This post was created with help from AI tools and carefully reviewed by a human (Muntaseer Rahman) . For more on how we use AI on this site, check out our Editorial Policy.

How Often To Feed Betta Fry? [Betta Fry Feeding Guide]

If you have betta fry at home, you know that they grow up so quickly! And an astonishing part? The tiny creature becomes hungry in no time. 

Feeding the baby betta can be a challenging chore if you’re a newbie in the realm of betta pet owners. There are varying opinions regarding how often to feed your betta fries. Some say once a day, others recommend three times per day! 

But which one is actually right? It depends on the age and growth of your fry and this blog post will guide you through that.

So, let’s dive into how often a betta fry should be fed!

Betta Fry Food Chart

Food Name Consumption Period
FlakesAfter 3 weeks
Crushed pelletsAfter 3 weeks
Egg yolkFirst few days to a week
Blood-wormsOnce or twice per week
Baby brine shrimpFrom the first week to the 9th week
Powdered foodAfter 3 weeks
Micro-wormsFrom the first week to 2nd week
InfusoriaFirst few days
Banana-wormsFirst few days to a week
Grindal-wormsAround 3-5 weeks

What Should I Feed A Betta Fry?


When the fry is very young, they eat nothing but live food. Once your betta fry has grown up a little, you can start feeding them pellets as well!

If you want to raise betta fry, the perfect food for them is Infusoria. It’s a type of algae that grows on bacteria and can be found in most fry stores or pet shops! Vinegar eels are also great- they grow even smaller than infusers. Hence, it makes a fitting choice as fry food.

Apart from that, you may opt for micro-worms as well. It may sound unpleasant, but they give these Minoan ancestors another chance to grow because of their nutritional value. Moreover, Walter worms or even baby Brine Shrimp could also work well with your little fries.

There are many types of other live-bearing fry that can be used to raise betta fry. Have you ever heard of banana worms, Daphnia, and fairy shrimp? They’re all great live-bearing fry for the little betta. And grindal worms, too, because these guys are popular with our baby betta fry.

You can order these foods from a good fry store or buy them online. You can also cultivate them yourself using a special kit.

If you don’t want to take the hassle and choose a ready-made food for your betta fry, I’ll recommend the Micron Nature from Sera brand. It is made of 50% spirulina and 15% krill. Quite a good option for busy betta owners!

Ready to learn more about Betta? This post will give you fresh insights! When To Start Feeding A New Betta Fish?- Mine Is Not Eating!

How Often Should I Feed A Betta Fry?


When the betta fry breaks free from their egg sacs and starts swimming around, you can feed them.

The best way to care for baby betta fry? Feed them often and offer up to three or four smaller feeds per day instead of two large ones so that everything gets digested properly.

Smaller meals will help ensure all food is eaten. It will also help keep the water quality pristine in the quarantine tank and prevent contamination by discarded foods where they are living during their grow-out period.

How To Feed Your Betta Fry?


“How do you feed your betta fry?” A question many people ask themselves when caring for their betta fry. As it turns out, The answer is easy and quite simple! Follow these guidelines, and your little friends should be just fine: 

  • When you first start to feed your betta fry, feed them nematodes. When they are still small, they may also eat infusoria that they can get from the leaves of any live plants in the tank.
  • When the baby fries are about 3-4 days old, you should give them baby brine shrimp.
  • You can continue feeding the betta fry these baby brine shrimps even when they’re more than a week old. But you can stop feeding them tiny nematodes as they do not have enough nutritional value for the fry at this stage.
  • At 3-4 weeks, continue feeding your betta fry, baby brine shrimp as well as finely grated frozen food. Frozen Bloodworms and Daphnia are the best options. You need to be careful with the ingredients though. Why? Well, because if the frozen food is made with vitamins before it’s packaged and then goes through a strict parasite decontamination process, only then it is safe to feed your baby that kind of food.
  • As the fry grows to 4-5 weeks or 1 month old, feed them live blackworms and grindal worms besides brine shrimp. These live aquatic worms are good food for the fry because they will not die in the tank until the fry eats them. Adult fries like these kinds of worms too.
  • After eight to nine weeks, the fry starts to grow. Continue feeding them live brine shrimp, worms, and frozen food. Now, they can eat dry pellet food too.

