include natural color enhancers and vitamins for bright, healthy fish.

    Bloodworm

    • Bloodworm-based products are readily available from pet stores in live, frozen or dried forms. Feed bloodworm in addition to your staple fish food once or twice a week as a meaty treat. Defrost frozen bloodworm in a container of warm water before feeding to your Siamese fighting fish. Live worms burrow into gravel, so use a worm feeding ring to dispense live food at an appropriate rate, allowing your fish to consume the worms before they sink. Dried worms float for at least 10 minutes, so sprinkle these straight into the tank and remove remaining uneaten food with a net.

    Brine Shrimp

    • Siamese fighting fish eat brine shrimp, or artemia, in their natural environment, and you can feed this supplemental food fresh, frozen or dried. Always defrost frozen food items first. Although live brine shrimp can survive in a betta's tank on a long term basis, they are usually sucked into the filter within a couple of days, so feed brine shrimp in small quantities to avoid unnecessary waste and strain on your filter.

    Daphnia

    • Daphnia are a type of plankton, also known as water fleas. You can buy them in dried or frozen form, but take care not to feed more than your fish can consume within five minutes, and net out uneaten food immediately. Daphnia sinks when water-logged, and bettas ignore food in the substrate. If uneaten organic particles are allowed to decompose, water quality quickly deteriorates.