Can Betta Fish Eat Goldfish Food?

Several scenarios make a fishkeeper ask if betta fish can regularly or occasionally eat goldfish food.

Betta fish should not eat goldfish because they have different digestive systems and nutritional needs. Your betta can tolerate goldfish food for a few days. You can also offer your betta other foods, such as pieces of yolk, for a few days if you run out of betta pellets or other meaty fish foods.

Can Betta Eat Goldfish Food Regularly? Can You Supplement Betta’s Diet with Goldfish Food?

Betta fish and goldfish have different dietary and nutrition requirements, so they must eat species-specific foods to stay healthy.

Goldfish food cannot cover the bulk of a betta’s diet and should not be used to supplement your betta’s ration.

The core difference between betta and goldfish diets is that goldfish eat plant-based and meaty foods, while bettas are strictly carnivores. Their protein sources are different and their needs in fiber, fat, minerals, and vitamins are also different.

Betta’s digestive system is not adapted to the slow-digesting plant-based components of goldfish foods.

Differences Between Betta And Goldfish Nutritional Products:

Goldfish food does not meet betta’s nutritional requirement for a high animal protein-based diet and other nutrients:

• Betta food is based on animal sources, while goldfish food may include more protein derived from green peas, for instance, supplemented by shrimp and other animal sources.
• Goldfish have more fiber in their pellets and flakes than betta
• Betta food usually contains less moisture
• The amounts of microelements, such as vitamins B12 and D and phosphorus are not the same in betta and goldfish foods

The Digestive Systems of Betta Fish and Goldfish

Betta fish have a compact digestive system including a short esophagus, small stomach, and short intestines to absorb nutrients.

Bettas can process protein well but do not digest carbohydrates easily. For that reason, green peas, wheat, and corn are difficult to process for them. Those are often the main components of goldfish foods.

Goldfish have no stomach and have long intestines, which allow them to tolerate slow-processing foods, including fiber. Animal protein is harder to process for them.

How Does Betta Fish Poop?

Betta’s poop comes out from an opening behind the ventral fins.

Their poop is normally brown or orange or something in between, depending on what your fish has been eating. The feces look like small clumps and normally they fall to the bottom of the tank right away. If the poop appears to be stuck to the fish, stringing along, your Betta could be constipated. If it only happens on occasion, it is not concerning.

Can Betta Survive on Goldfish Food for a Few Days?

Although feeding goldfish food to bettas regularly would not be appropriate, betta fish can tolerate goldfish food for a day or two if needed.

You can use small pieces of yolk or even small earthworms you find in the ground if you need an alternative source for feeding your betta for a few days.

Your fish can also tolerate going without food for up to 5 days.

If you are keeping your bettas on goldfish flakes pellets for a few days, the fish should be fine. As soon as possible, switch your betta to its regular diet that includes betta pellets or flakes and dry meaty fish foods.

To Conclude

Goldfish food is harder to digest for bettas and it does not meet bettas’ nutritional requirements.

Certainly, betta will not become malnourished over a few days but it might have some discomfort after eating mostly goldfish food for a few days. Feed them small amounts or alternative meaty foods and switch them back to a regular betta fish diet when possible.