As the fry grows, the number of feedings it needs will change. Once a day, feeding is okay, but two feedings a day are better until they are big enough.

Discover more cool facts about Betta with this detailed post! Can Betta Fish Eat In The Dark? – Or Is It Dangerous?

How Much To Feed A Betta Fry?


Baby betta fry needs small, frequent feedings. You can feed them 3-5 times per day depending on how many baby fry you have in your aquarium and their size at any one time.

2 or 3 sprinkles are usually enough for this kind of feeding, but if there are larger numbers, then it might be worthwhile to heap up some food onto an offered leaf, so they all get fed equally well!

How Do You Know If Your Betta Fry Is Hungry?

Betta fry are very social and interactive creatures who enjoy lots of activities. They’ll swim around their tank checking up on anything that moves but usually stay close to the ground when they’re tired or hungry! 

If you notice your betta lazy most times, especially if he’s lurking near his bowl, it might be sick. Or, it may mean that he needs food right away as starvation makes them sluggish in addition to being unwell.

How Do I Know If I’m Feeding My Betta Fry Enough?

Betta fry are greedy little creatures and they will eat as much food as they need to. So, dispense it into a few servings. When you see that they are spitting up, this means that they have eaten enough.

If you’re still seeing leftover bits floating around after your betta has gulped every last bit on offer, then adjust accordingly, or they’ll get fatty quickly (not what most guys want).

How Many Days Does Betta Fry Survive Without Food?

The 3-day survival rate for betta fry without food is pretty impressive. They can go three whole days without food after hatching, thanks in part to their attached egg sac that provides them with nutrients during the early stages of development!

After these initial few days are over, your little betta should reach their free-swimming stage and require attention every 8-hour cycle as well. So, don’t neglect them because if left too long without care, they may die!

Curious about Betta? This post is packed with info you won’t want to miss! Can I Feed My Betta Fish Small Live Fish?

What Happens If You Overfeed Your Betta Fry?

If you’re feeding your little betta fries more than twice a day, they may explode. I don’t know why that happens, but it sounds kind of sad!

The reason behind this is constipation. If the fry has too much food in their stomachs, there isn’t enough space for anything else. It can lead to death from lack of fluids or other complications due to being packed too tightly inside its body cavity.

How To Make Betta Fry Food At Home?

It’s good that there are many cheaper alternatives to the more expensive betta foods, such as homemade food. It will save you money and give your fry all of those nutrients that they need to live longer and be healthier!

Powdered egg 

It is a good recipe for tiny betta fries.

  • Pour approx. 4 ounces of clean water into a cup.
  • Use a medium-size cup and mix things inside it.           
  • Add one tablespoon of flour (chickpea) to the water. The flour should be finely ground because betta can’t eat food with residue.
  • Mix one and a half tablespoons of yeast with powdered eggs of three tablespoons.
  • Mix them by using a mixer until they are mixed well. Don’t use your hands.
  • If you want to make the mix more flavorful, add a little (couple drops) oil of fish liver and some ground betta food flakes.


Infusoria

Betta fry need food to stay healthy. Infusoria is a liquid food you can make for your baby betta fries, but it is not instant and will take time to make.

  • Fill a small container with water; take a couple of lettuce leaves and tear them in half.
  • Put the pieces in the jar. Leave it open in the sun for some time. The jar with the water in it needs to stay outside for a couple of days.
  • When the water starts to turn green, then take it inside. It means algae is growing in the water and will make good food for your betta fry when you put it back in their tank.

There are different ways of making infusoria for your betta fry. It is one of those ways.

Want to dive deeper into Betta? This article has all the answers! What To Do If Betta Fish Food Is Too Big?- Will It Die?

