Blind Betta

[flippajh]

I am pretty sure the Betta I bought last week is blind, I've had a job feeding him this week. He doesn't come to the surface to feed like my other Betta's did. He's getting caught up in the plants and struggling against them. The food has been dropping to the bottom and then he spends hours snuffling round the substrate looking for it.

I've put my hand in the tank and he pretty much swam into it.

I'm just worried he's getting the right amount of food, and not sure how fish search for food, I know Cory's have a root around, but I've not seen a Betta do this.

I was thinking about maybe getting some shrimp as tank mates, so I suppose they will help with picking up any food he doesn't find.

So I think the question is - do you think he will get enough food, should I pop a bit more food in to make sure he finds it?

Thanks

 

[Rezatii]

Hmm, I think Mewmew also has a blind betta, I remember her posting something about it, you might wanna look for her thread on what she did or maybe she'll be around to offer tips

-Rezz

 

[flippajh]

Ta for that, will do a bit of a search!!

 

[MewMew42]

hey =]

as Rezatii said I do have a blind betta [ive name him senior happy fish], his eyes are clouded, do you have a pic of his eyes?

I found that he could only see very close up, so i have to dangle food in front of him, on many occasions though the food has fallen to teh bottom and has only happened on it by chance!

Ive had him for about 3 weeks at home and about 3 weeks prior at work, so he must be getting food from somewhere!

otherwise i dont really have a solution =[ Im sure they must have a sensory feature that will help them find food should they need it, i would only worry if he was looking ill and emaciated

sorry i wasnt much help!

 

[flippajh]

Thanks for that, I did have a quick look over the previous posting.

His eyes are totally clear, however, the shop I bought him from said he was the runt of the litter, and he is very small. He makes absolutely no move whatsoever when I touch the glass, and when I put my hand in the tank today to clear out some of the dead leaves, he actually swam into my hand and had a mad panic to swim away, getting tangled in stalks of the crypts. He does appear to be eating, but is snuffling around on the substrate for the food, he very, very rarely goes to the surface for air like my last two Bettas did.

I was thinking about getting some bloodworms tomorrow as a treat for my other fish tank, so I'll give him a go with them.

Its just weird having a betta that doesn't dash up for food the minute you open the top of the tank!

As I said I've only had him a week so I'll keep an eye on him and if it looks like he's not managing to eat, then I'll have to have a re-think on the food front!!!

 

[loraxchick]

i think i can offer some suggestions.
what sort of plants do you have? are they real or fake. if fake, dont move them around his tank. he will get used to the layout and usually be able to avoid them given time. if they are real plants, keep them well trimmed (so they dont grow too thick or cover his "paths" so as to get tangled in them. same goes for decor. he will get used to where things are. if you want to change his tank around, plan out ahead of time so you only have to do it once. this way, he only has to learn the layout one more time. i think that would be very helpful if hes finding it difficult. dont have a lot of "change" in his tank and hell learn where everything is.

as for food. what are you feeding him right now? pellets? flakes? frozen? (or what have you tried so far). bettas its not uncommon for a betta to take up to a week to sulk a bit, not accepting food, etc. i wouldnt outrightly assume it is his blindness that is making him not eat. he's made it this far and chances are he was born blind. fish can taste/smell food in the water, as well as see it (fishermen use chemical attractants. they do work and are not a gimmick). he will be able to find food when he's hungry (mewmew-thats why your guy can "stumble" on the random food. he can smell it and takes time to zero in on it). pellets are a good food to try to wean him onto as a staple as they stay floating for a while and do not break down as fast as, say flakes (which some bettas wont eat anyway). be sure to remove any uneaten food after a few hours and try again tomorrow (a turkey baster is a prefect tool for sucing out old pellets or any other debris). for now tho, for the next week or two anyway, it would be a good idea to get some frozen bloodworms and do as mewmew is doing with her boy-feed him with tweezers right in front of his face. he will be able to smell it better and will eventually get the idea that this is where food comes from(and bloodworms are perhaps the most tempting of betta foods). feed him like this a few bloodworms (like 2 or 3) every other day, but offer pellets everyday and leave them for several hours. if he doesnt eat them them after this time, feed him bloodworms. that way hes getting some food in the meantime-until he learns to find the pellets.

