Freeze Dried Food

During the freeze–drying process all the nutrients stay in the food. It's kind of like feeding your fish live food, except that you don't give them the bacteria and the parasites. Contrary to frozen food, which can still contain bacteria and internal parasites, freeze–dried food is sterile and will not contribute to a bacterial or parasitic outbreak in your fish tank. Betta fish love freeze dried food like freezed dried brine shrimp or blood worms.

To help you stay within your budget, I have assembled the most current prices of freeze dried food from major retailers so you can always find the best buy.

Click on one of the links below to be taken to a page for the specific freeze dried food you are interested in:

Freeze Dried Bloodworms

Freeze Dried Plankton

Freeze Dried Daphnia

BettaMin

You may find that soaking freeze dried food for 10 minutes or so before giving it to your Betta will make it much more palatable and tasty to your little finned friend.

Benefits of Freeze Dried Food for Bettas

Bettas love live food, but due to the possibility of contamination it really isn't advisable to use it these days. It carries too much bacteria and can cause a host of diseases, including fin rot.

Freeze dried food is a wonderful alternative. Not only is freeze dried food sterile, but it is also much easier to use. It's also better than frozen food from the point of view of convenience.

Another benefit of freeze dried food is that it doesn't cloud the water.

Since freeze dried food is so easy to keep, it's easy to vary your Betta's diet with it. Remember, Bettas need to have variety in their diet. Otherwise their digestion stagnates, leading to constipation, and their immune function gets weaker and weaker.

Freeze dried food can serve as a wonderful weekly treat. It is protein rich and Bettas love it. Freeze drying not only locks in nutrients, but also preserves the natural shape, making it more appealing to even the most finicky eaters.

Because of the convenience it offers, many Betta owners may be tempted to feed their pet fish only freeze dried food. That would not be wise. Freeze dried food is too low in water content (per definition) and can lead to all kinds of problems in Bettas, if used exclusively. Your Betta fish really needs a varied diet for maximum health – just as you do!

Too much freeze dried food might give your Betta constipation, so do not overdo it. Also, your Betta may not immediatly love it. It may need to get used to the idea first.

Some varieties of freeze dried food, such as freeze dried daphnia, help with constipation because crustaceans provide roughage. Freeze dried bloodworms don't help with constipation but are an absolute favorite. Be sure not to give your Bettas any really hard pieces. They may cause prolapsed rectum in Bettas.

Allergies to Freeze Dried Food

You may be one of those people who have allergic reactions to freeze dried food, especially freeze dried bloodworms. If you do, you may start sneezing, develop temporary asthma, hives, red or irritated eyes or skin or runny nose.

For your protection and the protection of your Betta fish, it's best if you do not touch freeze dried food. It is so dry that it will immediately absorb any moisture, wherever it comes from – the air, your hands...

Betta fish are very, very sensitive to any chemicals, and believe me, there are always some chemical residues and oils on your hands. To Bettas these are all toxic. Handle freeze dried food with gloves on and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.

If you do experience some allergic reactions to freeze dried food, you may want to try wearing a mask.

Many Betta breeders and people who keep Betta fish for years are allergic to freeze dried food and yet that doesn't stop them from feeding it to their Bettas. Another way of protecting yourself is cutting a small opening in the package so you can just pour it out straight into the tank without coming in contact with it at all.

Here are results of a poll taken some time ago on the Bettatalk website regarding freeze dried food and allergies. Total number of participants: 610

• 62% use freeze dried bloodworms and have no allergic reaction to them
• 29% do not use freeze dried bloodworms
• 7% use or have used freeze dried bloodworms and are allergic to them
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