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Knowing what to feed your Betta Fish can be confusing and I often see this question all over the help forums:
Can Betta Fish Eat Goldfish food?
Personally, I’m not sure what the confusion is. Yes, both the goldfish and betta are fish. But the similarities stop there. They have a completely different diet and nutritional requirements.
Below you will find a general explanation of what both fish require in their diets, here’s what you’ll learn:
Can Betta Fish Eat Goldfish Food – WYL
What Do Betta Fish Eat?
So the food for betta fish should be protein-rich meaty foods.
Betta’s also tend to eat a large variety of foods. Here are a few typical betta fish food options;
- Betta Pellets
- Betta Flakes
- Frozen or live bloodworms, daphnia, and brine shrimp.
- Freeze Dried Bloodworms, shrimp (used mainly as treats)
Betta’s are Carnivores/Insectivores:
“Wild Betta fish are hardy and can eat almost anything in their environments, including worms, larvae of mosquitoes or other insects, and even smaller fish. Their natural environment is often resource-limited, so many Betta species have little choice of food.” Wikipedia
The digestive system of the betta fish is specifically designed to handle a high protein diet. Bettas food should be at least 50% protein. Most betta food (pellets) will have a protein rating of at least 50%, look for at least 32% crude protein.
The Betta fish naturally feeds from the surface of the water and has a mouth designed specifically for that. In the wild, the betta fish will eat insect larvae right off the surface of the water.
Keeping this in mind a floating betta pellet would most mimic its natural environment. Most pet stores offer betta specific pellets.
Betta fish only need to be fed 2-3 pellets per feeding so one container will last a very long time.
Use our detailed step by step betta fish feeding tips at the end of our post “Can Betta Fish Eat Tropical Fish Food” for healthy, happy betta. Good luck!
Learn more about Bettas Here:
The Top Betta Fish Food
Don’t feed your betta’s goldfish food. Try my top recommendation below specifically made to keep your betta happy and healthy!
- Natural Color Enhancing 1mm Semi-Floating Pellets - 70g (Naturox series)
- Hormone-Free Color Enhancing Food. Enhances the full spectrum of your fishs color
- New life spectrum is made from quality natural ingredients
- Extreme color enhancement and vitality in your fish
- Made in the USA
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
What Do Goldfish Eat?
Goldfish are omnivore:
“An omnivore is an animal that can derive its energy and nutrients from a diet consisting of a variety of food sources that may include plants, animals, algae, fungi, and bacteria.” Wikipedia
The flake food produced for goldfish is low protein and high fiber, in-fact most goldfish food can have lower protein levels than most tropical fish foods.
Basically, goldfish food does not have the essential nutrients that a betta would require.
So, Can Betta Fish Eat Goldfish Food?
Sure, betta may eat goldfish food. But is it the best food to provide the nutrients needed for a healthy betta fish? Definitely Not! Use some of the betta fish food options above or check out this short video for betta fish feeding tips.
Here is a great video “Tips For Feeding Betta Fish” detailing the types of food betta fish enjoy and how to feed your betta fish.
