My male betta just ate a shrimp pellet that I was putting in for my catfish. He got it before it reached the bottom, and SWALLOWED IT WHOLE! I'm really worried because those things expand pretty fast.

Do you think he will be okay?

His stomach is already bulging! Is there anything I can do for him? Will he explode?

I'm sure he will be fine, it will prop feel a bit uncomfortable for him but i'm sure he will live.

- Jonno

Any updates?

I'm sure you're betta will be fine. They usually don't eat things that they can't comfortably fit inside their mouths. The shrimp pellet, when it expands, starts breaking up. It may have been uncomfortable at first, but I'm sure it all went down fine. He probably just pigged out at worst. I would go a day or so or maybe just feed him very lightly the next feeding.

He's looking fine today.

I'm really having problems getting the catfish (4 elegant cories) fed without him intercepting the food. I tried letting the pellet expand in a measuring spoon and then dumping it in. I scattered it around the front open section of the tank yesterday, but I just stuck my net in and sifted through the gravel and a lot of the shrimp pellet is still there. If I put the expanded pellet all in one space, he (the betta) just goes straight down and eats it. He's turn into quite the little pig. I don't know if my cories just aren't good at scavenging or what. (this is my 10 gallon tank)


In my 29 I have pandas, peppered, and spotted cories. I use a couple different brands of pellets for them that I break up and they go down and then they are designed for the cories to chew/nibble them down. I've tried these in the 10 and my betta picks the whole thing up and parades around the tank with it.

My betta was really picky when I first got him, but now he will eat just about anything.

Even when it is spread around, he goes down to search for it. He doesn't bother the cories, they are just a little more skitish.

I don't want my cories to be hungry. These are the first elegant cories I've kept.

The cories came home March 25th. (I just looked them up in my little tank calendar. I keep one for each tank.)

Any suggestions?

Try handfeeding your fish at opposite ends of the tank. That is what I do for my fast and slow fish.

Try sinking pellets. Drop them in plants while you're feeding your boy, to distract him from what's really going on, lol. The cories will find them while your betta eats his tasty treats at the top of the tank. If not, put some tetramin flakes or something like that near the water that's coming out of the filter. It'll push them down to the bottom and your cories will eat them right up! :D