Betta Fish Fries First Food Guide (Detailed Guide)

Breeding betta fish is a fun and interesting part of the hobby. However, if you miss the next steps after breeding, all your hard work can go to waste. Unlike molly or guppy fry, hatched betta fish fry cannot survive easily. Betta fish fry are about half the size of guppy fry, so you need to feed them with food that is smaller than their tiny mouths. Sounds difficult, right? Don’t worry, keep reading.

This post will discuss the best foods for betta fish fry. This is a highly requested topic; we’re here to provide a detailed guide. Let’s dive into the content.

Note: Some people suggest other types of food, but based on my experience and knowledge, the ones listed here—such as baby brine shrimp and vinegar eels—are the best first foods for betta fish fry. I’ve achieved good success rates using these foods.

When to feed the betta fish fries?

Betta eggs typically hatch 24-34 hours after being laid. Once hatched, the tiny fry will stay near the water’s surface to get oxygen with the help of the parent betta. However, in some cases, the parent betta might eat the babies. For this reason, most breeders remove the parent (usually the father) once the eggs are fully hatched.

After one day, the betta fry will begin to explore their environment by free swimming. During this time, they consume energy from their egg sacs, which they are born with. Therefore, breeders don’t need to feed the fry from day one. The ideal time to start feeding betta fish fry is about 1.5 days after hatching.

What is the first food Betta fries should be fed at home?

When it comes to feeding newly born betta fry, many people make the mistake of offering regular pellet food. Remember, these are not molly or guppy fry; betta fry are very tiny and barely visible to the naked eye. The first feed is essential for achieving a high success rate in betta breeding. Providing a suitable first feed means that 50% of the work is already done. So here are some first feeds for betta fry that you can adopt:

1. Vinegar eels
2. Baby brine shrimp
3. Infusoria
4. Egg yolk
5. Green Algae

Using these appropriate first feeds will significantly increase the survival and growth rates of your betta fry.

Vinegar Eels for betta fries

Vinegar eels are one of most preferred first feed since the cost of culture, duration, culture survival and flexibility of vinegar eels very suitable for the betta fries. The basic vinegar eel culture set up is discussed belwo

Use narrow neck glass bottle

Add Vinegar and fresh water in the ration of 1:1

Introduce the vinegar eel culture starter and a few pieces of apples

Block the open nostril with a cotton sponge or soft cloth, and add few mL of freshwater

After a few days, vinegar eels will multiply in the culture

Brine shrimp babies for betta fries

Brine shrimp eggs are a viable alternative to vinegar eel culture. However, they come with their own advantages and disadvantages, such as cost-effectiveness, culturing duration, and hatch rate. Hatched brine shrimp should be mixed with aquarium water before being distributed to the betta fry.

Here is a brief method for culturing brine shrimp:

1. Add brine shrimp eggs to a container filled with salt water.
2. Introduce air stones to supply oxygen.
3. Leave the setup for 12-24 hours to allow the eggs to hatch.

Since the water used to culture brine shrimp is salty, it is recommended to transfer the hatched brine shrimp (in the required feeding amount) to fresh water before distributing them to the fry. This process also helps remove any unhatched brine shrimp eggs.

Infusoria for betta fish fries

Infusoria are microorganisms similar to paramecium, but much smaller. They can be cultured using partially degraded organic materials such as banana leaves, vegetables, or bread. To culture infusoria, place these organic materials in water within a closed environment. This will encourage the growth of infusoria in the water.

It’s recommended to start with a starter culture, as culturing infusoria from scratch can be difficult and often requires multiple attempts to succeed. Always ensure you have a backup plan for the fry’s food to avoid any issues.

Egg yolk as first food

If you cannot produce or culture any live food and haven’t planned ahead, it is an emergency situation. Every minute is valuable for the life of the betta fry. Even if you use processed food, the success rate and growth rate are significantly lower compared to live food. In my personal experience, if live food is not available, you can use egg yolk as the first food.

To prepare egg yolk for the fry:

1. Boil an egg for 10-12 minutes.
2. Remove the egg yolk and cut a small piece.
3. Place the piece in a cotton cloth.
4. Take a glass of aquarium water (preferably water from the betta fry tank).
5. Soak the cloth in the water until the yolk mixes with the water.
6. Use a syringe or dropper to distribute the egg yolk solution to the betta fry.

Note: Egg yolk can drastically affect the water quality, so it requires proper care and immediate water changes to ensure the fry’s survival. If you have any doubts, feel free to contact me.

Algae for betta fries

Another alternative to egg yolk is algae water. However, it has a few drawbacks. While the algae present in the water can be consumed by the betta fry, it can eventually spoil the tank environment and spread throughout the tank.

Best practices while feeding betta fries

• Always distribute the feed evenly and monitor the growth of the betta fry closely.
• Adopt a power feeding strategy by providing small amounts of food multiple times a day.
• Ensure that the heater and filter are running, and clean up any dead fry or uneaten food.
• Transfer any weak fry to a separate tank.
• Observe changes in color and avoid overfeeding.
• Always use conditioned water for water changes, and do not change 100% of the water at once—prefer changing 20% to 30% instead.

Wrapping up:

The topic of the first food for betta fry has been a frequently asked question in our AngryFishes community, as many people, including myself, are trying to breed bettas at home. Ideally, the best first feed is one that is cost-effective, requires minimal attention, and promotes good growth of fry.

In my opinion, vinegar eels are the best choice for betta fry, especially during the first 10 days. After this initial period, brine shrimp or moina can be introduced, but vinegar eels are definitely the top choice for the first feed.

I hope this post helps you and provides some insights into caring for your betta fry. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments. Bye for now, and see you in the next post!

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