If you have been asking yourself – Can a Betta fish eat goldfish food – our answer is YES but it’s not the case if the situation is vice versa. Goldfish can die from eating Betta fish food. So again, Bettas can eat and digest goldfish food.
In this article:
What do Betta fish eat?
Just a reminder, Bettas are carnivores and in the wild, in their natural habitat, they live on live insects, larvae and small intervertebrales. In most cases, they will eat anything they can swallow.
The best for your Betta fish is to provide a variety of food and there is a lot in the market to choose from. The most important is that the food you give your Betta fish is rich in proteins.
Here are some recommendations:
Live Food
Live food is always a great choice that also stimulates behavior, and the reason it’s first on the list is that it reminds the Betta fish of its natural habitat. The best thing would be to replicate their diet from the wild. There is also a good chance you can catch some live food yourself especially mosquitoes, after all it is something they eat in the wild. Water fleas or Daphnia are our second choice where you can add worms or bloodworms. You can easily get each of these or you can buy them at a pet store.
Dry Food
Dry food is more popular for these pets because it is easy to get, it’s relatively cheap and easy to use. Among them the best choice is pellets. You should check the ingredients so that the ones you pick are rich in proteins. The size of a pellet should be 1 to 3 mm so that your Betta fish can easily swallow it. Floating pellets are better because again they remind more of the natural habitat when an insect is floating on the water surface.
Flakes are our other option when it comes to dry food. The bad thing about them is that they cause more pollution by uneaten food and are less rich in proteins because they contain more artificial ingredients. Since Bettas are extra picky eaters, we chose pellets over flakes as your Betta fish will probably do the same.
The best would be if you can find a specialized pet store with food specifically produced for Betta fish.
Frozen Food
Frozen food is the same as live food. The only difference is that it’s frozen. Even though there are differences in quality it is as good as live food in general. If you go with this kind of food, it is very important to feed your Betta a varied diet because it has more of one ingredient and less of others needed for Bettas.
There are two varieties of mosquito larvae, white and black. They are similar and can be fed together. Red mosquito larvae or bloodworms come in a deep red color. They come from midge flies. Since they are full of iron and proteins, they are not suitable for frequent use because it causes constipation.
Tubifex is a black and red worm which forms a ball and live-in polluted rivers. They can be risky because of diseases they can transfer but if bought in a trustworthy store that’s not the case. Since it comes frozen the risk of getting your Betta infected is lower.
Artemia or brine shrimp is common too and it can be good for your Betta pet because they contain lots of proteins and useful ingredients.
What happens if you feed your Betta Goldfish food?
Nothing bad will happen to your Betta if you feed it with goldfish food. They can eat it but it is not recommended to use only this. If Betta fish eat goldfish food most of the time it can lead to serious disorders that can make your Betta sick and eventually die.
Why is that? It is because goldfish food consists of ingredients for an omnivore diet and Bettas are carnivores.
Your Betta needs a lot of proteins in the first place and goldfish food does not provide them.
Will goldfish food kill a Betta?
If your Betta pet is exposed for too long only to goldfish food it will get ill and probably die. Goldfish food is based on an omnivore diet and contains a large number of fruits, vegetables and carbs which is perfect for goldfish. On the other hand, this food is poor in proteins which are the most important for Bettas. Lack of proteins in a Betta’s diet would lead to serious health issues and eventually to death.
Goldfish food ingredients
Goldfish food consists mostly of these ingredients: fish fillets, wheat flour and lecithin, refined fish oil, yeast, marine algae, mussels, squid, marine fish eggs, vitamins (A, D3, E)adult brine shrimp….. everything suited to the needs of a goldfish, but not suitable to satisfy the need of a Betta.
Goldfish food advantages for Betta Fish
There are not many advantages for Betta fish being on a goldfish food diet except if you want your Betta to fast for a few days for some reason. Other than that, your Betta won’t enjoy much goldfish food because of the lack of proteins needed in the normal diet.
Goldfish food disadvantages for Betta Fish
The main disadvantage of goldfish food for Betta Fish is the lack of ingredients rich in proteins that are basic for Betta nutrition. Goldfish food can be a good snack for Betta fish once in a while but certainly not the kind of food your Betta can live on.
Final Thoughts on Can a Betta fish eat goldfish food
If you are out of Betta food you can feed them using goldfish food but not for a longer period of time. If this happens occasionally it won’t harm your Betta fish. However, if it becomes permanent it could seriously harm your Betta fish. Just to remind you once more the diet of your Betta fish should be based on food rich in proteins. We have listed all the variations based on the best consumer choices. Pick one from the list and you will have a healthy and happy Betta fish to enjoy.