I notice that he doesn't eat the food immediatly as he used to do before, he eats it slowly and does not seem to care much for his food now...so should I starve him for couple of days?
2006-09-26 07:48:26 · 24 answers · asked by svk 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
Since you have been over feeding your Betta, the extra food and poop has poisoned the water and is making him sick. Change 50% of the water with aged tap water now, Don't feed him for two days, on the third day, feed him in the morning and change 50% of the water in the evening. Start feeding him every other day for a week, do another 50% water change and then go back to your regular schedule - only feed him half of what you used to.
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2006-09-26 07:53:01 · answer #1 · answered by iceni 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Betta fish eat their food within the first hour or so of being fed. Anything left over will probably be ignored and just dirty up the tank.
Fast him now for 1 day, feed him a pea (minus the skin) and the fast him again for 1 day. That will clear him out internally.
Dont forget to clean out the tank and add clean water!
2006-09-26 16:59:41 · answer #2 · answered by Dark Angel Rogue 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most likely you've been over feeding him, and ammonia is building up in his tank/bowl. If this is a bowl remove him into a cup of tank water, and throughly clean the bowl with hot water. Add in new water which you've de-chorlinated, (either with drops or age in an open jar for 48 hours) and be sure the water in the cup match that of the bowl. (Your finger works fine.) In a filtered tank just use a cheap gravel vacuum to clean the gravel and replace 20-30% of the water.
(see link #2)
After cleaning the bowl/tank let him fast for a day. Then cook a pea, and peel it. Feed about 1/4-1/2 of it to him. (Cleans him out.) Then next day start feeding him a very small amount 6 days out of a week. The amount should be the size of his eye ball. Also watch the size, and shape of his belly. (see link #1)
2006-09-26 12:16:59 · answer #3 · answered by Sabersquirrel 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, you can "starve" him for a few days. Fish can go for up to two weeks without eating and some of the mouthbrooding African cichlids can go for three weeks without eating while they are holding the eggs and developing fry in their mouths.
They will look quite skinny at the end of their fast, but with good high protein food afterwards, they will recover just fine. Just make sure you are doing your regular (weekly) partial (25-30%) water changes. That is the most important thing you can do to keep your fish healthy and happy.
2006-09-26 11:10:22 · answer #4 · answered by 8 In the corner 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a betta fish too and if i overfeed him say in the morning i dont feed him anything till late night, only 2-3 pieces. Its not good to starve him so you can give him 2-3 pieces after about 15-16 hrs.
2006-09-26 07:53:58 · answer #5 · answered by Dips 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. Let him do without for 2 days. Feed him on the third day, but feed him less! Only give him what he can eat in 2 minutes. You don't want extra uneaten food polluting his water. Remember bettas are top feeders. Feed him food that floats. Stuff that sinks too quickly is no good!
2006-09-28 03:20:03 · answer #6 · answered by crazyotto65 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
(Is he bloated? How often do you feed him?) For my b-day 1 year I got a Beta fish and when I overfed him he got bloated. I started feeding him every 4 days instead of the 2 that the label said, and he got skinny again. I also kept him on that "diet" from then on and I still have him after 3 years.
2006-09-26 07:56:33 · answer #7 · answered by dragon_fan1 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Change 50% of his water to bring down any ammonia/nitrite build up due to overfeeding. If need be continue doing this every 2nd day. Use a water conditioner to remove the toxins from the water before adding it to his bowl or let it stand for 24 hours before changing his water.
Feed him 1 pellet and wait for him to eat. If he doesn`t eat it remove the pellet. Do the same when he starts eating again. This way you won`t overfeed him.
2006-09-26 07:52:55 · answer #8 · answered by Cichlid 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My beta lived a good long time, I fed him only once a day, and a pinch of his fish food. If you've overfed him, I would wait ONE day until you feed him again. It is best to underfeed him than to overfeed him. If he seems not very interested in his food, perhaps buy him another brand or variety of beta food. He should be fine.
2006-09-26 07:52:57 · answer #9 · answered by nellie_3000 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Try some variety in the foods. Geez, don't starve him. Feed them several times a day only an amount they will eat in the next few minutes. These aren't carp for goodness sakes.
2006-09-26 07:51:01 · answer #10 · answered by MickYahoo 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