Betta fish attacks are normal. In the wild, bettas would more than likely attack anything that moved, bumped into them, or came too close for comfort. This is how they ensure nothing takes their food, and also to keep their space safe from any potential predators. In your aquarium, however, this instinct might be torturous to you as the owner. Betta fish attacks are common because there are so many small snails hanging around the aquarium that get into everything. They multiply rapidly and can essentially take over your aquarium in no time if you don’t do anything about it. If you have a betta fish or two in your tank and see some of these little guys invading every now and then, here’s how you stop them from attacking your snails.
Things you can do to prevent betta fish attacks
Clean the tank regularly to remove any leftover food, debris, algae, and other rubbish that the snails might have eaten. This will also keep the tank cleaner and less appealing to the snails. – Always feed your betta with prepared foods or pellets. You can get freeze-dried foods or powdered foods that you can micronize and sprinkle over the food dish. These prevent the live betta fish for sale online from eating the snail food and will keep your snail population down. – Use snail traps to catch the snails, and then dispose of them outside the tank. – Make sure your snail population doesn’t get out of hand. If the snails are multiplying too quickly and no matter what you do, you can’t keep them under control, your betta will be on the menu.
Feed your betta frequent, small meals
Bettas are extremely finicky about what they eat and will starve to death if you don’t change food every few days. You can buy small portions of food, or you can make your own betta diet formula. You can also buy ready-made diets that contain vitamins and minerals that your betta needs to thrive. Changing their diet regularly will ensure that they don’t go hungry, but they also don’t get bored with the same thing over and over. Betta fish are finicky eaters, and they won’t feed happily on anything like meat, vegetables, or fruit. They prefer to eat small food particles, so get some food that is a bit too soggy for snails. Avoid foods with a lot of seeds, or foods with a very strong flavour. Betta fish love food that is tiny and flavourless, or even tasteless. You can get special pellets that have virtually no flavour, or supplement your betta’s diet with dandelion root or artichoke.
Always use the same water for your betta and snails
You can’t just change the water in your tank because that will just send the snails fleeing, and they will multiply again. The only way to stop the attacks is to make sure that there is no food or shelter for the snails in the tank. Once you make sure there is nothing the snails can use, you need to change the water. Bettas love to swim around in clean water, and they don’t drink much water from the bowl. Instead, they lap it up with their tongues until the bowl is clean and fresh again. If you use the same water for your betta and snails, then your snails will be unable to find anything to shelter in and they will die off. You can buy special water filters for aquariums, but you can also make your own clean water by filtering tap water.
Use snail catchers to catch the snail
These are small tubes with a lid on them. You place them in the tank, and the snails crawl into the lid and can’t get out. This will help you catch the snails, and dispose of them outside the tank. You can also get snail traps that kill the snails inside them. This way, you don’t have to touch the dead snails or fish. You can put them in the tank with the snails, and they will drown. This is the most humane way of getting rid of the snails, but they might not like their betta or platy dying in their tank.
Don’t let your tank get too dirty or crowded
Bettas are messy fish. They can’t swim very fast in their little fins, and as such, they leave a lot of gunk and waste all over the tank. You need to clean this off regularly, and also make sure that your betta doesn’t get too dirty. You can use gravel to help the tank look nicer, but make sure that the gravel doesn’t get too dirty or the snails will use it as shelter. Pouring some aquarium salt into the gravel, for example, will make it less appealing to snails and will keep them at bay.
Conclusion
Betta fish attacks are common and can be annoying. However, there are things you can do to prevent your betta fish from attacking snails. Clean the tank regularly and feed your betta small meals, always use the same water for your betta and snails, use snail catchers to catch the snails, and don’t let your tank get too dirty or crowded. These prevent the betta from attacking snails and will keep your betta happy and healthy.