It seems as though we are all experiencing the same issues with our new Bettas. I purchased Berry (a blue Crown) and the tank (a clear plastic habitat tank) and accessories Monday at PetSmart. I came home, washed everything well, rinsed well, and filled the new tank (approx. 2 gallons). After the water was room temp, I put Berry in. He ate four pieces of food (the round stuff). He has not eaten since. This morning, the water was very murky and he isn't swimming a lot. This is not my first Betta (Morris lasted four years) but Berry is reacting so differently than Morris. I removed him from the tank this morning and washed everything very thoroughly again and recently placed him back in his tank. I called PetSmart and they said not to worry, as his stomach is only as big as his eyeball and he could go a couple of days without food. my stomach isn't that big either, but I can't go days without eating!!!! Any suggestions?

How often should I change the water in these two Betta tanks? Does once or twice a week sound adequate to keep everything under control? If you are not using filtration then daily water changes. You need to dilute the toxins that are produced by the fishes waste. Also, dont overfeed. Only feed the fish what it will eat right away. If any food is not eaten right after you feed, remove it right away. Remove any poop or crud daily. Most people use a turkey baster for this in a small tank. If food and poop is allowed to sit it will break down into ammonia. This is toxic to fish and will kill them. There is no safe level of ammonia. Would the Bettas get along with Corys? I've got two, though I have been considering finding a pet store to give them to. If they'd get along with my Bettas, I'd rather keep them, though. Yes they should get along, BUT your tanks are too small. If you add anymore fish to the small tanks you will have crowding which may cause aggression between these fish who normaly get along. Worse then the aggression will be the overload of toxins. The water volume is way to small to dilute ammonia excreted by 3 fish. Give back the cory's ifyou can. Do Bettas actually like foliage in the tank? I bought some silk plants (so they wouldn't tear their fins), but I'm not clear on if they actually enjoy having plants, or if they just don't mind. Yes. Live plants would actually be a better choice in an unfiltered tank. The easiest plant IME/IMO to keep is a Java Fern. They seem to do good in almost any water condition. Live plants will oxygenate the water and remove the ammonia produced by the fish. If using live plants you can get away with less frequent water changes. With that said you should use water test kits to verify ammonia and nitrite levels. I would reccomend A.P.I. tests, the 2 part ammonia test and nitrite test. These kits should last you 3 years. If you get the less expensive dip strips, they are inaccurate and only last as long as how many come with the kit. In the long run the reagent (liquid test kits with test tubes like the A.P.I.) are alot less $$$. I may need a heater to try to keep the tanks warm enough. Is a little 7 watt heater good enough, so long as I keep an eye on the temperature? The problem with the 7W heaters is they do not have a temperature control or thermostat. They are preset by the factory and depending on your tank volume and water flow they could over heat. Better to get a 25W with temperature control. They will not over heat (unless they are defective) because they have a thermostat that will turn on and off the heater as needed. They work like the furnace in your house, set a predetermined temp. and when the water cools down the heater will kick on. When the desired temp is reached the heater will shut off. If the water stays at desired temp. or is hotter then your set temp.(like in the summer) the heater will not kick on. My last question, do I need filtration, or would a bubble stone suffice? I know they do not like a lot of current, and I'm not sure which option is best. A filtered

Spalding -- It sounds like you betta is "flaring." It's a sign of aggression. I would separate the two bettas immediately, or you'll probably have a dead fish in your tank. Male bettas should NEVER be together in the same aquarium. In the wild, males will fight viciously over territory; the losing male is driven away. In all but the largest aquariums, there simply isn't room for males to establish separate territories. They will literally tear each other apart. One or both of your bettas will die. A male and a female betta should not be together in the same aquarium unless for breeding purposes. Even then, there is a great deal of preparation required before putting them together. Males are often very aggressive toward females and can serious injure or kill a female. Putting females bettas together requires a heavily planted tank and at least 3 females (a good set-up is a 10-20 gallon with 6-10 females). Female bettas will bully each other to establish a hierarchy. If there aren't enough hiding spots for separate fish, the "omega" bettas will be harassed and killed. Sometimes, even the best betta sorority will have issues. Certain females are just too aggressive to be kept with other fish and have to be removed. Success in putting females together really depends on the set-up and the personalities of the individual fish.

