Guppies can eat betta food since they are omnivores. However, it isn’t a wholesome food for guppies. Betta food is mostly meat-based proteins, but guppies also need plant-based nutrients. So, guppies need vegetable pellets or other plant-based food in addition to the meat-based betta food.
To understand why betta food shouldn’t be the primary source of nutrients for your guppies, let’s do a closer analysis of the betta food.
What Is Betta Fish Food?
Bettas are carnivorous fish that eat insects, worms, and small fish in the wild.
They thrive on meat-based diets.
However, betta fish also need a variety of different foods to meet their nutritional requirements.
Readymade betta food is available in the form of pellets, flakes, and in freeze-dried form.
Good quality betta pellets have 30% to 50% protein content and few fillers.
Most fish owners also feed live food like mosquito larvae, brine shrimp, and bloodworms to betta fish.
So, now the question is…
Is Betta Food Suitable For Guppies?
Given their hungry nature, guppies will devour betta food when it is available.
Since guppies can digest meat-based foods, eating betta food will not adversely affect them.
However, you should not exclusively feed your guppies with betta food.
Although they can survive on it, betta food doesn’t contain all the nutrients guppies need.
Guppies need protein, but they also need plant-based foods. So, a varied diet will guarantee their overall health.
The Ideal Diet For Guppies
Guppies mostly feed on algae and animal particles like insect larvae and plankton in the wild.
So, these fish need both plant-based and animal-based food to thrive and grow.
The ideal diet for guppies will be like what they would eat in their natural habitat.
So, a mix of vegetable pellets and protein-based food is suitable.
Good quality protein-rich flakes without many fillers will promote the growth of guppies.
However, they also need vegetables to obtain vitamins and minerals for health.
Vegetable pellets are a good source of nutrients for guppies.
Those that have micronutrients like carotenoids will enhance the colors of guppies and make them more beautiful and attractive.
So, make sure to include vegetable-based food in the guppy diet to give your fish the right balance of nutrients.
What Food Can You Feed Both Guppies And Betta Fish?
Both guppies and betta fish are fond of meat. So, you can use the same treats for both betta and guppies.
Mosquito larvae, bloodworms, and daphnia are excellent sources of protein.
You can feed it to them on top of fish flakes, vegetable pellets, and meat pellets.
Guppies and betta fish can also go without food occasionally.
So, you can stick to the same schedule of letting them starve for one day a week to ensure optimal health for both the fish.
Factors To Remember When Keeping Guppies And Betta Fish In The Same Tank
Most aquarium owners like to keep more than one type of fish in their aquarium.
While this is certainly possible, there are some precautions to follow.
Before you introduce a different type of fish into the same tank as guppies, check whether both types of fish are compatible.
Both betta fish and guppies are freshwater fish that need similar environmental conditions for survival.
Apart from similar water temperature and pH requirements, the species should be able to co-exist peacefully.
So, we should also look at the temperament of these two species to determine if they will get along.
Betta fish are generally aggressive, while guppies are peaceful fish.
Since betta fish are predators with a strong hunting instinct, they can attack guppies and nibble on their fins.
This can affect their health and cause a lot of stress to the guppies.
Nonetheless, certain betta species are less aggressive, like the Delta betta fish and Halfmoon betta fish.
These types of betta fish will peacefully co-exist with guppies.
You may also like to consider the gender of the fish when placing them in the same tank.
Female betta fish are not as aggressive as the males, and they usually get along with female guppies.
However, if there are male guppies as well, they may try to mate with the female betta.
The female betta fish may turn hostile when threatened in this manner. So, she may end up attacking the male guppies.
To maintain peace in the tank, make sure that there are several guppies and one betta.
Also, include lots of live plants in the aquarium to give the guppies places to hide from the betta fish.
Guppies tend to swim in the middle to top regions of the tank.
However, they do not usually venture into betta territory unless there is food in the area.
So, by separating the feeding grounds of both fish, you can ensure that your guppies stay away from your betta fish.
Feeding Guppies And Betta Fish In The Same Tank
We already mentioned that guppies are little gluttons.
Feeding guppies and betta fish in the same tank can prove challenging as the guppies will shoot towards any food that appears in the tank.
While meat is optional for guppies, it is a dietary necessity for the betta.
So, if guppies eat up all the betta food, your betta fish will suffer.
Lack of food can lead to nutritional deficiencies and make betta fish aggressive.
So, if you grow guppies and betta fish in the same tank, feed the guppies first.
For this, introduce vegetable pellets or flakes into one part of the tank.
Since betta fish are disinterested in plant-based food, the guppies can feed on it without any competition.
Once the guppies are full, introduce betta food into the tank. Preferably add the betta food at the other end of the tank.
This will mark a feeding territory for each fish. So, the guppy will stay away from this area of the tank.
After the betta fish is full, you can pour the rest of the food for all the fish to share.
However, what will you do if your guppies still eat up all your betta’s food despite all your efforts?
Fortunately, there is a solution – use a net to keep the guppies away while the betta fish is eating.
Parting Thoughts…
Many fish owners like to keep guppies and betta fish in the same tank.
When you provide both the fish enough food and create a safe environment for the guppies to hide from the betta fish, they can peacefully survive as tank mates.
Although it is quite convenient, we do not recommend feeding both fish the same betta food.
With their insatiable appetite, guppies will be drawn to betta food.
However, betta food is primarily meat-based protein.
While this will help guppies meet their protein need, it will not satisfy all their nutritional requirements.
Guppies need plant-based nutrition as well.
So, you should feed them vegetable matter or plant food also to keep them healthy.
