Feeding Betta fish live food | Mosquito larva, Brine Shrimp, and Worms

What do I need to know about feeding Betta fish live food?

Live Mosquito Larva Betta fish in their home country of Thailand eat a lot of wild things that may not be easy for most Betta hobbyists to get. Betta fish need to eat live food, which will take some work and know-how to keep. Don't forget that you have to keep living things alive before you can feed them to your Bettas. At any rate, mosquito larva, worms, and brine shrimp are the most popular live foods for Siamese fighting fish. You might guess that very few people will be able to see live mosquito larva in Thailand's rice paddies. Most people can't get these from mosquito larva because of the weather and lack of a steady source. The good news is, though, that you can buy fake mosquito larva that Bettas love. Check out the SAKURA Artificial Mosquito Larva for Bettas to learn more about how this new food can be added to your Betta's diet. If you have live mosquito larva, you can keep them in the fridge for up to two weeks in a jar with a lid. Be careful about where the water comes from. You don't want to bring the wrong bacteria into your home and give it to your Betta fish.

Live Brine Shrimp Many tropical fish, like the Betta fish, love to eat brine shrimp. For many fish, this is the best food for their young fry in the first few months of their lives. When you feed live brine shrimp to your Bettas, you can do one of two things. You can buy them alive at a local pet store, or you can hatch eggs and raise them at home. If you hatch your own eggs at home, you can save money and time on travel and fees. It costs less to hatch your own eggs. Here, you can get free shipping when you order San Francisco Bay Brand Brine Shrimp Eggs. Check out this video to see how easy it is to get the eggs to hatch. Basically, it takes about 12 hours for these guys to hatch, and it's easy to give your Bettas live brine shrimp every week.

Live Black Worms Betta fish, killies, and other native fish are known to spawn when given live worms. A lot of hobbyists also use live worms to get the females ready to breed. If you're thinking about feeding live, you shouldn't do this every day. Maybe once or twice a week, if that, and only to get your female ready to breed. Black worms are known to give your fish parasites, so be careful if you buy them. It's a good idea to wash the worms before feeding them. Worms can be put in a container and put in the fridge. Warning About Live Black Worms is a good thread you can read on Bettafish.com. The Betta Handbook by Robert J. Goldstein talks about how Bettas eating black worms can cause stomach pain and sometimes even death. Before feeding them, you should cut them up with a razor. At any rate, if you don't want to deal with live black worms, you can use freeze-dried worms instead. Hikari makes a great product for less than six dollars called Hikari Bio-Pure Freeze Dried Blood Worms for Bettas. You can order it here.