Feeding Beta in community tank

[LiveMermaid07]

Hi!
How do y'all with beta's in a community tank, keep the beta from eating too much?

My beta's comune' consists of , beta girl, blue gouramis (who is a total glutton!) , and otos (and ghost shrimp, but just counting fish right now).
They all like all the foods (other than the otos don't eat the worms, but everything else) that they are fed and I don't know how to keep the beta from eating more than she sshould. She's getting kinda fat and I don't want her to have problems.

Also, for the blue gourami, is there any special rule for how much she should eat? Or just use the 3 or 5 minute rule? (of course once she finishes 3 or 5 mintes of flakes or whatever, then she just goes after the otos spirulina pellets; and so does the beta.. )

Suggestions for both questions are appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[fishycat]

How often are you feeding them? Once a day is more than enough, you could even skip a day and they'll be fine.

If she's getting a bit bloated, you can boil a couple frozen peas, remove the shell, and mince up the insides. All of your fish/shrimp will love it, and it'll prevent constipation.

Bloodworms should be given as a treat, perhaps once or twice a week. A good variety is key to happy fish!

 

[LiveMermaid07]

Some days once, some days twice.

Saturday is offical fast day with Sunday night being 'pea day'.

(I think the gourami loves for life after introducing peas, lol!)

Thanks

 

[fishycat]

I have small fishes (CPDs, Endler's, Clown Killi, Habrosus Corys), so I grind up my flake finely, and add a couple pinches... wait until everything's hit the ground, and then throw in more. The Celestial Pearl Danio' are pretty shy, and I worry sometimes that they don't get their share.

You could also try blanched zucchini/broccoli stems/romaine lettuce for the otos & shrimp And of course the gourami.

 

[kevinb120]

My betta's a pig and eats everything except betta food, including algae wafers. I have actually resorted to sequestering him every few days during algae wafer or bloodworm feedings for the cory in a breed-n-show(the cories have become the hardest to get food to). Seems mean, but he's used to it now(he's used to everything and completely fearless, I have to shoo him physically away from the vac when I get it started). He's nuts, even likes the power filter current, go figure. But such is life being left otherwise the king of a 15g cushy tank. This dude is such a friggin food hog, he scuffs himself up trying to scrounge out the tiniest algae bits I hide under the shrimp's driftwood. And no, in pitch black(even tried turning off the lunar light), he STILL gets any wafer in the tank.

For flake, since I've added rummynose, I only have to distract him to one side with a finger and drop a pinch of food just under the waterline on the other end, they rummies destroy a decent pinch in all of 15 seconds, it's gone before he notices it. Although, he is getting faster and faster(betta 'fast' a relative term) and swims like a maniac now when he figures out the gig is up.

I can't believe how much personality(and ingenuity) this dood has.

Although that little tank requires targeted feedings for just about everyone in there, like everything else it gets to be only a few seconds per after a while.

 

[Brandiellis7]

I have the same problem with my growing Betta girls in a 29 gallon... One in particular eats soooooo much, I'm always suprised that she doesn't get bloat and die (I know that sound horrible, but if you saw how distended her belly can get, you'd understand).
I've even gone so far as to keep her in a net on the side.... But being as tenacious as she is, I always find her magically outside the net feeding within ten minutes!!! She wolfs down algae wafers. I don't really know what else I can do... Even with 14 other fish tackling the wafers, she'll still shove her way in (after she's escaped the net) and eat herself til she bulges!

Side Note:
It's interesting... she's not at all aggressive towards her neighbors when feeding; just a lot of bodily shoving to get to the food. Although: she has no compunctions about biting when it comes to making sure she's the 'alpha' female of the Bettas.
They are all (3 sisters) juveniles, and once they establish what order they are in 'in line' they're actually pretty sweet towards eachother. Lots of body rubbing when they see me at the front of the tank, and pretty much no jostling -a little chasing, but less than 5-7 seconds- when I'm watching from far away.

Any suggestions for my wafer-guzzling Betta? Should I just feed her every few days, and just let her get nourishment from the other's food?

Thanks