Betta won't eat! HELP!?

Question

I got my first Betta fish 2 days ago. He doesn't swim very much, but rests at the top a lot. Iv'e tried to feed him every day since I got him, and he will suck the food in but spit it out immediatly and won't eat it again. Do I need new food or is there something wrong with him? Iv'e been feeding him HBH pellets. Any help or general betta advice would be much appreciated! I don't know what I'm doing!

Answer 1

Bettas need a tank with a heater and a filter just like any other tropical fish. They are from southeast Asia (Thailand) and the water temp there is 78-82 degrees F. They do not live in puddles or hoofprints.

I never feed pellets to bettas, they have too many digestive problems with the hard pellets. I always feed BettaMin Flakes by Tetra (comes in a small yellow can for about $2). High protein and very tasty judging by the way mine always wolf them down. Treats such as bloodworms and adult brine shrimp are good to tempt him with also.

The place where you got him may have been feeding him flakes and he doesn't recognize the pellets as food. Try pre-soaking them in a cup of his tank water if you want to continue feeding pellets.

One of the reasons bettas stop eating is a digestive disorder (look for swelling of the abdomen). It could be because of the pellets. They are hard and if you don't presoak them they could cause a blockage if too many are eaten.

Symptoms of impending death are listlessness, loss of color and loss of appetite. This is usually caused by poor water quality (not doing water changes when necessary), fluctuating temps (small bowls are notorious for this) and not enough protein in the diet. Bettas are carnivores in the wild.

They can live up to 5 years in the wild and up to 7 in a heated filtered aquarium in your home. In a bowl they average about 6 months to a year. Must be pure torture for them too. The record is just over 10 years in a lab situation.

BTW, betta is pronounced bet-tah, not bay-tah.

Answer 2

Hey may just be stressed still from the move and may come around. He may also be adjusting to the food if he was fed anything different at the petstore. I agree with the mirror idea, he'll get greedy and possessive of his food then. Also the blood worms might be a good idea too. I used to feed mine the freeze dried variety but the frozen ones are better. Bettas can go several days without eatting but it's not good for them to go too long. They only need to be fed 2-3 pellets at a time twice a day. Their stomachs are only about as big as their eyes and they can get sick and constipated easily if they are over fed. Don't cave if he starts begging for food..they are little pigs with fins and don't know when to stop eatting.

Answer 3

just before you feed him try putting a small mirror in front of his tank. He will go nuts for a couple minutes. Then take the mirror away and feed him. He should eat to keep the food from the "other" fish. Also remember that they don't need a whole lot of food. Don't let the old food sit in the tank either, you should remove what he doesn't eat after 5 minutes.

Answer 4

When you got your Betta, did you just put him tap water? If you did, the chlorine levels may be high, and he is getting ill.
Use a water conditioner, to get the proper levels. Stress Coat is wonderful. I use it all the time.
Betta's will only eat a very small amount.
They have Betta food, and you are supposed to give only 5 pellets at a time.
Hope this helps!

Answer 5

if he's that new he may be adjusting, when he relaxes (a couple more days) he should eat normally. don't worry about him too much yet. bettas can go a week even two w/o food, so he's not starving. he is taking in some of the nutrients before he spits the food out so that's normal sometimes. the inactivity can also be a result of the new better environment... he's in shock! =)
as male bettas get older, i find it more common that they get sluggish due to their large finnage, it gets tougher to balance it out in the water so it chooses inactivity. as long as he reacts to stimuli like taping, breaking the water surface, and waving, he's great.

Answer 6

Beta fish dont eat very much. I know the guy at walmart that works in the pet department. He told me he forgets to feed them for weeks and they do fine.

Answer 7

Ya know I had one that lived for 4 years, unreal I know!
But, I kinda remember him doing that too sometimes...
It's hard to say if something is wrong with yours though..
Maybe talk to your local fish store people..

Answer 8

Lots of things can cause problems - too many things to list here.
You can go to this site and get all the information you need.

http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_care.htm

Answer 9

Ask Vet? Do that any time a pet needs help its easy ( call them its free lol)

Answer 10

buy some frozen blood warms, that should do it