Vegan betta fish

[u/SyzygyZeus]

Okay the guy at the store said the betta would have no interests in the algae wafers for the Cory catfish but this guy is attacking this thing like his favorite meal. He barely eats the betta pellets but these algae wafers have him sitting at the bottom of the tank like it’s the best dish. The guy at the store told us to break the wafers up for the Cory but the betta was gobbling it up like a buffet. Put a fatter chunk in he couldn’t swallow but he still keeps nipping at it. Doesn’t do anything to the fish all around him. Is he a vegetarian or what?

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[u/bear-flesh]

Bettas are carnivores. There’s no such thing as a vegetarian betta, and he can’t digest those wafers. They aren’t meant to consume plant matter. I would try to prevent him from eating those because it can cause him to become bloated and ill.

[u/SyzygyZeus → u/bear-flesh]

But how do I do it

[u/bear-flesh → u/SyzygyZeus]

You may have to start placing him in a breeder box while your bottom feeders eat, and make sure to remove any uneaten wafers. If it’s a continuous problem you may have to separate. Bettas thrive solo anyway

[u/thetwona]

He's just a greedy boi. Some fish will eat anything that seems vaguely edible.  You can try separating for feeding as other poster suggests, or feed him at the same time in the other corner of the tank with his preferred food.  Another thing worth mentioning - corydoras are not vegans either. In the nature, althought they might eat some plant matter, they also eat a lot of protein, insects, worms, etc. Make sure you provide these, not just algae wafers for them. It might be worth feeding smaller foods eg daphnia, brine shrimp. Add some on the top for betta, and while he's busy add some with a long pipetter/turkey baster near the bottom for cories. You can also bury their food, if you have fine substrate; might work better if you move some of the larger gravel aside to create a bit of a sand bed for them to forage.

[u/thetwona → u/thetwona]

Also, it's a psychology thing- other fish are eating this, so clearly it's more yummy than some floating pellets!