my betta is sick and he won't eat ! will he die ?

Question

my betta i have had him for 10 months and this had never happen before . all of a sudden he didn't eat and he lookes kinda sick. n i think he got a bacterial infection so im gonna get him medication, and i put some aquari-sol but nothing happen. he jsut sits at the bottom n only getting up to get air and not eating the food. will he die ? ;[ and will he die since he is not eating any food ?

Answer 1

I feel sad to have to say this, but probably sweetie. My sister had a fish who did the same thing. She took him to our friend who runs the local pet shop, and he said there's really nothing you can do for a fish at that point. Her fish died later that day (sadly on her birthday.) If a fish is not eating, chances are he will die hun, but probably not from starvation. More likely from whatever is causing him not to eat.

Answer 2

I don't know the life span of a beta, but sometimes my beloved goldie (also named Charles!) gets this very affliction. I believe it is swim bladder illness. Boil some peas (I microwave them in water), and mush some soft ones up for the little guy. Hand feed if necessary. Peas seem to be a wonder cure for the little fishies. I hope he gets better! PS Don't feed him the pea shells, just the mushy innards... also a little aquarium salt wouldn't hurt, i think around a tablespoon per 5 gallons... don't oversalt!

Answer 3

try warming him up -- if you have him in a bowl put it under a lamp during the day and up on top of a tall bookcase or kitchen cabinets at night -- warm air rises.

also try feeding him frozen blood worms or daphnea or something like that -- you can thaw them out and store them in a little baby food jar and they will last a couple days. try holding a bloodworm by his head with tweezers and about 99% of the time they will grab it.

about the only other thing i could suggest is getting him a bigger bowl with a plant that reaches the top of the water. bettas are territorial and if you keep them in sterile environments they don't have much to call territory.

Answer 4

When my Betta was sick, I took her out of the current water and put her in a fresh glass of spring water/distilled water. Clean out her old water and make sure you wash it out good, let it sit in some hot water for a few hours.. Let him/her in the glass for a few days and once in awhile give a pinch of food and see if he/she will eat. This may take a few days til he/she comes around...keep changing the water every other day to ensure the bacteria isn't following. That's all I did.. you can try it and see what happens.

Answer 5

Well betta can go weeks without food. The real concern is why he isn't eating. 1st sure his water is clean, and he is being kept in 75-85F temps. (Ideally above 80F) Then take a look at the betta talk disease page, and re-examine him. If it doesn't appear he has velvet, or ich. I'd try trisulfa, or another broad spectrum antibiotic.

Answer 6

Perhaps you should carry him to a veterinarian. usually they can diagnose and help betas or they may bring in an aquacultureist to see what kind of bacterial infection he has. You can probubly put a small amout of salt in the tank with him ( about a teaspoon) and this will help to calm him down and help to kill any bacteria that may be in the tank

but the vet is ur best bet.

Answer 7

Quite often when fish stop eating they are really telling you something about how they are feeling. step one should be for you to have the water tested as it maybe something to do with poor water.step two would be to really look at your fish closely to see if you can distinguish anything different about him. check his fins for rips ,fuzz or discoloration.see if his gills are pale .check if his body is swollen. any of these conditions would indicate he needs medication.with the popularity of bettas being so high there are specific medications for bettas in bowls available in your better pet shops. good luck

Answer 8

Yes, he will die. It is almost a fact . I had a betta for 2 years and that was his problem. We tried lots of things to save his life but everything was in vain, it die.

Answer 9

bettas get sick for 2-3 weeks sometimes.
People often give them "burial at sea" thinking they are dead when they aren't.

Ours is lazy and lays in the bottom all the time unless theres food.

Answer 10

bettas are not big eaters to begin with and if he is ill he may not feel like eating...don't push the food at him...keep medicating him and try and raise the temperature a couple of degrees.