Feeding a community tank

[gabbsh0312]

Hi,

I am starting up a 40-gallon betta sorority tank. I am currently in the process of planting and cycling the tank, so I do not have any fish bought or in the tank.  I have been doing tons of research to maximize the success of this tank, but one question keeps popping up that I cannot find an answer to.  How do I feed a community tank that has betta fish, tetra's, mollies and that sort of thing?  I know betta's have their own specific foods as well as the other fish and I'm just confused on how to make sure everyone is being fed properly. 

[Lennie]

I would not advice to keep betta sorority tank with big sized fish or active fish to be honest. Let the bettas establish a pecking order between each other and don't crowd the mid/top water column. I would instead keep bottom dwellers with them, but still with a backup plan. Bettas are never guaranteed to like being in a community already, and putting them in sorority and community at the same time is a bit trying too hard I think. They are not even guaranteed to like each other

My girls do well in a tank with red lizards, L199, pygmy cories, mystery snails and sparkling gouramis. Tho I would not advice sparkling gouramis much, my male bettas didn't like them really.

On my male betta tanks, I crush the food and divide it all around the surface. So while my endlers are eating the crushed pellets all around the surface, I feed pellets to my male bettas directly.

I would personally either keep a single betta as centerpiece, try a sorority with a backup plan but only with bottom dwellers, or skip bettas and keep a peaceful community with other fish you have mentioned.

I can't mention the importance of back up plans when it comes to bettas. You need at least 4 but ideally 5 females for a sorority. I have a success with 4 in my 33g. But having back up plans for a sorority is not easy considering the amount of potentially agressive fish.

[DaniV]

While I can't speak for keeping multiple bettas, I do have 1 Veiltail Betta with 5 Neon Tetras in a 10 gallon, and what I do is feed my Betta first with a few betta pellets.  He knows to go to the little food window when he sees me, so as he's eating, I sprinkle some of the Tetra food towards the back of the tank in front of the water coming from the HOB filter.  The water helps push the little pellets down as well as spreading it, which the Tetras go after.  Any of the food the Tetras don't eat, the Betta cleans up afterwards.

[PineSong]

I don't have betta sorority experience (tried one once many years ago but they were mean to each other), but I've kept bettas in community tanks and as others described, I just put the food for the mollies, platies etc. on one side of the tank and the betta pellets wherever the betta is--mine would always come to the top when I lifted the lid. 

[Galabar]

I have a single female betta in a 40 with lots of other fish. She is definitely aggressive enough to get her share of food.