!! he is perfectly happy and healthy, i am just asking some questions about feeding !!
so, there are HELLA detritus worms in this tank due to the decaying almond leaves; i know i could be removing these leaves but i wanted to let nature do it’s thing and i figured the decaying leaves would be beneficial for the ecosystem.
ollie is the only fish in the tank, other creatures are snails. so he has 0 competition for food. he is absolutely feasting on copepods, bladder snails, detritus worms, and whatever else he can hunt down. he will even nip at algae wafer and veggies for the snails.
he doesn’t even come to me for food anymore, he likes to see me but he hangs out at the bottom of the tank, for most of the day. he sleeps resting at the top, and hunts at the bottom of the tank all day long. i used to feed him fluval bug bites daily, with one fast day per week, and occasional bloodworms as a treat. in the past month, i have probably only fed him bug bites once a week.
i really worry about over feeding him, but i also don’t want to underfeed him and i’m not sure if the creatures that he’s hunting in the tank have enough nutrients for him.
i am also asking if it’s possible for him to overeat on his own? i’m assuming that he can regulate his own food intake just fine, but there’s also a part of me that worries that he is going to overeat and make himself sick and bloated. does anyone have experience with this?
i also considered getting other fish to reduce the worm population and give ollie some competition, but i also don’t want to stress him out or have him hurt another fish.
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1qqghf8
Posted by hapibun
5 Comments
I’m doing the same with my betta and he’s doing better than any other betta I’ve owned. He gets plump from time to time but I’ve never noticed him get constipated like others I’ve had and feed fish food. I think because it is nature and the way God designed it it’s better than the food you pay for that’s processed. I’m planning on doing the same thing with a larger community tank in the future. If I feel like he is lacking I’ll give him a few bug bites but rarely. A hungry fish is a healthy fish! He’s a pretty betta
Yep seems like he’s happy!
I’d think the biggest concern is the algae wafers and veggies since they don’t process those very well being mostly carnivorous/insectivorous. Watch his stomach and don’t let it over bloat, and if it does just be sure to fast him off any food from you for the next day or two. From some pictures I’ve seen they can bloat a pretty stunning amount and be okay still, but it’s not good for them obviously and it can lead to bloat or dropsy issues from what I understand.
If you’re feeding him a small flake/bloodworm or two every couple of days he would be more than fine between his hunting as well. He’s so very pretty! If you wanted to try some easy competition, maybe some shrimp? They’d likely be too fast for him and with some hidey spots they’d help clean up some of the detritus worms.
If he’s hunting snails I’m thinking he’d hunt another fish. My betta eats what we provide: brine shrimp, worms, and pellets but never goes after the snails and he leaves my endlers alone.
I love that for him his home has a bountiful harvest for him, I feed my bettas flightless fruit flys to encourage hunting