How often should I feed my neon tetras daily or weekly for health?

It depends on how big the tank is as well as the type of filter in use. Smaller tanks and more heavily stocked tanks will require more frequent water changes, about 20% every week or two. Check the chemistry (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH) regularly. This will give you a better idea of when to perform tank maintenance. Tetras and platys are schooling fish and ideally, do better in groups of at least 5 or six.

Check the water chemistry. This is done using a liquid home test kit or by submitting a sample for testing. Most pet or fish stores will do this for free or for a small fee. Ammonia and nitrites should be at 0 ppm and nitrates can be 40ppm or less. Partial water changes can be done to stabilize chemistry and maintain water quality. Use only aged or conditioned water that is temperature matched to prevent stress or shock. Try soaking food in garlic juice to stimulate the appetite. A 2-3 day fast followed by hand feeding bits of cooked and shelled green peas or spirulina may also promote regularity.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I recommend meal feeding as this prevents obesity which is a huge health problem in cats. I would feed him twice daily. If he finds this terrible then split his total volume in to 3 meals. Good luck!

Once or twice a day are both fine. Consistency is more important, so I would set a schedule based on your own schedule with work/school/family. The MOST important thing is only feeding as much as he can eat in one sitting. If you give his food and there are left overs a couple minutes later, you'll know you need to feed less. The extra food will make his tank dirty and the organic waste is hard to break down.

Bettas are carnivores and need food high in protein. There are many foods available for your betta that can be bought at your local fish store or cultivated at home. Here’s a quick list to get you started. Remember that like people, a variety of foods allows your fish to get a balanced diet. *Frozen or live bloodworms or bloodworms in gel *Frozen or live brine shrimp or brine shrimp in gel *Frozen or live daphnia *Frozen glass worms *Frozen beef heart (can be purchased at your supermarket or butcher) *Frozen tubifex worms (live tubifex often carry parasites or bacteria and is better avoided) *Frozen mysis shrimp *Live white worms *Live grindal worms *Live flightless or wingless fruit flies *Live black worms. Frozen foods should not be confused with freeze-dried. Freeze-dried foods may cause digestion problems leading to more serious medical issues when fed in excess. If possible, try to avoid feeding dried pellets, flake or freeze-dried food. Some foods are marketed as “For Bettas” but could cause digestion problems due to indigestible fillers and low moisture content. You will usually find these in packages near where bettas are sold. These pellet foods absorb water and expand in the fish’s stomach 2x or 3x their original size. Some bettas react badly to them, often suffering from constipation, bloating or even swim-bladder disorders. If you’re unable to feed your betta anything but dried food, you should soak the pellets in a glass of tank water for about 10 minutes before feeding them to your fish. This will give the pellet a chance to expand to its full size before your fish ingests it. One of the most common mistakes people make with their betta is either overfeeding or underfeeding their fish. A betta should be fed every day or nearly every day. It takes a betta about 2 weeks to starve to death so if your fish doesn’t eat for a few days due to illness or adjusting to a new home, don’t panic. A good rule of thumb at feeding time is this… A betta’s stomach is about as big as his eyeball and should not be fed more that amount at a time. This translates to about 3 bloodworms or brine shrimp per feeding. If you feed pellets, this equals about 2-3 soaked pellets per feeding. A betta can be fed this amount once or twice a day. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Most fish are fed once to twice a day. If you see a lot of food accumulating at the bottom, then you know you are over feeding. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I would recommend to feed with bloodworms once daily, not more than that and always mixed with pellets, daphnia, and brine shrimps. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.