Epsom salts can also act as a laxative for congested fish... also bettas love plant life and he can nibble on this if nothing else... I notice my fish will not eat pellets but prefers softer foods... did anything change from his eating to not eating? Also bettas need higher heat then can be provided in bowls without heaters unless your house is hotter.. but since you say he goes after the food it seems to be something mechanical, ie can't see the food, can get it past his mouth ie mouth problems parasites so on.... an old remedy for many types of fish ailements was to add salt to the water, aquarium salt not table, perhaps a bit of this.... try some plant such as anachiris which are easily munched on, and perhaps stick some food there so he can identify it and it won't float away.. observe if you can what might be going wrong, I sometimes use a magnifier it is hard as woisme suggest... here is something I found and yahoo links... best to you... (ps I used to feed certain fish as a young child by stringing them on little thread just to the last tip of thread and dangle it before fish, (raised live foods for certain fish) well best of luck... sherry A: recovering Betta is not eating From: Joel 5/1/2002, 3:17 pm SandySue has not rated this answer. This answer's grade is: A+ (details) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > I recently inherited a sick male Betta from a > friend. She kept him in a one gallon Mini-Hex > tank rather successfully for ten months. She fed > him Hikari Betta Bio Gold pellets exclusively. She > sporadically cleaned his tank, however she always > did a 100% change of water (I guess he was lucky > to go 10 months without an illness or death). On > April 22, he was listless and would not eat. His > tank was a mess with yellowish-orange algae > covering his gravel. Her remedy was to do another > 100% water change - only this time she replaced > all of his gravel and his plant too! We did not > think he would survive but much to our surprise he > is still alive to date. He has no obvious signs > of illness other than the fact that he is not > eating: his fins are fine, there are no white > spots or lesions on his body, his activity level > has increased back to his normal level. We have > tried feeding him from a fresh pack of the Hikari > pellets and frozen brine shrimp. > > I did some research on the Internet and found your > wonderful site. This is what we have done: we > purchased an Eclipse Hex 5 system on April 24. The > next day, we set it up with five pounds of coated > gravel, a new silk plant and tap water that had > been treated with "Ammonia Clear" to get rid of > the Ammonia, chloraine and Chlorine. We allowed > the system to run just that way until the morning > of April 30. We then transferred him and most of > his tank water, rocks and plant into the new tank. > He adapted to his new surroundings quite readily. > Once he was in the new tank, we turned on the > light which increased the water temperature from > 74F to 82F(both tanks were at 74F prior to the > transfer). The pH of the new tank is 7.0 and the > ammonia level is zero. I do not know what the > nitrite and nitrate levels are, but I will > purchase test kits tomorrow morning and begin > monitoring ASAP. The plan is to monitor the water > quality for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrates and > to do partial water changes as necessary to > establish a stable system. > > How long can he go without eating? It has already > been 10 days. Do you have any advice or > suggestions on what else to do? Or have we done > too much already.... > >Wow!!! This is a tough betta. I think you derserve credit for saving this guy from such a bad situation and providing him with a more condusive enviroment. From you "story" of this fishes past, I fear that the last 100% water change performed may have been to much for him. 100% water changes can cause what is called pH shock that fish often don't recover from. Old, dirty aquarium water often will have a low pH value and the GH (general hardness) will drop. A fish being slowly adjusted to this condition over several weeks typically is not a shock to the fish although it's not good for them. When a 100% water change is done the fish is instantly put into a very differant water parameter that is a major shock to the system. All fish seem to have a hard time getting over this shock, I am un aware of a treatment to correct it. What I do is keep the fish by it self, do frequent partial water changes and make sure the water quality is good. I'd offer food often but be sure to remove all uneaten food as to not foul water quality. I'd also get a heater to maintain a more stable temperature. You should turn the lights off at night but it is harmfull to the fish if the temperature drops every time you do this. I don't suggest adding any medication, often times medication can complecate the problem or cause harm to your biological filter (formilin kills benificial bacteria). A fish going two weeks without eating is not a good thing but fish often can go this long without any serious affects. If it's not eating after 3 weeks I'd be doubtful that it will recover.Sorry I don't have more positive suggestions. Your already doing about everything you can to help this poor guy, I think the damage was done before you took over his care. keep it up and hopefully he'll make it. Good luck..... http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=slv1-dm&p=betta+not+eating This person one can email with questions... If you see some odd signs on your fish, like he's asking for cigars ;), you might want to check this chart that show the signs of a betta and if it is healthy or not. Blue: HEALTHY Green: UNHEALTHY Betta is a pig when it comes to eating Betta is not eating or ties to eat its food, but spits it out Is active and swims regularly Doesn't swim around and might lay on the bottom or stay at the top Acts normal Tries to scratch him self, like darting around and running into things Is colorful Is pale and/or losing color Fins and tail are spread out Fins are clamped together, rotting and decaying Body is smooth and clean Body has open sores, white patches or spots Eyes are normal Eye(s) are swollen and big Scales are normal Scales are puffed up and look like a pinecone Belly is normal Belly is swollen or has a large lump on it If one of the things in the UNHEALTHY columns happening to your fish, then you probably have a sick betta! Don't worry, help is on the way! Just go to the diseases page. If there is something wrong with your betta that isn't on the list, please e-mail me. If none of the things in the UNHEALTHY are happening to your fish, then hurray! Your betta is a healthy dude! Great job! :)