How can I save my betta fish he does not eat at all for almost 2 weeks now?

Question

He starting by spiting out his food . sometimes he runs around the 1 galon aquarium and jumps a little bit out opening his mouth. other times he stays still hiding on the bottom or under a live plant .Recently I noticed a small swelling behind his left eye and he seems he is tilting a little bit on that site. What can I do to save him? If you know what i can do please answer me asap. Thanks

Answer 1

Your water is extremely polluted and is making him very sick. Don't try to feed him more then every other day if he is not eating. The uneaten food causes an increase in ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in your tank. He is currently suffering from what sounds like swim bladder disease and pop eye. For the time being, the best thing you can do is change half of the water daily for at least four days, then every other day for a week then every third day for a week and so on. Buy a one gallon jug of water and some freshwater salt (has no additives). Add one level teaspoon of salt to the jug of water and shake it well. Every day, pour out half of the bettas water and top it up with the salted water. After the second day, refill the jug, add salt to it and let it stand open overnight for use the next day (chlorine will evaporate). Don't feed him for three days, and then, if he is still alive, feed him the inside of a pea (frozen is okay, just thaw it) cut it up into bite sized pieces and feed him that. It will correct the swimming problem. In future, feed about half of what you have been
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Answer 2

You might want to try the following things.... change the water, add the reducing stress liquid, add some aquarium salt, and maybe even some medicine (is a blue liquid that u can buy at pet stores, wal mart). Like the other have said maybe changing his food. I bet if you get bloodworms, he won't resist them and eat them, you can also get these at a pet store. When you change the water make sure you add some anti-chlorine stuff. Hope this helps a little. You can also go to www.aquariumfish.net and go to the fish stress section (scroll down until you see it on the left side), that's an awesome site where you can get info not only for bettas but for all types of fish. Good luck!

Answer 3

I have a Betta and much like yours, it never eats. I guess it does at some point, maybe during the night, cause it's still alive but I haven't actually seen her do it in a while. I know that the hiding is normal, they like to sit still a lot too. From the actions you are describing, your fish is fine. As for the eye, I would have it looked at by the people at the place you purchased it from, 9 times out of 10 they can answer whatever questions you may have.

Answer 4

have you changed his food at all ? I know my beta I tried another brand and she refused to eat till I went back to my old brand.

and really they can go 30 days without eating its just that kind of fish. Mine wont eat every day either just every other day. They like to hide to mine is always at the bottom where her plant is they are just not a very active fish .

As for the swelling im not sure what that could be from. All I can say is call a fish store and see if they can tell you what is wrong with your fish,.

Im sorry I couldnt help you out much more about this. I hope you can find your answers soon

Answer 5

Okay get ready these are detailed instructions and I can't guarantee they will work but they worked wonders for me when my fish showed a change in behavior, no eating, wasting away, clamped fins, lethargy, etc.

1. 100% water change
2. Clean his tank spotless if you have other fish do not use anything that touches his tank, net, water....etc with them
3. Do not use soap to clean his tank
4. Go and buy tetracycline. It is an antobiotic. Give it to him as the directions state. For a one gallon tank (that is what I have as well) it is a tiny amount. I am a PSN so I have access to needles and syringes so I was able to measure an amount that small. You may have to get creative in measuring. I buy my tetracycline at Petsmart.
5. Pester him several times a day with a variety of food. I grabbed mine with long tweezers and kept touching it to his mouth. Eventually as he recovered he would take it. Stay away from frozen live or live food it may carry bacteria that your fish can't handle right now.
6. Change his water every two days. It is going to have buubles on the surface and it may turn pink/red/bright red that is the medication.
7. Keep at it. Hopefully he will live. If he doesn't it may have been old age or starting treatment to late. Good luck and best wishes to your fish!

Answer 6

I have a very picky beta fish & sometimes giving him small bits of bread helps, he loves it. The swelling I'm not sure about, call your local pet store or vet & I'm sure they can help. Good Luck :)

Answer 7

Try some live brine shrimp or bloodworms. You DO need to be doing water changes like iceni says.