Betta food question

[Gideyon]

When I got my betta a few weeks ago, I started feeding him omega betta flakes. He liked it, but it was hard for me to measure a consistent amount each time. I was always cautious of overfeeding.  But otherwise, he is relatively happy with it.  Although this pollutes the water pretty quickly. 

To try something different, I got him Hikari Betta Bio-gold baby pellets. I remember someone saying give 5 pellets a day. So I usually give 3 in the morning, 2 at night. Although these things are so tiny that I may give him one or two more on accident. 

So my question...  Because these are baby pellets, when should I upgrade to bigger ones, or increase the amount of the baby pellets?  What signs of growth do I look for to make sure he's being fed? Or that he needs more daily? 

While I am cautious of overfeeding, I also don't want to leave him hungry every day.  

[FrozenFins]

The one thing with bettas is that they are so hardy and forgiving.

Overfeeding a fish a few times won't hurt them. The general rule of thumb is only feed what a fish can consume in 2 minutes.

I too feed my betta the hikari pellets and will feed him around 4-6 pellets a feeding, 1 feeding a day. I feel like thats what works best for me.

If your fish is super bloat and fat, its evident that your over feeding. 

[Gideyon]

I've been tempted to go one feeding a day, but this guy gets so excited every time I come down to the room.  There's a part of me that wonders if he's thinking I'm giving him food.  So I figure I'll satisfy that desire at least twice a day.  

[Maggie]

The instructions on the Hikari Bio Gold package say to feed 3-10 pellets pellets "up to" 3x a day based on betta size, but those are not clear directions at all - someone could take that to mean 30 pellets a day! On their website, it says under 1.5" size - they recommend feeding 6 Hikari Micropellets (rather than Bio Gold which is larger) 2x a day; 1 5-1.75" - 3 Bio Gold pellets 3x a day; 1 additional pellet per .25" of fish, with additional pellets as needed, spaced out from regular feedings, and never more than 5 pellets 3x a day. I'm feeding my betta Hikari micropellets, about 6 of them 2x a day plus a snack because he is very active. 

[Gideyon]

5 minutes ago, Maggie said:

Hikari Micropellets

Is that the same as baby pellets? 

[Maggie]

@GideyonI wondered the same thing, but packaged differently. Here is a pic of what I have. On the left is unopened Bio Gold, on the right is Micropellets, including some loose pieces and a penny for size comparison.