i started giving him flakes, he eats them well, but then somebody told me that the flakes are no good because they get the water dirty. so i switched to pellets, but he does't eat them at all. it's been days, and the pellets are just floating there. is he going to starve to death??
2007-04-10 10:20:31 · 9 answers · asked by tatenuri 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
He probably doesn't recognise the pellets as food. I doubt he would starve himself to death before trying one, but it can make you wonder sometimes. I would suggest gooing back to flakes. They only dirt water if you feed too much. I would also add frozen blood worm every few days, bettas really like them and do well on them.
MM
2007-04-10 10:34:44 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes he will starve to death if he doesnt eat. The flakes are just fine for it to eat, as long as you feed it just enough so it will eat it all. You can buy the flakes that say "clear water formula" on the bottle and they wont fog the water. But if you do get dirty water, just put your betta in a cup of dechlorinated water and change it's water. oh yeah and someone told you that flakes dont have the nutrients the bettas need, but if they are specifically labeled for bettas they have all the nutrients they will ever need. And please dont wait for it to eat the pellets, fish will starve themselves if they dont like the food, just give it back the flakes, i have never had a problem with them. good luck
2007-04-14 10:17:22 · answer #2 · answered by Heather B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes it takes a while for fish to recignize a new kind of food. first clean any un-eaten pellets. When you feed him i would begin to give him some flakes with a few pellets. if he does not start to eat them and you reeeeallly really want him to eat it--keep feeding him nothing but the pellets. Remove the old ones and don't worry about him starving. when he begins to starve he will get desperate and begin to eat the pellets and will soon grow to love them.
i wouldn't worry about your betta friend dying, bettas can (naturally in the wild) go without food for a long time. In fact it is reccommended to not feed them for a few days every couple of months.
I reccomend getting him on the pellets, because they contain nutrients which bettas need, and flakes don't provide.
2007-04-10 12:03:13 · answer #3 · answered by Alison B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What type pellets are you using. I feed my bettas Hikari Betta Bio-Gold. They love them. I give them 3 pellets once a day. If they pellets you put in the tank are floating, you should remove them as they will decay and create ammonia which the bacteria may not be able to handle.
As for the bloodworms, bettas love them but they are extremely high in protein so you should only feed them once or maybe twice a week. The high protein can lead to constipation and swim bladder problems.
2007-04-10 10:32:41 · answer #4 · answered by rdd1952 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I actually heard that pellets will expand their stomache so you have to be careful with that. Bloodworms get the water really dirty, and if your fish doesn't eat them all the bacteria on the worms can start to fungus. I use flakes, my tanks are fine.
2007-04-10 17:46:04 · answer #5 · answered by tigereyes0623 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bettas can be picky eaters. Most love bloodworms and all 5 of my bettas love the Hikari Betta Bio-Gold pellets.
2007-04-11 05:39:23 · answer #6 · answered by Fierce Lioness 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
switch back to the old food because some flakes won't cloud the water
2007-04-10 10:47:41 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
feed him a pellet at a time ;)
2007-04-13 05:01:36 · answer #8 · answered by chris strets 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
GIVE HIM BLOODWORMS FROM PETSMART!!!!!!!!!!!
2007-04-10 10:23:51 · answer #9 · answered by Tiffany :] 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