Help! My betta fish isn't eating, any advice welcome!

17 years ago

My new betta fish isn't eating! I just got him, and I am aware that they may take a while, but I've tried everything! Even the frozen peas. My brother has a new one too, and it has the same problem. My fish lives in filtered, perfectly clean water and tank. He seems happy, he's making a bubble nest as we speak. He always squeezes between the filter and wall, and he always runs up and down the tank. I don't see any funguses or anything. He may be old, he has very long fins. He just loves swimming around his tank though. He has no plants YET. On the bottom of his tank he has smooth rocks. I've fed him pellets, peas, tropical flakes, Freeze dried worms, please help! This is my first betta fish, and I want him to last a long time and not starve. And also, he lives ina 2.5 by himself. He's not too big, he has plenty of room. He also flares a lot.

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Comments (14)

rayama
17 years ago
How long has he not been eating? I believe they can safely go a week without food.

Is the water warm enough?

You said frozen peas...did you thaw, cook, and peel them first?

My betas LOVE snow peas. I save them from my chinese food, pull the peas from the pod, rinse them, and put them in.

If you can catch or swat a housefly, throw it in there.
petiolaris
17 years ago
His behavior sounds perefctly normal. Maybe he is eating when you are not around to see it? He could be just adjusting to his new environment. Maybe try some frozen or live food.
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jen789
Original Author
17 years ago
Last night I was watching him, and I saw he has fungus... right under his gills and between his fins. It's going to be hard to get medicine since we're snowed in. (we live in the country). My brother's fish has it on his gills. And it's not exactly warm enough for flies so... ya.
jen789
Original Author
17 years ago
My brother's fish died this morning, the medicine didn't help. His whole head was covered in fungus. :( It's been a week and the fish isn't eating, the temperature is usually between 58 F and 63 F. His fungus is getting better, not cured though. Still Not Eating!!!
petiolaris
17 years ago
How often are you doing water changes? What medicine are you using? Sometimes people do too much to soon and the medicine doesn't have adequate time to work. Just a thought. I would concentrate on geting him healed and then deal with eating.
james_ny
17 years ago
Try some live brine shrimp [may have to turn off the filter] from the pet store. Sometimes seeing prey move triggers their hunting instincts.
botanical_bill
17 years ago
Maybe since his is sick, he is not eating. Its like you with the flu, you dont eat. I would not worrie as much to the eating as the fungus. Im sure once you clean up the fungus he will start to eat.
I would try to keep the water temp with in a 2 degree range rather than the 5, do you have a heater in the 2.5g? Dont keep it by a window, you get drafts and sometimes direct sunlight, this can be bad for the overall health of the tank.
Just a tip. If by chance the unfortunate happens, get your tank started before you put in the fish. That is, get the plants growing and a stable condtion. This might take from 1-4 weeks, probably the lower on the 2.5g.
Good luck.
jen789
Original Author
17 years ago
Yesterday he may have eaten a pellet, I was giving him a water change and I had him in a jar, I put a pellet in there. WHen I was finished, half of a pellet was at the bottom of the tank, so I dont know? And Once I tried a goldfish flake just to see if he had a taste for that and as it was sinking he was really trying to get it but he's too slow. I just bought a Plecostomus to eat some of the leftover food I miss when I feed him.
petiolaris
17 years ago
Sounds like he is getting better!
jen789
Original Author
17 years ago
He's really enjoying the pleco's company! He always sleeps in its cave when the pleco is in the cave.

And yesterday I think he ate a pellet. I put two in, and about 10 minutes later when I was going to take them out, I could only find one. But it could've gotten sucked up by the filter too.
jen789
Original Author
17 years ago
Now he's eating! I fed him a moth ane he just spit it out, then the next day he just kept spitting out his food. (at least it was progress!!) And now he eats like a pig!
petiolaris
17 years ago
Congratulations! Would you like to know how to breed them?
deandrebrown75_yahoo_com
13 years ago
My betta fish is not eAting and I got him march 24,2011..and it's not swimming around..BUT when I'm not around it's swimming!!! In need help please and i just cleaned the aqarium It's a betta keeper aquarium.
nicolebluebear_hotmail_com
12 years ago
My constipated Betta keeps on spitting out his peas. I have had him for one year and a half. He has a bloated stomach. Thanks