betas and other fish

Question
i have a 40 gallon tank with some platies and tetras. i put a beta in there and the pet store said it would be okay b/c at the store it was in a tank with other fish. now i know that betas eat freeze dried blood worms but will the other fish eat that too? or should i put in some flake food with the worms? also does the beta only eat every 3rd day?

Answer
Hi Jessica;

Worms are very good for the other fish too. They should all have variety in their diet. Flakes, worms, shrimp, cooked peas, cooked shredded carrots, cucumber slices, romaine lettuce, cooked green beans, are all good examples. It helps their color and digestion to have veggies at least 3 times a week. You can give them more than one kind at a feeding or just rotate them every few days.

It's fine for all the fish to eat every day. What's more important than how often is how much you feed each time. Feed them once a day but be sure they eat all the food from all areas of the tank in less than 5 minutes. If there's excess, feed less next time. You can feed them twice a day but be sure they totally consume all food from all areas of the tank in less than 3 minutes. The whole idea is to allow the fish actually feed for about 5 minutes every day.

Have fun!

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins