# He Wont Eat! =(



## Cactus (Jan 18, 2009)

Hey there guys,

I have a question, my Betta wont seem to eat. Everything in his tank seems fine, I just can't get him to eat? Only thing I can think of is because of the bubblestone he doesn't like to go to the top of the tank, is it possible that because of that, he wont eat his food?

I've tried two different kinds of pellets by the way.


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## Nature neil (Jan 15, 2009)

Have you tried any live food or frozen bloodworm cubes? Did the foam go from the surface?

Best to try livefood like daphnia, it costs around $1 a bag from your local fish shop just pour it in and he will devour them.
Good luck


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## Dmaaaaax (Nov 20, 2008)

If you just got it, ask the store what they fed it, chances are he is just picky and needs to adjust to new foods.


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## Cactus (Jan 18, 2009)

Well I'll try the blood worms, he does apparently need to adjust, I'm just worried as it's been 3 days now.

Thanks guys!


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

Bettas are really naughty little picky eaters sometimes, but to start with is the tank filter totally cycled? If not you may have a little problem with one of the big three: ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates. Have you checked for them? If the water parameters are off he will not have an appetite either. But if they are fine then he just does not like what you are feeding him and with pellets especially I have found that MANY of the pellets made just for bettas they make them too big for the bettas mouths. The only brands they make really realistically good sized for them are the Betta Bio-Gold pellets and the Atison's Betta Pro Pellets. They are very small but some of the others are actually too large for them to manage and they try to eat them but cannot swallow them. So just because they are MADE for a betta does not mean that bettas will eat them.

Hikari and Ocean Nutrition (Atison's) seem to have it right where others do not seem to be very good with betta foods as yet. The live foods and frozen foods are good but be careful and only buy established brands as the lesser known brands may not have processed them properly and they may carry parasites or disease from improper handling. I never feed them to my fish but have known of others who have done so successfully. My guys really prefer freeze dried bloodworms to everything else and Hikari is their favorite brand by far. The size is right for them and they just seem to like them better than any other food. They will eat that when they won't anything else. They also will eat Atison's Betta Pro Pellets, Atison's Betta Formula Pellets, Hikari Betta Bio-gold Pellets, Hikari Freeze dried daphnia. That is all my little guys eat and like so I do not carry a large supply of other things. Once in a long while I feed them a small bit of raw liver (beef) the size of half their eye size just for a treat. (got the idea from an article on bettas from Tropical Fish Magazine and they do like it very much) but this is a once in a very long time thing.

The idea about calling the shop or breeder where you got him to find out what he is used to eating is a very good one as some bettas I have known get used to one food and will just simply not eat any other thing. I had one betta who would eat only one food and that was his only diet his whole life. I nearly went bankrupt trying to find out what to feed him until I finally called to find out that he ate freeze dried bloodworms and that was all he would ever eat. I find that I have never had a betta refuse those but I also found that you need to be careful of the brands on those too as they vary in size and quality. Generally the great big ones do not go over as well as the smaller ones for the bettas.

Don't worry about his being off his food for 3 days, I had mine go for 7 full days one time and they were fine. He does need to eat but he will be okay as long as he gets something in the week. He will eat if he is really hungry. But he will be okay. You may want to try a water change though in case it is water quality in part.

Rose


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## fishfinder (Aug 31, 2008)

Mine are partial to Tetra BettaMin tropical medley and live tubifex worms. I've tried the Bio Gold, mine just won't take pellets at all. They are healthy. I try frozen brine shrimp and daphnia, live brine shrimp. But they won't take them. But I feel at least they know there is a constant supply of a variety of things. But, they just love the BettaMin. As long as they are happy and healthy, I'm happy. I feed a little twice a day.


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

It is important not to overdo the shrimp in the diet of bettas after they are past the "weaned" stage of about 3 months. They are not what they need for more than about 2 times a week in their diet. Otherwise they get too much in their diet and not enough other types of protein. So if you feed shrimp at all limit it to no more than twice a week. I will not give them to my guys after they reach the age where they are past first foods stage as they get too picky. They need to get on to other foods and away from the brine shrimp.

Rose


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## BIG_ONE (Aug 18, 2008)

Live California Blackworms will get it to eat...yet, expensive...


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

I have nothing against feeding bettas live food or frozen foods but be very careful of the source and the reputation of the vendor or brand of the foods supplied. Processing and handling of live or frozen foods can add bacteria and possible disease producing agents to your tank. I am a real snob when it comes to foods and find that unless I really know a lot about where they come from or who produced them I do not want them in my tanks. I lost a whole tank not being careful one time and the fish were not inexpensive. 

So use any food that your fish will eat but know the supplier or use a well known brand name of frozen food.

I still say that the most likely way to get him to eat is to contact your person who sold him to you and find out what he was eating there and he will at least eat that. If he was spawned at your home then you need to find a good brand and get all your fry started on it and keep them on it. 

While a lot of people seem to think that bettas need a lot of variety in their diet, mine have never gone for it. Most of mine will settle for one or two things that they like and won't touch anything else that they are offered other than perhaps a nibble of raw liver (beef or pork) occasionally if offered or a little raw defrosted skinned pea from a bag of frozen peas or occasionally a bit of chopped apple. Yes, they like fruits and veggies occasionally but not more than a bit or two. They are definitely carnivores but even carnivores in the wild know that they need veggie matter to keep their insides cleared and will knaw on a weed once in a while. Just because it is not their main diet does not mean that they never eat any of it. Especially because they do not have the unlimited room to swim and get the normal amount of exercise they would they need help to keep their digestive system working properly. A bit or two of veggie matter even in a bit of veggie flake from some of the other fish's food will do even if you can get a betta to eat it but I never could, they like the peas best.

If you have no other luck you can even try just once to get a piece of beef heart or liver and cut a very small piece of it raw (no bigger than half the size of his eye or he will choke on it) and try that. 

I do wish you luck. I really doubt that he will allow himself to starve but I have gone through this before and thought I would bankrupt myself before I found the right thing. Hang in there and I still suggest contacting the place you got him or the breeder or someone who had him before you and find out what he WAS eating. He has eaten or he would not be here today.

Rose


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## COBettaCouple (Mar 24, 2009)

The food I've had the most enthusiast response to from our Bettas is Hikai frozen bloodworms. The Angels also seem to like it more than anything else. With dry foods, always make thawed & peeled frozen peas part of the diet routine to reduce constipation problems and check for foods containing Etho.. whatever (a preservative that's hard to spell and very common in pet foods but detrimental to liver functions).


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## cottoncandy946 (Apr 2, 2009)

Cactus said:


> Hey there guys,
> 
> I have a question, my Betta wont seem to eat. Everything in his tank seems fine, I just can't get him to eat? Only thing I can think of is because of the bubblestone he doesn't like to go to the top of the tank, is it possible that because of that, he wont eat his food?
> 
> I've tried two different kinds of pellets by the way.


One thing I noticed was i thought my betta fish bubba was not eating but he was he was just waiting and then eat it and you should turn off the bubbler.:animated_fish_swimm


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