what sort of filter is in his tank? if the intake could possibly suck up his fins, please cover the intake by tying some filter sponge or floss with some thread or a rubber band over the intake. this will reduce the change of injury before he figures out where the filter is-ie no shredded fins.

good luck with your new boy. he's somehow made it this far(unless from recent injury,etc). keep his water clean and try not to do too much rearranging in the tank.
best of luck!!

 

[flippajh]

Thanks for that, some great suggestions, I have been trying on alternate days flake and then pellets, I must admit he definitely find's the pellets a lot easier than the flake.

I do have real plants, some vallis, some crypts and some Japonicum which is pretty big, so I might move this and just have the thinner lighter plants in the tank.

The filter is one of the small Aqua One's, he's pretty good and stay's out of it's way.

I did have a look round the lfs today to try and get some live bloodworm, but no luck, thought he might be able to sense the live worms better than the dried or frozen.

I've started giving the tank a little tap before i put the food in, trying to get him used to the fact when I do this I'll then be feeding him. My first reacted well to this.

He seems ok, he's pretty active, although most of the time is snuffling in the substrate, or sleeping on the leaves of the plants.

Will keep persevering with him as he seems a happy little sole!

Thanks again.

 

[loraxchick]

Thanks for that, some great suggestions, I have been trying on alternate days flake and then pellets, I must admit he definitely find's the pellets a lot easier than the flake.

I do have real plants, some vallis, some crypts and some Japonicum which is pretty big, so I might move this and just have the thinner lighter plants in the tank.

The filter is one of the small Aqua One's, he's pretty good and stay's out of it's way.

I did have a look round the lfs today to try and get some live bloodworm, but no luck, thought he might be able to sense the live worms better than the dried or frozen.

I've started giving the tank a little tap before i put the food in, trying to get him used to the fact when I do this I'll then be feeding him. My first reacted well to this.

He seems ok, he's pretty active, although most of the time is snuffling in the substrate, or sleeping on the leaves of the plants.

Will keep persevering with him as he seems a happy little sole!

Thanks again.

i think that is a very good idea to give a very light tap to alert him when its feeding time. and always feed him in the same spot-he will be conditioned to know where the food is for the most part. you dont need "thinner" plants. those species are great (im sure the tank looks great too) just keep them pruned so he doesnt have too hard a time adjusting to the layout as they fill in (but even planted heavily, they still keep tunnels open for thenselves).as far as food, if it is easier for him, then just feed pellets. they dont really need both (they are both considered "staple" food with various other treats given occasionally). also, pellets wont foul the water as quickly as they rot slower and are easier to remove later should they end up on the substrate. maybe a small feeding ring would be helpful for him...to corral the food for him and keep it in relatively one place. you could even use the bottom of a styrofoam cup with a hole cut out to put the food. no need to go spend much money when you can make it yourself.
normally frozen or live bloodworms are considered the better alternative to freezedried, but since they dont sink right away, might be better for this particular fish to get those. soak them in a bit of tankwater until they are soft (not falling apart as this would defeat the purpose)...so maybe just ALMOST soft. and plop them in the feeding ring. they will float for a while,even when softened, and that way it will be just like finding a pellet. by soaking first you will eliminate much of the concern of bloating while feeding freezedried(why they are not usually recommended. soaking ive found eliminates that concern). dont feed him too many and starve the day after. bloodworms are very nutritious for bettas, so this method may be an easier alternative to live/frozen for the fish and yourself.
how big is his tank? ever think about any tankmates. he cant see anything to attack them. just make sure if you do, you get ones that wont attack him tho.
best of luck with him. keep us posted
cheers