View Full Version : Feeders for Bettas?
ChilDawg
08-31-2003, 12:26 AM
If I do convert my 2.5 gallon to a platy tank as discussed in the Bettas Need Heat thread, I may wind up with a myriad of baby platies which would be a little too much for its bioload. Besides the obvious objections to a fish-eat-fish existence, is there any reason why Patriot shouldn't be given baby Platies as tankmates/feeders in his 5g?
ChilDawg
08-31-2003, 12:43 AM
Disclaimer: I'm not trolling for reactions and I'm definitely not looking to get flamed. I simply would like a rational answer to the question. Any strongly held opinions in this thread are likely not those of the thread starter, who would simply like a logically-flowing discourse on the usage of platies as feeders.
TomFromStLouis
08-31-2003, 12:53 AM
Fish as food strikes me as pretty natural. Platies strike me as pretty normal fish. The only problem I see is the temporary visual discombobulation of those orange fish in the same tank as your colorful betta.
Cearbhaill
08-31-2003, 7:18 AM
So as long as they get eaten before they color up too much it will be fine...
;)
Hebdizzle
08-31-2003, 7:57 AM
I am thinking of doing this too (with guppies only). How old should the babies be when they are being fed to it?
Aaron
wetmanNY
08-31-2003, 8:04 AM
Would a betta maintained on tasty fry prove a less-than-ideal father? Or do smell and shape identify those babies as hisbabies?
Hebdizzle
08-31-2003, 8:39 AM
I don't know much about breeding bettas (do they care for their young?) but it is pure instinct for some other fish to eat ANY babies that they see. I guess if you are breeding bettas than that would be a problem, but if you're not.... I couldn't care less :)
Aaron
kveeti
08-31-2003, 10:11 AM
When I used to dump baby guppies into Bixby's tank (betta, deceased) he was pretty inept at catching some of them. Especially since there were a lot of floating plants around, as I'm sure you will have in your betta tank. A few fry are just too smart, and eventually Bixby didn't bother with them any more and ended up having a few "guppy pets" in various stages of growth.
I learned to put them in 1 by 1 (a pain) right in front of his nose so he could snap them up in that first second when they were released. I still do that with my current 2 bettas. But it is the only way I can get rid of the excess. Just last week on cleaning day, in the 10 gallon, there were 30 new fry and, because of all the water sprite taking over there, too, the adult guppies aren't 'taking care' of them as much as I'd like.
ChilDawg
08-31-2003, 10:56 AM
They do care for their young for a few days but may see them as competitor fish within the week as they are too independent to "go back to your nest, yung'uns!"
I'm not sure what that would do to their instincts, Wetman, but I don't plan on breeding Patriot as, beautiful as he is, he's got a lot of "color creep" (blues showing up too much on his red body).
Hebdizzle
08-31-2003, 11:52 AM
This is kinda off the subject, but I need to get rid of some guppy fry! Unfortunately, selling them to the pet store isn't an option. Will gouramis eat guppy fry?
Aaron
ChilDawg
08-31-2003, 12:03 PM
I would imagine that they would, but I'd also bet that you'd have to do as Kveeti has had to do for her Betta...one at a time...
dethjam316
08-31-2003, 1:50 PM
my crayfish's tank doubles as a feeder guppy breeding tank. i feed those guppies to my turtles and to my sun cats, but the gouramis do like to get in on the chase, so i'm sure they get their fair share, though i've never actually seen one eat any of the baby guppies. my gold gourami will comically chase guppies around plants, rocks, etc, and occasionally crashes into the glass chasing them.
ChilDawg
09-02-2003, 8:18 PM
Hmm...except for the crashing into the wall part, that sounds like the type of exercise that Patriot wouldn't mind...
kveeti
09-02-2003, 9:43 PM
The trouble with a betta chasing fry is you have to make absolutely certain there is nothing that could cause a torn fin. Whereas decorations may be all right for his normal swimming, when he's dashing about, it's a different story. I found that out with Bixby, too. Or perhaps Bixby was just truly inept and clumsy. Sweet guy, he took after me!
ChilDawg
09-02-2003, 9:58 PM
So I should probably keep any of the harder-leaved plants out of the tank if I do this?
kveeti
09-02-2003, 10:17 PM
LOL! Yeah, like those cory snack bulbs. I don't know how Bixby would tear his fins, honestly. I was sure everything was safe. I did have silk plants and I think it was the tip ends.
ChilDawg
09-02-2003, 10:19 PM
hehehe, those things were great...but they seemed to be Saprolegnia bulbs...I guess that that would be soft enough? :)
I assume you would have to add them quite soon after they are born so that the betta can chomp them whole. I have only ever seen my betta go after food that fits into his mouth in one bite and his mouth isn't huge.