My Betta Fish Won't Eat!?

Question

I bought a female betta fish from a pet store a few months ago. I feed her HBH Betta Bites, and up until a couple of days ago she was eating every day. But now when I feed her she comes up to the food, looks at it, then swims away. I don't know why she is doing this! I was thinking maybe her water is too cold.. It is about 69 degrees. I have her in a glass bowl. Is there a heater for a tank that small? Her coloring also seems less vivid.
Any help would be greatly appreciated..

Answer 1

You are right, her water is too cold. They will do ok at that temp for a short while, but as you are seeing will not eat much at all. Try a lamp during the day to warm the bowl and as someone else said leave the bowl in a high place at night. Avoiding drafts at any time is also a good idea.

MM

Answer 2

I have a female betta in a 1/2 gallon bowl and I haven't been able to find a heater for a container that small. What I do is put her bowl on top of my other fish tank which is heated to keep her warm. I think that the air at about waist level is warmest so if you could find a surface in your house that is at this level, in a relatively warm place this should keep her water in a comfortable temperature range. Bettas are picky eaters and can go without eating for up to a month. I wouldn't worry about it. Mine may go a day without eating, but in a day or so, when she starts to get hungry she comes around.

Answer 3

My fish wont eat sometimes but thats normal. Its good for them to take a break for awhile. 69 degrees does seem a little cold. Try heating it up. Not to scare you but she might be sick or just not hungry. Don't stress, and if she's that hungry she will forget about the cold and get some food. I recommend that you keep trying to feed her. If the food floats to the bottom then she will go down there to get it. Betta's are strong. Good Luck!

Answer 4

I had a similar problem. I would drop the food in and he would look at it and swim away like you said. But after a while, he came up and ate it. How old is your fish? It might be from age and getting sick or something. I'm not sure, but if you try to get her to eat and she continues to swim away, I would get a vet's advice. If she gets too pale, see what you can do to get her to eat again. That might be a serious problem. You could try different foods, but I don't know what that would do. Sorry. I tried to help. Oh, and could you possibly be feeding her too much? Just wondering. Best of luck with your fish!

Answer 5

alright, i've had this problem before. a betta's water should actually be about 82 degrees. how big is the glass bowl anyways? i learned the hard way that betta's just barely survive in glass bowls. they have hardly any room to swim or to stretch their fins out. you can get a small aquarium kit from wal-mart that has all you need. a heater a filter and a light. if her coloring has depleted then she is probably stressed out. you really should try putting her in one of those things, its bigger than a little glass bowl. you can contact me at my [e-mail] if you would like.

Answer 6

It has to do with their "breeding time", don't worry about it. Their color will do that, takes about 3-4 days and she will be back to normal. If you are really worried and want to see her eat - put a small piece of raw hamburger in the tank - she will eat that whether hungry or not. They also like tetramin - I alternate between bettamin & that.
They don't seem to mind temperature in their tank at all. I've had my betta for 2 years, and no problems yet.

Answer 7

yup 69 is probably too cold. put the bowl under a lamp during the day and high up on a tall bookcase or kitchen cabinets at night. heat rises -- remember?

try feeding frozen bloodworms if the hunger strike goes on more than a few days. just get a worm and hold it with tweezers right by her head until she goes for it.

Answer 8

It is probly sick in a small bowl with no filter. I would advise for you to get 10 gallon aquarium or greater

Answer 9

O NO ITS DYING FEED IT QUICK!