The Betta fish has vividly colored and intricately designed fins. That is why Bettas are the most popular choices among aquarists.
They are beautiful, and watching them truly acts like therapy.
Many of us doubt if they can feed the same food to their Betta as they do to other fish. Others are curious to know which fish can eat their Betta’s food. It is important to consider things like diet when putting two different types of fish in the same tank.
Well, Betta fish are carnivores, and other carnivore and omnivore fish can eat your Betta fish’s food. To make things easier for you, we have listed all the plausible tank mates and whether or not they can eat Betta’s food:
| Fish/Critter | Can eat Betta’s food? | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Black Mollies | Yes | Omnivores |
| Moor Goldfish | Yes | Omnivores |
| Guppies | Yes | Omnivores |
| Neon Tetras | Yes | Omnivores |
| Koi fish | Yes | Omnivores |
| Glofish | Yes | Omnivores |
| African Dwarf Frog | Yes | Omnivores |
| Turtles | Yes | Omnivores |
| Minnows | No | Omnivores/Carnivores/Herbivores |
| Cichlids | Yes | Omnivores/Carnivores/Herbivores |
| Danios | Yes | Omnivores |
| Tadpoles | Yes | Omnivores |
| Angelfish | Yes | Carnivores |
| Platies | Yes | Omnivores |
| Clown Fish | Yes | Omnivores |
| Zebra Fish | Yes | Carnivores |
| Shrimp | Yes | Carnivores |
| Mystery Snails | Yes | Carnivores |
| Ghost Shrimp | Yes | Omnivores |
| Rasboras | Yes | Omnivores |
| Plecos | No | Opportunistic omnivores |
| Kuhli Loaches | Yes | Omnivores |
| Gouramis | Yes | Omnivores |
| Crabs | Yes | Omnivores |
| Axolotls | Yes | Carnivores |
| Corydoras | Yes | Omnivores |
| Tiger Barbs | Yes | Omnivores |
It is worth mentioning that even though a fish may eat Betta’s food, it may not be the primary diet it needs.
It is always best to mimic a pet fish’s diet as if they were living in the wild.
Why Do You Need Different Food for Different Fish?
Not all fish require the same type of nutrition. A fish, like other species, has a mouth, teeth, and digestive tract that are tailored for specific sorts of food.
Fish can be grouped into three main types based on their nutritional needs. Omnivores, carnivores, and herbivores.
Because each fish has distinct biology, they require different foods. To make sure all the fish in your aquarium get a balanced diet, you should offer them all three different types of food. These are floating, slow-sinking and rapidly sinking foods.
What to Feed Betta Fish?
Bettas are carnivorous fish that live in the wild and devour insects, worms, and tiny fish. They require a high-protein diet since they are natural carnivores. Meat-based diets are ideal for them.
You should provide a range of high-quality flakes, pellets, frozen, freeze-dried, and live foods.
Most people who keep Betta fish don’t usually provide live food as a primary diet for their Betta.
Betta fish prefer to feed near the surface. So make sure you buy food that is designed to float. If you are confused, the frozen-dried food seen on the shelves of pet stores is one of the options you can start with.
You can also find high-protein Betta pellets at pet stores. You can use it as the primary source of nutrition for your Betta fish.
Which Fish Can Eat Betta Fish’s Food?
We have now covered that Betta fish are carnivores, and what it diet should look like.
Any carnivore and omnivore fish can eat Betta’s food. We have listed down the fish that can always, occasionally, and never eat your Betta fish’s food.
Fish That Can Always Eat Betta Food
Carnivore fish like Aacara, Angler, Banjo, and Bass can always eat your Betta fish’s food.
Carnivores have a very short intestinal tract & a huge stomach that can hold an entire fish. Their digestive system isn’t able to process vegetables well.
You might have noticed that sometimes your Betta fish is eating the plants; please note that it won’t be able to get nutrients from them.
Fish That Can Occasionally Eat Betta Food
The fish that are omnivores, like goldfish, might occasionally eat your Betta’s food. Omnivores, as you may know, can thrive on both animal and plant things.
Fish That Can Never Eat Betta Food
Herbivores can’t eat your Betta’s meal since their digestive systems can’t handle the amount of hefty meat.
As their teeth are flat, they may grind food before ingesting it. Moreover, they don’t have a proper stomach. Instead, they have a specialized gut that can only digest plant based food.
The herbivore fish must eat regularly – at least multiple times per day – since they lack a stomach capable of retaining vast amounts of food.
How to Feed Your Fish Right
If you want to ensure that your fish gets the food in the right amount, you must ensure their dietary requirement. If the fish is a carnivore, you have to give it high protein meat. On the other hand, if your pet fish belongs to the two other categories, you will have to adjust things accordingly.
Compatibility is also an important factor. Putting two different types of fish together can have bad results – for example, if you put a Betta fish and a goldfish together, the latter will probably go after its smaller tankmate. It’s important to check compatibility so that you know which sorts of fish are safe to put in the same tank.
The Bottom Line
You now know the fish that can eat Betta’s food. So, if you choose the right tankmate for your bettas, you now only need to buy one type of food for all your fish to snack on!