Powdered spirulina

Powdered spirulina is another remarkable option you can prepare with ease for your adorable little friend. If you’re looking for a delicious food for the fry, then, this is the one. It’s healthy for them too.

  • Put three ounces of water from the aquarium tank in a cup.
  • Add one spoonful of spirulina powder to the water.
  • Carefully stir the cup. Let the powder dissolve to make sure that it has blended into the water completely.
  • Add 3/4 tablespoon of betta fry bites. Add 1/2 teaspoon of grounded flakes and 1/2 teaspoon of grounded bloodworm, then mix again.
  • It is important to let the food settle for a few minutes so that everything is mixed well.

Brine shrimp

Betta fry eats small brine shrimp. You can breed small shrimp to have food for your betta. But you need to take care of both the shrimp and the betta as it is a complete food chain.

  • To breed brine shrimp for your betta fries, at first, take a bowl with water.
  • You need to pour some salt into the water.
  • You should also put an air stone in the water to mix it up. Put the little brine shrimps into that bowl.
  • Make sure to change about 1/4th of the water in 6/7 days. It will keep the healthy shrimp condition.
  • Shrimps need yeast. So, add 4 grains of yeast to the water every day.

Egg yolk

It is very easy to make an egg yolk. You can use a tray from the ice cube trays, one egg, and a spritzer from any store.

  • Boil an egg.
  • Remove the egg from the water and break the yolk into 2 cups of water.
  • Stir, then pour this mixture into ice cube holders and let it freeze.
  • Put one ice cube into a half cup of water.
  • Shake it up into the spritzer.
  • Lightly spray the fry tank with the mixture.
  • Put the spritzer back in the fridge.

You have to prepare this recipe after every three days as it won’t stay fresh more than that.

Curious about Betta? This post is packed with info you won’t want to miss! Why Is My New Betta Fish Not Eating? –  Is It Dying?


Banana worms

You can buy banana worm culture from a pet store. There are several ways to start the worms on food, but I will give one easy for home use.

  • Take some quick oats.
  • Cook them on the stovetop.
  • The consistency should not be too thin like soup or too thick like a paste.
  • When they are done, cool them to room temperature.
  • Then, add a mashed banana if you want and just a tiny amount of baker’s yeast on the surface.
  • Now, it is time to add your purchased banana worm culture. Put the culture on top of the oatmeal. Banana worms are small, and you might not see them if you don’t look closely. You can tell that your culture is healthy when they start to crawl up the walls.
  • You can inflate your culture at any time after it starts, usually after the first 3-7 days.
  • You have to repeat the same procedure. Keep continuously doing your culture; you will always have food for your betta fries.

What Is The Cheapest Food That Can Be Given To Betta Fry?

The best and most affordable way to feed your betta fry is giving it infusoria. The infusoria will grow on sliced carrot or potato in the hatchery after 2 days of incubation time. After 3-4 days, they will begin polluting the water and should be removed then.

This type of food is good for fancy goldfish as well! Remember that one or two slices per 60 to 80 bettas are enough. So, don’t put an excessive amount at once if you want a clean environment with a healthy population growth rate.

Final Words

Taking care of betta fry might be a demanding task. But these adorable miniatures deserve every bit of our love and care, don’t you think?

If you’re a betta fry expert, we hope you’ll appreciate this writeup. Here, we have compiled all the necessary tips about feeding betta fry.

With these tips up your sleeve, you will be able to feed and take care of them effortlessly! So, get ready to raise your very own betta fry, and you will never have to worry about feeding them again!

Muntaseer Rahman

About Author

Hello, I’m Muntaseer Rahman, the owner of AcuarioPets.com. I’m passionate about aquarium pets like shrimps, snails, crabs, and crayfish. I’ve created this website to share my expertise and help you provide better care for these amazing pets.

Disclaimer

This site is owned and operated by Muntaseer Rahman. AcuarioPets.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies.