why doesnt my betta eat?

Question

i feed him sparingly once a day, like it says, but every time i look in the tank to feel him the next day, he didnt eat it, it just sank to the bottom.
is he sick? does he not like the little pellets?
is he anorexic?? o.O
i named him hervert. :]

jennifer, a "
beta" is a PRETTY FISH.

well all RIGHT, mister pick, its a LITTLE tank.

and i bought him the little blue thing with the red betta on it, and it says "BETTA" in big red letters.

i dont think hed be full, cuz he never ate anything. :[

Answer 1

do NOT feed them only freeze dried blood worms... that's like feeding your kid only potato chips. there is no nutrition in them. you fish won't starve, if he gets hungry enough he'll eat. try only giving him one pellet at a time, then when he doens't eat anymore don't give him anymore.

however, he may be depressed. believe it or not bettas can become depressed. ideally, they should be kept in a filtered, heated tank of at least 2.5 gallons. a silk plant of two to play in usually helps as well. with a filter, only 20% water changes are needed twice a week, and full water changes don't need to be done at all really. so it's actually saving you a lot of work, just something to think about.

*to gary p... no, they only have extremely slow digestive tracks (and everything else) when people think it's cool to keep them in tiony unheated bowls. when any animal gets to cold everything slows down.

Answer 2

there are many reasons your betta won't eat;

1. He is sick, the water quality is prolly killing him if your letting rotting food sit in the tank. You need to change the water every 3-5 days.

2. you just bought him and he is not comfortable enough to eat.

3. he hates what your feeding him. Try a variety of foods. I suggest hikari pelets and freeze dried blood worms.

4. he is too cold, bettas will not eat when cold.

5. he is stressed, could be from to small of a space, too much movement, he was abused at a pet store. You can try adding a small place he can hide in, under. Look for decorations that have built in caves or a large leafed fabric plant.

Answer 3

I have been raising Betta's for years. And yes the hate those crappy pellets. Buy him freeze dried blood worms. They're in the fish food section. My Betta will eat every time I feed him those. I feed him 3 to five small meals a day. Some people say that they dont eat much. Thats not true. They also just LOVE live tubifex worms. You can get those from a decent pet shop. Not wall mart.

Answer 4

in case you probably did no longer feed your Betta bloodworm's. for a jointly as and he have been given hungry sufficient i'm helpful he could consume the Betta bits. I provide my Betta bloodworm's another nite so if he needs something to consume between then he extra suitable it the bits. and he does. He likes the flakes to. i could say the bloodworm's style extra suitable than the bits. stable success.

Answer 5

I feed mine some Betta flakes along with the pellets and he seems to like the flakes better.What is he in,Betta's are happiest and healthiest in at least a 2 gallon tank with a small heater and filter.

Answer 6

Well, Hervert might not like those pellets. Try regular fish food. And one thing about Betta's is that they are private....feed him and walk away. Don't stand there watching him...lol. Good luck!

Answer 7

Sometimes beta 's wont eat because they are "stressed out" . If it dosent eat after awhile i would reccomend putting some of those water ph balancers in his tank and might help a little bit. You can pick those up at a pet store

Answer 8

You sure you're not giving him to much? Beta fish don't really eat a whole lot. And, my beta ate colored flakes...

And from personal experience, keep the tank completely clean as much as possible and always covered, they like to comit suicide..literally...

Answer 9

betta love live worms. I forgot the name of the worms, but you can go to the pet stores that sell bettas and ask for the small live worms use for feeding bettas.

Answer 10

Do you have a heater in his tank? If the temperature isn't around 76-80o, he's not going to be very active, including eating. Try raising his temperature if it's too low, and be sure to remove any uneaten food from the tank.