Betta Refusing Food

[JBlacksmith]

Hi all, I have had my male betta, Toby, for almost two years now. He did not grow after I got him, so I'm assuming he was already at least a year. Over the last few weeks it has been a struggle to get him interested in surfacing for food, and his roaming around the tank has pretty much stopped. He mostly just sits at the bottom. I knew he was getting old, but now he is refusing to eat. Is this something that naturally happens when they are getting ready to go? Or could I be doing something to help? Tonight, he ate one pellet, and the last time he ate was three days ago (again only one pellet). Any and all help/comments/advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[attibones]

Have you tried varying his diet? Maybe you could try frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp or daphnia? Or maybe you could try soaking the pellet in garlic juice. This might make the pellet more appealing, so he might be more interested in eating.

Just to check, all your stats are normal right? Heaters are on, ammonia and nitrite are zero, etc?

 

[Mamashack]

Can't suggest any better than atti re the diet.
Can you get him to flare? What size tank is he in? Has he any tank-mates?

 

[tunagirll]

Tankmates of the small variety would pick him up. They do need exercise to remain healthy! I have 8 microrasbora and a couple of ninja shrimp in my 20 litre tank with Nigel. The rasboras are always active and keep him interested.

 

[Wildbetta]

Tankmates of the small variety would pick him up. They do need exercise to remain healthy! I have 8 microrasbora and a couple of ninja shrimp in my 20 litre tank with Nigel. The rasboras are always active and keep him interested.

 
This is not 100% true.  Some bettas will not do well with tankmates at all.  Either becoming increasingly aggressive or very stressed from the constant movement.  I do agree that they need exercise but there are other ways to do it besides adding tankmates.
 
OP -- it very well maybe that your boy is slowing down because of age.  There are things you can do to make him more comfortable and help ease any issues he may be dealing with.  Lowering the water level or creating a floating log in which he can be closer to the surface is one of those things you can do.  Less active fish will normally not eat as much as more active fish so the fact that he is not eating as much is not really that big of an issue as long as he does continue to eat something every couple of days.  Make sure and keep the tank water very clean since older bettas can have a tendency to have fins that will start to shred and melt.  The clean water helps keep away any infections.  Also make sure that the tank is kept around 80F to help him stay as active as he can at his age.   Good luck with him and I hope that you have a good bit more time together with him.   

 

[JBlacksmith]

Have you tried varying his diet? Maybe you could try frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp or daphnia? Or maybe you could try soaking the pellet in garlic juice. This might make the pellet more appealing, so he might be more interested in eating.

Just to check, all your stats are normal right? Heaters are on, ammonia and nitrite are zero, etc?

I tried to give him some frozen brine shrimp, but he wasn't interested so it just sank to the bottom. I'll have to get back to you about the water so I can test it later today. Last time I tested it ammonia, nitrites, and even nitrates were all at 0. His heater has been working perfectly, too.

Can't suggest any better than atti re the diet.
Can you get him to flare? What size tank is he in? Has he any tank-mates?

He doesn't really flare. The only time I have ever seen him flare was when he had a couple otos in the tank, and would periodically chase them. He is in a 5.5 gallon by himself. Would it be good to encourage flaring with one of those floating mirrors, or something?

 

Tankmates of the small variety would pick him up. They do need exercise to remain healthy! I have 8 microrasbora and a couple of ninja shrimp in my 20 litre tank with Nigel. The rasboras are always active and keep him interested.

 
This is not 100% true.  Some bettas will not do well with tankmates at all.  Either becoming increasingly aggressive or very stressed from the constant movement.  I do agree that they need exercise but there are other ways to do it besides adding tankmates.
 
OP -- it very well maybe that your boy is slowing down because of age.  There are things you can do to make him more comfortable and help ease any issues he may be dealing with.  Lowering the water level or creating a floating log in which he can be closer to the surface is one of those things you can do.  Less active fish will normally not eat as much as more active fish so the fact that he is not eating as much is not really that big of an issue as long as he does continue to eat something every couple of days.  Make sure and keep the tank water very clean since older bettas can have a tendency to have fins that will start to shred and melt.  The clean water helps keep away any infections.  Also make sure that the tank is kept around 80F to help him stay as active as he can at his age.   Good luck with him and I hope that you have a good bit more time together with him.  

 

He has a betta leaf right now that he stopped using when his activity decreased, but would a floating log feel more secure for him? Or would he probably not use it since he has also stopped using the leaf? I'm glad the fact that he is eating is good, it just concerns me that eventually he won't even have enough energy for the one pellet. I read somewhere that you shouldn't exceed 86F, and his tank is usually 82F. Would it make him more comfortable to increase the temp a degree or two?

 

[tunagirll]

Every one of my bettas has thrived with company, I do recommend it.

 

[JBlacksmith]

UPDATE
 
I tested the water:
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
 
However, I just noticed that his gills are incredibly swollen and are protruding a bit. The picture isn't very good, but the arrow is pointing at a black area with a tiny bit of red showing underneath. This is his gill that is sticking out. It is really red and has a black edge on it. Does anybody know what could have caused this? And how I can fix it?