Who Gives A Fish Forums

I see a lot of advice online and on this forum about soaking betta pellets before feeding, but I've got a bit of a problem - my betta can't catch sinking pellets to save his life. I end up scooping them back out with a net every time, which is a hassle. I could probably train him to catch them, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm trying to keep his care simple, especially since I'll be giving him back to my high school this summer and I don't want to burden my choir teacher with complicated instructions - I've already moved him from a 2.5 gallon uncycled tank to a 5 gallon planted cycled one. Is it really that bad to feed pellets dry if I'm careful about the amount I give him so he doesn't overeat?

The thing with dry pellets is they've got air in them, and when they absorb water, they can expand a bit. If you're only giving your betta a pellet or two, it's not a huge deal and soaking isn't necessary. But if he's eating a bunch of dry food, it can swell up inside him and cause stomach issues.

I've kept several seveflake bettas over the years, one at a time. Only one of them required me to soak the pellets, as he wouldn't touch hard ones. The others, however, were fed dry pellets without issue - in fact, some of them would turn their noses up at soggy pellets if they found one later.

One thing that does need soaking, though, is dried bloodworm.