new to bettas question.

[lasm]

My friends.

I'm some sort of new to keeping bettas. So I have a couple of questions. I have one male and to females. The male lives in a 10g tank with 3 white skirt tetras. The two females live in a 20g with 2 three spot gouramis and 1 dwarf gourami and with several tetras (red eye, glolite and neon).

My questions are:

1) One of the females seems to be getting really fat. She hasn't change her behavior so I think there is nothing wrong with her. I'm overfeeding her? Is it bad if she is fat?

2) Most of people recommends 2 or 3 pellets a day. But the directions in the food says 4 to 6 per serving at least twice a day. So, I have been feeding them 3 pellets in the morning and 3 at night. How many pellets should I feed them. I ask because only one female seems to be getting fat.

3) I want them to spawn (to have a happy life). The article here in the AC says that I should feed them frozen blood worms. Then the question is... How often should I do that... ? should I alternate one day pellets and the other frozen blood worms...?

4) Can anyone advice a diet program for them that includes pellets and frozen blood worms?

thanks for your help.

Luis

[blu]

1. It could be because she is full of eggs or overfeeding. If she is smaller than the other female that may be why she is fatter..one amount may be good for one betta but not the next.

2. I feed more like 2pellets to my smallest female and up to 4 for my biggest. They also get a small amount of flake when I feed the other fish in the tank. Take a look at the size and activity of the betta..if small feed 2-3 pellets and if large feed 3-4..this also goes for activity level for example I would feed a betta in a ten gal more than one in a 2gal because it will be more active.

Another good way to tell is if the bettas stomach is nicely rounded not thin and not fat.

3. For conditioning I would introduce at least third food to the mix like frozen brine so you can feed a couple pellets a day and then one of the frozens this way he will be getting the conditioning food and their staple food. But instead of feeding twice a day as usual break it up into 3-4 feedings.(oh and make sure to alternate the frozen foods they can get a small amount everyday just not of the same thing but they can have pellets everyday)

4.If you mean just everyday nonconditioning feeding then feed the pellets every day but mabey twice a week give them a couple blood worms. If you feed pellets normally twice a day then switch out one of those feedings for a few blood worms.

[squirt_12]

i agree with blu....great post thumbs2:

[graceluvsplatys]

I didnt know gouramis got on with fem bettas!
can i put a dwarf gourami in a 20g with 1 fem betta and 5 platys?