If you take care of Bettas and GoldFish at home, you might wonder can betta fish eat goldfish food. This question might haunt your mind every day. However, it is not surprising because it is tricky to know what betta fish can or cannot consume.
Bettas are fascinating and beautiful pets you can own. However, they require nutritious and well-balanced food to keep healthy and fit. Food can affect their mood too. Thus, you must know the proper care guide including what they eat and recommended foods to give.
Can I Feed My Betta with Goldfish Food?
You can feed your bettas with goldfish food but you need to do it occasionally and not daily. Beta fish can consume and digest goldfish food but goldfish food ingredients are less suitable for betta’s diet needs. Thus, if you ask can betta fish eat goldfish food?
The answer is yes only you must pay attention to the feeding frequency and not add goldfish food as the primary ingredient of the betta diet. Goldfish food usually comes in the form of flakes and is likely made from fruit and vegetables. So, it is high in carbohydrates and contains less protein.
Bettas are pickier in their food options because they need high protein. Checking the food package is necessary before you feed your bettas. You need to ensure that those foods do not include any animal protein like shrimp or shellfish because it is inappropriate for bettas.
Aside from can betta fish eat goldfish food, you should consider how you will give the new food to them. It is because sudden diet shifts can lead to digestive problems or even death. Hence, bettas need to get used to their new food gradually.
Is Goldfish Fish Food Safe for Bettas?
Goldfish food is safe and okay to eat by bettas. If you only feed bettas with some goldfish food, it will not cause sudden issues for their health. However, goldfish food is not the best option for betta’s diet.
Betta fish require different nutritional requirements from goldfish and goldfish food does not provide the essential nutrients to keep bettas healthy. Thus, you only can give your bettas goldfish food shortly. Otherwise, it can be an alternative if you run out of betta food stock.
What Will Happen If You Feed Bettas with Goldfish Food?
Although bettas can eat goldfish food, you might wonder what will happen if you feed betta fish with goldfish food. The feeding frequency is the key if you want to feed bettas with goldfish food because giving them only a goldfish diet can lead to severe health conditions, like making them sick or die.
Goldfish are omnivores so their food likely contains animal protein which does not meet betta’s nutritional requirements. Besides, goldfish food is high in carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables. Those ingredients will make your bettas lack essential proteins.
After you know the answer to can betta fish eat goldfish food, you need to know several conditions that might happen when your bettas eat goldfish food often.
Betta size reduction
Frequent consumption of goldfish food can cause a lack of essential proteins in Bettas. If this condition happens, your bettas may reduce in size. It is very noticeable, especially during the first year of betta’s life. Thus, if your bettas remain small or are in improper growth, you can consider if their diet is wrong.
Betta fish can grow up to 7 cm in length if they have the right diet. Meanwhile, an incorrect diet low in protein can reduce their size to 5 or 4 cm in length. It can interfere with the development of bones and muscles.
Behavioral change
Eating carnivore aquatic foods also lead to a lack of protein that causes harmful effects to bettas. Feeding bettas inappropriate foods can cause several effects on bettas that will worry. One of the effects of giving them goldfish food frequently is changing their behavior.
You must ensure they get enough protein. If not, bettas will try to discover protein required from their diet from different sources. It can be a problem if you keep bettas together with smaller fish in the same tank. It turns them more aggressive.
Bettas will start attacking other inhabitants in the fish tank, especially the smaller ones. This condition usually does not end in death but bettas can hurt their tank mates. Besides, an unsuitable diet can change behavior from their normal self.
Betta fish usually are high energy, personable, and fascinating to see as they swim around the tank. However, feeding them low-protein food can decrease their energy so they do not behave like usual.
Stop eating
Another effect that from bettas eating goldfish is your bettas may stop eating. It can cause severe health conditions because your bettas may develop stress and anxiety. If bettas consume an improper diet, you can see changes in their looks and behavior.
Difference between Betta Food and Goldfish Food
If you want to feed your betta with goldfish food, you must know the ingredients and differences between those foods. Although there many brands available in the market, food for bettas or goldfish usually contain similar ingredients prescribed for the specific fish.
Betta Fish Food
Betta fish food comes from krill, brine shrimp, shrimp meal, fish meal, fish oil, dried yeast, and dried fish protein digest. Its ingredients also include plant-based substances like ground brown rice, wheat gluten, potato protein, feeding oatmeal, paprika oleoresin, algae meal, lecithin, and soybean oil.
You can discover other nutrients like sorbitol and beta-carotene. Betta food offers 48 percent crude protein and 3 percent crude fiber. It also contains 8 percent moisture and 1.1 percent fiber.
Goldfish Flakes
Goldfish flakes have several same ingredients as betta food like shrimp meal, dried fish protein digest, fish meal, potato protein, ground brown rice, fish oil, and wheat gluten. However, you also can find different ingredients such as spirulina and inulin.
The ingredients of goldfish flakes contain 42 percent crude protein and 2 percent crude fiber while it is only 0.5 percent lower in crude fat than betta food. Goldfish food has 6.5b percent moisture and 0.9 percent phosphorus.
Goldfish flakes contain lower protein and other ingredients you cannot find in betta food like spirulina and inulin.
Betta food also includes higher fat and protein. Moreover, betta food ingredients emphasize meaty proteins such as krill and brine protein to support betta’s growth.
Good Foods for Betta Fish
Instead of giving them goldfish food, you can consider the following foods to ensure your bettas stay healthy and happy. Goldfish food should be the last resort for your bettas after these food options.
Betta flakes
Betta flakes provide perfect formulas to suit the betta diet. They usually include all the nutrients that your bettas require to grow. Although betta flakes are less nutritious than fresh betta foods, it is an immediate and easy alternative to feeding your betta fish.
Betta pellets
Betta pellets are other options you require to keep your bettas receiving a healthy and balanced diet. Betta pellets provide higher quality than betta flakes. However, pellets are fresher and comprise all nutrients that suit their nutritional requirements.
If you give pellets to your betta fish, you can understand why pellets are more expensive than flakes. Pellets support their growth and development very well.
Frozen blood worms
Frozen foods for bettas usually come from blood worms. You can use them to complement their primary diet. Frozen blood worms can represent a natural diet in their habitat.
Feeding bettas with goldfish food is not the best option because it does not provide the required nutrition for bettas. Occasionally feeding your bettas with goldfish will not cause any severe effect on bettas.
Making it into a primary diet causes problems for their health, looks, and behavior. Only feed bettas with goldfish food once in a while or when you run out of betta food for a short term.
