Betta Not Eating?

[YamiHime]

Hello,

Recently I bought a male crowntail betta. He seems to be ether shy or very snobby. I tried feeding him today but all he did was go for the food, eat it, then spit it out. I tried to give him freeze-dried bloodworms but he did the same thing.

I'm not going to try feeding him anymore today and I'm certainly going to try the pellets again tommorrow.

Is he just stressed out or is he being a #28### on purpose? -u-"

Also he seems to be playing with all the bubbles that are in the tank right now, is this normal?

 

[DJH584]

Can't answer your last question - possibly something to do with bubblenests? Others will know better than I.

But find out from your vendor what the fish was being fed before you bought it and go from there.

 

[phoenixgsd]

bettas do have a charactor, what size are the pellets maybe they are too big, is this what youve always fed him, what is your tank size, water stats, is there any plants or decorations he can hide or rest in, any tank mates? playing with bubbles might indicate hes bored,

edit.........do you mean a air stone bubbles or is it him makeing a bubblenest

 

[YamiHime]

bettas do have a charactor, what size are the pellets maybe they are too big, is this what youve always fed him, what is your tank size, water stats, is there any plants or decorations he can hide or rest in, any tank mates? playing with bubbles might indicate hes bored,

edit.........do you mean a air stone bubbles or is it him makeing a bubblenest

Well I had him in a bowl but I was feeling extremely terrible for it so I bought him a 2.5 gallon with a filter and heater because that was all I could afford. I bought him recently so this was the second time trying to feed him, he seem's to be going after the sunken pellets and eating them again then spitting them out. I just did a partial water change so there are some bubbles on the walls of his tank and on the decorations and gravel. He swims around a lot so I don't think he's bored and he has a few decorations to hide in and around. Oh, the pellets are pretty small, so I don't think he has a problem eating them.

I think he's just messing with me ;3; (I wasn't aware the word "bugg er" was a bad word on this forum...)

 

[Flute]

Betta can be fussy little things at times, especially if they prefer nice treats like bloodworm. Try soaking his food in some garlic juice before you feed him, they usually can't resist. How long have you had him, just of curiosity? It can take a while for betta to settle in enough and start eating properly.

We have some very young members on here, and as such we don't allow swearing

 

[YamiHime]

Betta can be fussy little things at times, especially if they prefer nice treats like bloodworm. Try soaking his food in some garlic juice before you feed him, they usually can't resist. How long have you had him, just of curiosity? It can take a while for betta to settle in enough and start eating properly.

We have some very young members on here, and as such we don't allow swearing

Ahh yes, I would never swear here on purposed I just didn't know it was a swear. Anyways, will any garlic juice do? I have a jar of pre cut garlic? Also yes he is very new, 2 days now, I think I should stop bugging the poor guy and let him breath.

 

[Flute]

It's considered a very mild one, but it's better safe than sorry

Two days is very early on, don't worry about him too much He'll be able to go days without eating no problem, and once he is hungry enough he'll be more than happy to scoff down anything you offer him. Just be careful that you don't feed him too much- they're greedy wee things and it doesn't take much to bloat them.

 

[YamiHime]

It's considered a very mild one, but it's better safe than sorry

Two days is very early on, don't worry about him too much

He'll be able to go days without eating no problem, and once he is hungry enough he'll be more than happy to scoff down anything you offer him. Just be careful that you don't feed him too much- they're greedy wee things and it doesn't take much to bloat them.

Oh yes I know >//w//<

My grandmother has a betta who she overfeeds daily, I'm trying to teach her not to do it because the poor guy is so fat it looks like he can't swim right, he even has a bulge on his side where his fin is.

 

[Flute]

Oh dear, my dad was guilty of that too! When I went away to uni he looked after my female sorority, and I'd come back and they'd be huge. I actually lost a couple because of it, despite me telling him over and over again that it could kill them.

Thing is with fish, they don't have a mechanism to tell them when they're full, like us mammals do. That's why they can easily eat themselves to death. Because of how quickly they can become bloated or constipated, I tend to only feed mine every other or every 2 days. If their bellies are looking very round, then I skip another day. Peas are also a great thing to feed- it'll ensure that they don't get constipated (a big killer of betta).

 

[YamiHime]

Ahh my Betta seems a lot better now but he still spits out his pellets. I just tried giving him Freeze-dried bloodworms and he eats them! But I think I might have to buy him betta flakes..... I don't want him to starve himself but sheesh he needs to start getting used to pellets.

 

[Flute]

Glad to hear he's doing well Sounds like he's just being fussy Stop feeding him the freeze dried bloodworm, and eventually he'll become hungry enough that he'll accept the pellets. They can go a good while without food, so it's a case of your patience needs to out last his stubbornness Try him with normal flake foods too, and peas, and he should start accepting more and more.

 

[anufoalan]

You could also try raising the temperature in the tank, I've noticed with mine that in the winter they prefer their tanks at about 23 degrees celcius and closer to about 21 degrees celcius
In the summer otherwise they hide in their plants and at the bottom of their tanks sort of sullenly. Just be sure if you try this to raise the temperature slowly other wise you'll throw your betta into shock.

 

[phoenixgsd]

You could also try raising the temperature in the tank, I've noticed with mine that in the winter they prefer their tanks at about 23 degrees celcius and closer to about 21 degrees celcius
In the summer otherwise they hide in their plants and at the bottom of their tanks sort of sullenly. Just be sure if you try this to raise the temperature slowly other wise you'll throw your betta into shock.

even at the 23oc, thats a bit low, what was the temp in your tank before you raised it?

 

[anufoalan]

It was at 21 degrees celcius in the winter and they would just sink to the bottom of their respective tanks and become very in active, due to the ambient temperature where I live I don't raise the temperature more than that because I did with one of our previous betas and the higher temperature made him quite sick.

 

[YamiHime]

You could also try raising the temperature in the tank, I've noticed with mine that in the winter they prefer their tanks at about 23 degrees celcius and closer to about 21 degrees celcius
In the summer otherwise they hide in their plants and at the bottom of their tanks sort of sullenly. Just be sure if you try this to raise the temperature slowly other wise you'll throw your betta into shock.

Ahh, I don't think the temp is the problem? He seems happy with it and doesn't hide. Usually he hides in his little house at night (around 8:00pm or so) but I think he's just resting. Usually my tank is at 84F.

Glad to hear he's doing well

Sounds like he's just being fussy

Stop feeding him the freeze dried bloodworm, and eventually he'll become hungry enough that he'll accept the pellets. They can go a good while without food, so it's a case of your patience needs to out last his stubbornness

Try him with normal flake foods too, and peas, and he should start accepting more and more.

Ahh yess! He's still being fussy. I know he's hungry because he comes right up to the top of the tank when I open the lid to feed him. He still wont eat the pellets.. I don't know if I should be putting them in every day, and I don't so that the water doesn't get dirty fast. I give him the worms...hmmm lets see about once or twice a week because I'm worried and I don't want him to go weeks and weeks without food... I think I tried tropical fish flakes but I don't think he ate those, perhaps I'll try again. And I have yet to try peas.