Donna,
I come across questions about betta nutrition all the time, so its a good thing I spent so many yrs studying it! The most important thing to know is that betta splendens is an insectivore. There is a lot of talk online in some of the forums about feeding them peas for constipation and various other vegetable matter to regulate their digestive system, and I spend a lot of time trying to educate people, letting them know that the digestive system of a betta cannot handle vegetable matter, nor is that a part of their natural diet. Feeding bettas, either adult or fry, veggie matter, can (and in many cases does) cause damage to the digestive tract, which can inhibit growth, cause other developmental and organ damage, and lead to an early death.
For all the years I bred/raised bettas, the best food I was able to find to offer was newly hatched brine shrimp. If there is a question about nutrients it can be soaked in a vitamin supplement such as Zoe (made by Kent Marine), but I have never used this for my fry, never needed it.
Infusoria is another great first food for betta fry, but its also a great solution to true cases of constipation because it acts as a natural laxative without adding harmful veggie matter to their diet.
Microworms are also popular with some betta breeders, as it still provides the high protein diet they require. Please let this person know that high protein is the key to good betta health. Avoiding fruit & vegetable matter will help to avoid the harmful astaxanthin this person is worried about. It is true that some fish can handle this, and its also true that some fish require it in their diets... but betta splendens is not one of those species.
As for the Omega and New Life Spectrum pellets... I also have always avoided these because of the contents. These pellets are not specifically designed for insectivore fish species, even though they are somewhat high in protein. If seeking a pellet food for the bettas, sticking to something specifically marked "betta pellets" is best. When manufacturers make fish foods they do extensive research as to diet requirements for specific species of fish so they are providing proper nutrition. The New Life Spectrum pellets contain a good deal of fruit & vegetable based matter as well as the protein, so you can see where the problem again begins. (Algae meal, Soybean Isolate, Garlic, Spinach, Red & Green Cabbage, Pea, Broccoli, Red Pepper, Zucchini, Tomato, Kiwi, Apricot, Pear, Mango, Apple, Papaya, Peach) These pellets are high in fiber, which is not a healthy choice for bettas.
I hope this helps to answer the questions that have been asked. I don't have a jar of the Omega pellets on hand to run off a list of ingredients, but if anyone does have them, if they look, the contents also contain high fiber/fruit/veggie content.
Other healthy food options for bettas would be mosquito larva, fruit fly larva, and other small insects and insect larva. If willing to search for it, there are also wingless fruit flies available that are easy to culture/raise, and my bettas always loved those too.
Dawn
Dawn Moneyhan
Aquatics Specialist/Nutritionist
To learn more about me go to
http://www.helium.com/users/449334
--- On Wed, 11/24/10, Donna King <donnalynneking@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Donna King <donnalynneking@yahoo.com>
Subject: [tropical fish club] Fw: [Betta Splendens] Astaxanthin, Carotenoids in fry food
To: tropicalaquariumsandfish@yahoogroups.com, "club" <tropicalfishclub@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Wednesday, November 24, 2010, 10:28 AM
Hey this came up on my betta group, do any of you know the answer to this. I've
thought of using this food myself if I ever raise any angel fry now I'm thinking
its not a good idea.
I left my post so you can see what my response to her question was.
Thanks!
Donna
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Donna King <donnalynneking@yahoo.com>
Astaxanthin, Carotenoids in fry food
Wow scary stuff! Good job doing your research. I don't know your answer but I
would not feed them till I knew more. Have you called the company? I'll cc this
to Gerald, maybe he'll be around and be able to help. I'll ask on my frog group
too.
Donna
________________________________
From: haecklers <haecklers@gmail.com>
Subject: [Betta Splendens] Astaxanthin, Carotenoids in fry food
Is this an important element in raising betta fry? I started feeding my fry
vinegar eels and infusoria, then switched to microworms, and Walter worms were
next on the list but I feel odd feeding them only one thing at a time when all
the rest of my fish get a varied diet.
I've been looking at Golden Pearls, and they went to some trouble to tell folks
they contain astaxanthin, which I'd never heard of before. Researching it I
found a paper that said some fish can't synthesize it on their own and it can be
a growth limiting factor, even lead to high mortality. It is a specific
carotenoid. On low amounts the fish don't grow as well and aren't as healthy.
I'm more worried about raising fry with a nutritional deficiency that would
affect their future health.
I'm thinking of trying a worm culture with some of my high quality fish food
added, like the Omega or New Life Spectrum. Has anyone done that? Does it rot
and stink or is it ok to add? What about carrot peels - would the worms be able
to eat them? It looks like astaxanthin is only made by aquatic algae, tho.
Anyone here raise fry using Golden Pearls or NatuRose powder?
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
No comments:
Post a Comment