Help! Betta fry not eating microworms

[Nyooom]

After years of keeping bettas and later trying to breed them, I had my first successful spawn. I have read extensively about the breeding process, and many sources recommended microworms as a starter food. Since I already culture microworms for my other fish, I decided to use them for my betta fry. However, when it was time for the first feeding, they did not go after them at all. Same with the second, third, fourth, etc. feedings. The fry show no interest in the food and stay mostly still, laying on the bottom. The microworms wriggle on the bottom for hours and then die. I have been cleaning up the dead worms with a pipette and the amount of dead worms does not look any less than the amount that was fed. Their bellies do not look rounded after feeding and they have been dying rapidly. I started with over one hundred, now I have twenty or less. They are six days old.
HELP! What am I doing wrong? Why aren't they eating? I made sure everything was perfect, so why is this happening? Are microworms not a good first food? Should I have cultured ifusoria instead?
Thank you for your help.

 

[Zimmit12]

After years of keeping bettas and later trying to breed them, I had my first successful spawn. I have read extensively about the breeding process, and many sources recommended microworms as a starter food. Since I already culture microworms for my other fish, I decided to use them for my betta fry. However, when it was time for the first feeding, they did not go after them at all. Same with the second, third, fourth, etc. feedings. The fry show no interest in the food and stay mostly still, laying on the bottom. The microworms wriggle on the bottom for hours and then die. I have been cleaning up the dead worms with a pipette and the amount of dead worms does not look any less than the amount that was fed. Their bellies do not look rounded after feeding and they have been dying rapidly. I started with over one hundred, now I have twenty or less. They are six
Could u help with my forum plz? http://www.fishforums.net/threads/can-any-one-help-are-my-fish-pregnant.443200/

 

[Demeter32]

Sorry you didn't get a quick reply, but hopefully you can find what I have to say useful. Microworms are a great food for larger fry, like live bears and african cichlids, but most eggs layers need something smaller as a first food. A lot of people swear by baby brine shrimp, but you can also use infusoria and vinegar eels. I could never get my betta fry to the free swimming stage, so for that I applaud you. I hope some of the are still alive and make it to adulthood.

If you don't want/can't use live foods, I would try mixing the yoke of a hard boiled egg with water and using that. I fed it to zebra danio fry (which are about the same size) and about 2 dozen of them survived until they could eat microworms.

 

[Bluesand1313]

That's very strange. All of mine have taken to eating microworms.
I know you've done your research and everything is probably correct, but I'm going to ask anyways.

What size is the breeding tank? Did you test the water, if so, what is it at? (Nitrates, Nitrites, PH, Ammonia). Have you been cleaning the tank? How have you been adding in the new water, if so? Do they have a filter? Do they have a heater? Do they have any live plants in the water, or hide-outs?

I can't say for sure why they're not eating, but you can try using guppy fry or fry that is of a similar size to them and put them in there with them. Guppy fry will pretty much eat anything, so if the betta fry sees that the guppies are eating, they'll usually get the hint.
That being said... it's usually in fry instinct to eat anything that moves.. so it's very odd.

My fry are currently at the stage of being weaned onto frozen food... lol wish me luck.