betta acts hungry but won't eat
honolulubetta
18 years ago
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woeisme
18 years agolast modified: 9 years agolexie1397
18 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
New Betta not eating, floating sideways, was fine
Comments (4)Just a bit of an update, but he passed away yesterday afternoon. Took a really sudden turn for the worse. My only theory is that the white stringy feces had to be internal parasites, and that he was in such an advanced stage of infection when I bought him that the medication came too late. But I picked up some of the Jungle Parasite Clear tablets that I've seen alot of people swear by just as a precaution in case Tiger starts to show similar symptoms, heaven forbid he does. Took the dearly departed back to the store and they let me replace him, since he obviously wasn't well. Qaurentining the new one in the bowl he came home in, seperated, until I know for sure he's fine. Hopefully there won't be a repeat scenario, but if on the off chance there is, I think I'm just going to pull the divider out and let Tiger have the whole tank to himself....See MoreMy betta hasn't eaten for almost 3 weeks. Please Help!
Comments (8)Just some additional thoughts. What is the outlet from the bio wheel filter.. ie the flow. Too high a flow can ravage their fins tissue which is a single cell thin. (I use sponge to slow it down or silk plants attached to outlet). Also, they can handle lots of salt during treatment, and adding 1/2 to one teaspoon per 10 gallon helps to keep them (my experience) free(er) from bacteria. It needs to be added slowly over time though. They have been so inbred that they are not at all as hardy as when I was younger and in my opinion need extra care. Plus the way they are shipped in a few teaspoon of water so on, they arrive highly stressed in medicated water. So, prone to bacteria. I have found that salt water dips, (aquarium salt of course) each day and fresh water changes helps a lot. I rescued bettas (ok did one more lately) and use to use meds but the salt water workes best even with the extremely hard to rid flexibar columinaris (which looks like stringy fungus but is bacterial). Or you can use a gram positive and gram negative med plus the salt. Use your hospital tank so as not to hurt plants, bio load. Take out all plants, salt treatment will kill. Use soft silk (large leaves better as they like to sit on or hide under when asleep).. Use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon per gallon for hospital tank, then each day tank him out with tub (plastic container and cover so he won't jump).. I lower lights place towel over container, (inside of larger incase he does jump) Then I slowly dribble additional salted water for a soak, while I clean his main tank. I have had fish recover nicely from this, but it took some work. Melefix will help with healing tissue after bacteria gone. I have found they can handle much larger salt loads, but am hesitant to suggest this, just watch for stress, ie frantic swimming. And go slow slow slow. Then reverse with his fresh (adjust to match) clean tank water until equal and gentle place him back in. I never use nets just cup them gently in containers. (there are pros and cons on salt but I've used it since I was a kid many decades ago, per Dr. Innes and no problems and much help. Has to be used properly though). ........................... from a forum The simple answer is that bettas do not like much salt in their water. Bettas will tolerate a certain amount of salt in their water; however, there is a limit. Salt will change the flow of water due to a change in the concentration. All fish will tolerate salt to some degree, but when there's too much they will dehydrate due to water flowing out of the creature. Saltwater fish have kidneys that allow them to expel excess salt while retaining their water. Freshwater fish do the opposite - they expel water because of the concentration gradient. When using salt, you should use it for specific problems or needs. If you don't know when it's right, do some research. For example, FishEnthusiast.com notes that: "Salt puts electrolytes in the water that stimulate production of the mucus coating that protects fish from infection. At the same time, it alters the chemical balance of the water, usually increasing the pH. Salt also helps inhibit bacterial growth at least the kind that seem to cause algal blooms in freshwater aquariums." Salt assists in the healing of injuries, promotes formation of slime coating, improves gill function, reduces the buildup of nitrite (useful when setting up new tanks: 1/2 ounce of salt per gallon), and is effective against some parasites. However, it is a double-edged sword; there are also some downfalls. For example, some plants and fish species cannot tolorate salt. This yet another reason you should do a little research before treating a problem. It is NOT advised to use salt with scaleless fish, particularly cordydoras. These species are particularly sensitive to salt, and even a small amount can harm them. Also, tetras are fairly sensitive to salt. More useful information regarding salt: Salt in a Freshwater Aquarium Re: feeding, in nature when animals are really sick they often don't eat, much as people don't. The body is working immune system wise to repair and has more resources then you can imagine. But since you mentioned that he came alive with worms seems he might have been finicky (as they often are at first). Remember their stomachs are as small as their eyes. It is easy to overfeed, esp with dry food as it swells inside when wet. A small amount will do it. I feed a few pinchs of flake, chaning types for variety (live brine shrimp when I can find them, and Hakiri sterilized blood worms, as the live and non Hakiri always caused bacterial problems with any fish that ate them. They are grown in sewage like conditions and freezing does not kill the nasty bacterial or parasites. Hence Hakiri is three times sterilized (forgive my bad spelling). I feed a bit of vegetable matter in late afternoon to provide a purging of earlier meaty meal.)...See MoreMy Betta is not Eating! Help!
Comments (9)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! :)...See MoreIs my betta sick?
Comments (1)Sounds like he is in a bowl or un-cycled type aquarium (just a hunch, I'm just assuming). A betta kept in a bowl, unheated with no bio-filter doesn't surrvive much past its lifespan of 1 1/2 - 2 yrs. Usually they are about 6 months when you get them, so there ya go. To help a bigger bowl or a 5 gallon tank with a heater. When temperatures drop the water gets colder slowing down metabolism. He wont eat as much or at all and becomes lathargic. This makes them more suseptable to disease or shaves time off their lifespan....See Moresandywesttexas
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