I just bought a new betta fish and I feel bad because if I go out at night then he is in the dark all night. I also am trying to figure out how to get him to eat because I will drop his pellets of food at the top of his tank and he won't come get it and they will sink to the bottom so I tried tapping on the side and he won't come still so it sinks to the bottom into the rocks. Should I continue to put more pellets in there until I see him eat them or should I just assume that he can reach them on the rocks at the bottom?
2007-01-03 07:19:27 · 11 answers · asked by Teresa 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
Dark is fine at night. In the wild, bettas have night and day, and they should in captivity, too. 10-12 hours of light per day is good, the rest should be evening / night.
If you just got him, he may be a little too stressed to eat. Keep offering him one pellet, twice a day (try to remove it if he doesn't eat it). Don't tap on the glass, that is very scary for a betta! Try offering him freezedried bloodworms - many bettas can't resist them.
Make sure the water is warm enough (bettas like 80F water) and that he has enough room. Those little cups from the petstores are not enough (5 gallons is an ideal tank size with filter and heater). also make sure that the water is clean (this is why you should remove any uneaten food, and replace 50% of the water every other day using a clean turkey baster - otherwise ammonia builds up too quickly... unless you have a filter, in which case just replace 30% once a week).
Anyway, give him time, keep his water warm and clean, and he'll get hungry eventually. Bettas can do a long while without food.
2007-01-03 07:31:32 · answer #1 · answered by Zoe 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Darkness is not bad for fish, and many experts believe it is essential for the well being of fish.
Many fish will not eat at first after they are put into a new tank. This is a very stressful process for the fish. You don't mention how big your tank is or if it's filtered. Contrary to popular belief bettas really require a heated and filtered aquarium to thrive. They may survive in an unheated bowl but they will live a short life.
Fish will also not eat if the tank is too cold. Bettas need to have a constant 75-80F tank water.
2007-01-03 07:49:06 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a Betta fish for almost 3 yrs now. I feed mine Betta Bites and he loves it. I don't see any problem with fish being in the dark at night. Mine is in a fish bowl on my kitchen counter and there's not a bunch of light. Don't over feed or water will get icky. some of the food will sink to the bottom of the bowl. Good luck with your fish. I love mine.
2007-01-03 09:13:27 · answer #3 · answered by grandmaohno02 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To answer the first question no, the dark isn't bad, but if you really feel that bad then you can install an aquaruim light that they sell in the petstores. When it comes to feeding him, he may be a little unaccustomed and stressed by what is happening to him. If his fins and tail are clamped, then that is the case. Just give him some time and he will come about. Hope this helps!!
2007-01-03 09:30:27 · answer #4 · answered by ♥Petlover♥ 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't worry, my betta is in th dark every night. Do you have green peas at home? just put one in the microwave for a little bit and then take the little thing inside of it, out. feed that to ur betta, they love it!
2007-01-03 07:48:26 · answer #5 · answered by tz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you leave the light on for the betta all day, they'll die of stress. Bettas can only sleep when it gets dark or provide somewhere like a little cave or tunnel area that is dark.
2007-01-03 07:48:52 · answer #6 · answered by chamelean75 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
First of all all fish including Betas need night and day. if you keep a light on all night he wont be able to sleep (partly because they don't have eyelids)because of all the light. Second of all Betas are solitary animals and don't require companionship. if he doesn't eat you might want to take him to the vet.
2007-01-03 10:41:55 · answer #7 · answered by Orange Range 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i don't think it's bad for a betta to be in the dark. you can go to a fish expert on the food.or maybe you're not giving the fish what he wants to eat.
2007-01-03 07:41:49 · answer #8 · answered by tibit 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try freeze dried blood worms. They love that. They are very picky eaters and once used to a type of food they don't like to change.
The dark at night won't hur tthem. In their native habitat it is sunny in the daytime and dark at night.
2007-01-03 07:23:14 · answer #9 · answered by Carol B 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
try a variey of betta's food and darkness wont hurt the fish.
2007-01-03 07:28:57 · answer #10 · answered by vy0441 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