Betta is Not Eating, and has Possible FIN ROT?? (pic inside)?

Question

I got my Betta about a week ago, and as soon as i set up his tank i fed him 3 pellets he only ate One and the rest sank to the bottom, now i only try giving him one and he swims quickly up to it brings it into his mouth and then spits it out... he looks relitivly Healthy he swims and moves alot.. but then i noticed he might have FIN ROT!!!!!!! his fins dont look damaged in anyway he just had black on them but its hard to tell because he has a dark face.. so it might be just his Colouring?? Anyways what can i feed him other than pellets? i read that bettas only eat pellets when they are STARVING.. i know there is bloodworms and shrimp brines? but that stuff constipates them and are only treats? right?... Oh and hes not constipated i know that forsure... Also how can i treat this possible fin rot? i read that a bit of Aquarium salt works.. but is that even true?

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/_torn__/ithinkmyfishisbroken.jpg

Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

your betta looks fine and beautiful and that's not a fin rot. it might have been in a fight while being shipped to te pet shop. some breeders will ship males together(you know what happens when males are together) to petshops. Or it could have been that your fish moves alot and a vigorous activity and that also could damaged his fin I noticed that you have pointy plasticky plants in your aquarium, keep it to minimal, this will prevent future fin damage. try live plants instead.

Bettas are not fuzzy eaters as long as it is regular and in adequate amount. frozen or live adult brine shrimp, newly hatched live brine shrmp, tubifex,or white worms, microworms, mosquito lavae, daphnia, bits of raw beef or liver and even hamburger(not recommended) might be taken. if it is necessary to change the fish's diet, do so gradually. A varied diet is better than a reliance on one food. Freeze dried foods are good too. Dried foods should be used only as a supplement to the above mentioned foods. I breed bettas and this is how I feed my fish.

If you're worried about fin rot, adding salt to the water at the rate of a tablespoon for each gallon of water can help. the salt shoul be non-iodizede. give a water change two or three days later and repeat the salt treatment if necessary. BE WATCHFUL FOR SIGNS OF DISEASE!

Answer 2

I have to agree with sundog about the fins - that doesn't appear to be rot to me either.

The food you're giving him may just be something other than what he's used to, or the pellets may be too large for him to eat all at once. Try soaking them on a bottle cap with some tank water for about a minute before you put them in the tank - that will soften them enough that he'll be able to eat them more easily. I know it's not true that bettas don't like pellets - mine eats them 4-5 at a time up to twice a day. That said, not all betta pellets are made with the best quality of ingredients. Hikari and Omega One are what I use - more real fish, less fillers. I also give frozen bloodworms and daphnia and live mosquito larvae and blackworms as treats.

Another possibility is your water temperature - bettas prefer it between 76 and 86 - too far in either direction, they become lethargic and lose thei appetites.

If your betta is relatively new, do you have him in a tank or a bowl? If a bowl, do you do water changes every 3 days at least? If the ammonia builds up in the water, this can cause fin damage (and loss of appetite!). The ammonia is also toxic to fish in relatively small amounts. I prefer to keep my bettas in 2.5 gallon mini bow tanks (WalMart has these and they come with a filter and light). You can get them in black, or a variety of colors you can match or coordinate with the betta's colors. In a regular tank, even one as small as a 2.5 gallon, you'd only need to change about 1/4 of the water each week and he'd have a lot more room for swimming (which they do if they have the space!). Best of all, you don't need to move the betta (and stress him out) when you clean - just use a small gravel vacuum to clean the gravel at the bottom - mine even likes to watch stuff get pulled up and try to bite it through the tubing.

Answer 3

A betta is a carnivore and prefers live, or at least meaty foods, such as the brine shrimp. And no, they aren't only for treats, and shouldn't constipate him if you vary the diet a little. He'll probably go for some flake foods, if not train him by feeding the meaty fresh or frozen foods for a while, then giving him some flakes. You might also try well-rinsed canned sliced green bean, small pieces of course.
Don't use salt, but do make sure the water temp is 78-80 F, and I hope you have him in at least a 2 gallon container.
Right off hand, I'd say that's natural coloring.

Answer 4

First of all, why are you filling the hospital tank you have in case your Goldfish get sick? Disease spreads fast among fish, so where are you going to put the Beta if your fish catch something? I doubt that was a smart move. Secondly, I don't think this is fin rot. This is just how his fins appear to be, a little more wavy than normal. Your Beta is probably just getting used to the tank. Give him some time...

Answer 5

get Melafix from the store and follow the instructions, make sure you are declorinating the water and try feeding them some brine shrimp or blood worms a couple time a week, they like the feel of the hunt, also try BettaMin, it is a flake diet but all of my bettas have not liked any betta foods except BettaMin. good luck

Answer 6

Aquarium salt cures finrot. Salt works wonders! 1tbsp per 5 gallons of water. Dont use table salt as it contains iodine. um..Try fish flakes? Or Daphnia (i think thats how u spell it) I dont think its fit rot becasue it would have white along the edges. But try salt, it helps either way.

Answer 7

http://www.fishdoc.co.uk/disease/finrot.htm < thats for fin rot... bye the way beautiful betta. first try crushing up the pellets. the pellets i have are AquaCulture color enhancing. or use flakes...

Answer 8

well they live in the wild so live food shouldnt constipate them (i hope lol) and there is products to get rid of fin rot and I cant think of thew name just go to google and type "how to get rid of fin rot" and you get a lot of stuff. my own fish had fin rot but he died about a year ago.( i did treat him though he was just old)