Help! My betta fish isn't eating, any advice welcome!

16 years ago

My new betta fish isn't eating! I just got him, and I am aware that they may take a while, but I've tried everything! Even the frozen peas. My brother has a new one too, and it has the same problem. My fish lives in filtered, perfectly clean water and tank. He seems happy, he's making a bubble nest as we speak. He always squeezes between the filter and wall, and he always runs up and down the tank. I don't see any funguses or anything. He may be old, he has very long fins. He just loves swimming around his tank though. He has no plants YET. On the bottom of his tank he has smooth rocks. I've fed him pellets, peas, tropical flakes, Freeze dried worms, please help! This is my first betta fish, and I want him to last a long time and not starve. And also, he lives ina 2.5 by himself. He's not too big, he has plenty of room. He also flares a lot.

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Comments (14)

rayama
16 years ago
How long has he not been eating? I believe they can safely go a week without food.

Is the water warm enough?

You said frozen peas...did you thaw, cook, and peel them first?

My betas LOVE snow peas. I save them from my chinese food, pull the peas from the pod, rinse them, and put them in.

If you can catch or swat a housefly, throw it in there.
petiolaris
16 years ago
His behavior sounds perefctly normal. Maybe he is eating when you are not around to see it? He could be just adjusting to his new environment. Maybe try some frozen or live food.
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Comments (14)
Good ideas. Thank you. James, I know what you mean about proper cycling. I have all the testing kits at home and all the water treatments. Besides live fish, is there any other way to properly cycle? Can I add fish food every day that the filter system is working in the new tank? Will this help in building up some type of bacteria? Then at the end of the week remove some of the water and add fresh water? Since I already have two established aquariums, is there anything in there that can be borrowed to place into the new tank to help it to cycle faster/better? I know that by buying one Betta off the shelves of these stores is an encouragement to stock more but I'm having a hard time just walking away from them and not bringing one home. Someone else will definitely pick one up, and although they are encouraging the same type of re-stocking, the only thing that gives me peace of mind is that I'm prepared to give it proper care with good living conditions. Will the next person do the same? Or will they stick that Betta into a minute-sized space instead, with the same type of miserable conditions that the poor Betta thought they'd left behind at the shop in hopes of something better? Last month, as Easter gifts for kids (imagine!), I saw on the shelves of one retail store, glass jars (they must fit about 1/2 litre of water) with a Betta fish in them. On top of the jar Lucky Bamboo plants were shoved through the opening. And on top of all that, ribbons, chocolates and decorations were attached to it. The water was cloudy and the fish were all lethargic (God knows how long they'd been there with water unchanged, no food, not enough space on top to draw in air...). I was nauseous...and infuriated... I've never seen anything like that before and I thought the Betta in a vase with the Peace Lily on top was bad enough... What the heck is wrong with chocolate bunnies for kids at Easter!?!?
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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.
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Bottom night scavenger. If it is full of energy then it is eating. Do not overfeed out of worry and end up with polluted tank. Normally they eat the leftover crumbs of other fishes.
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I've had many bettas over the years. They often become friendly, inquisitive pets. I keep my current guy in a 10-gallon heated, filtered tank with lots of live plants and 4 zebra danios and 3 catfish. Everyone gets along fine. Try keeping your pet near where you hang out (like next to where you watch TV at night, or eat breakfast in the morning)... they will stare at and interact with you for hours. I've been able to teach them to swim through my wedding ring (they love checking out shiny/sparkly objects) and eat dried bloodworms from my hand. They can be very slow and subtle as they prowl around the nooks and corners in the tank, but my current one seems to love to swim in the strong current from the filter - he'll swoosh back and forth many times in a row, purposely swimming with all his might into the current and being swept down to the bottom of the tank, and then back up again, back and forth, over and over again. It must be good exercise, because he's incredibly buff! Great little pets with few demands. Susan
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jen789
Original Author
16 years ago
Last night I was watching him, and I saw he has fungus... right under his gills and between his fins. It's going to be hard to get medicine since we're snowed in. (we live in the country). My brother's fish has it on his gills. And it's not exactly warm enough for flies so... ya.
jen789
Original Author
16 years ago
My brother's fish died this morning, the medicine didn't help. His whole head was covered in fungus. :( It's been a week and the fish isn't eating, the temperature is usually between 58 F and 63 F. His fungus is getting better, not cured though. Still Not Eating!!!
petiolaris
16 years ago
How often are you doing water changes? What medicine are you using? Sometimes people do too much to soon and the medicine doesn't have adequate time to work. Just a thought. I would concentrate on geting him healed and then deal with eating.
james_ny
16 years ago
Try some live brine shrimp [may have to turn off the filter] from the pet store. Sometimes seeing prey move triggers their hunting instincts.
botanical_bill
16 years ago
Maybe since his is sick, he is not eating. Its like you with the flu, you dont eat. I would not worrie as much to the eating as the fungus. Im sure once you clean up the fungus he will start to eat.
I would try to keep the water temp with in a 2 degree range rather than the 5, do you have a heater in the 2.5g? Dont keep it by a window, you get drafts and sometimes direct sunlight, this can be bad for the overall health of the tank.
Just a tip. If by chance the unfortunate happens, get your tank started before you put in the fish. That is, get the plants growing and a stable condtion. This might take from 1-4 weeks, probably the lower on the 2.5g.
Good luck.
jen789
Original Author
16 years ago
Yesterday he may have eaten a pellet, I was giving him a water change and I had him in a jar, I put a pellet in there. WHen I was finished, half of a pellet was at the bottom of the tank, so I dont know? And Once I tried a goldfish flake just to see if he had a taste for that and as it was sinking he was really trying to get it but he's too slow. I just bought a Plecostomus to eat some of the leftover food I miss when I feed him.
petiolaris
16 years ago
Sounds like he is getting better!
jen789
Original Author
16 years ago
He's really enjoying the pleco's company! He always sleeps in its cave when the pleco is in the cave.

And yesterday I think he ate a pellet. I put two in, and about 10 minutes later when I was going to take them out, I could only find one. But it could've gotten sucked up by the filter too.
jen789
Original Author
16 years ago
Now he's eating! I fed him a moth ane he just spit it out, then the next day he just kept spitting out his food. (at least it was progress!!) And now he eats like a pig!
petiolaris
16 years ago
Congratulations! Would you like to know how to breed them?
deandrebrown75_yahoo_com
12 years ago
My betta fish is not eAting and I got him march 24,2011..and it's not swimming around..BUT when I'm not around it's swimming!!! In need help please and i just cleaned the aqarium It's a betta keeper aquarium.
nicolebluebear_hotmail_com
11 years ago
My constipated Betta keeps on spitting out his peas. I have had him for one year and a half. He has a bloated stomach. Thanks

Help! My betta fish isn't eating, any advice welcome!

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rayama

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Help! My betta fish isn't eating, any advice welcome!

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