betta will not eat anything

Had our betta for bout'2 months. He used to eat like a pig and swim around and have a great time with us. All of a sudden, stopped eating, lays around on a plant or on the bottom and comes up for air often. I have made water changes, used many different foods, done ICK treatments, and given him buddies (ghost shrimp.) What to do???

Welcome to the forum. Have you checked water parameters recently? If the Betta is gasping for air, the aquarium water does not have enough oxygen. Bettas can breath ambient air, but they also need to absorb oxygen through their gills. If you have not done a partial water change in the last week or so, the aquarium could have a buildup of toxic ammonia. Try to change 20 or 25 percent of the water every day for several days, and see if he acts better. If that helps, do a partial water change once a week. The replacement water should be at about the same temperature as the aquarium water.

Welcome to the forum!

What size tank is your fish in?

One (1) gallon Betta tank.

I keep real good checks on the water condition. 2 weeks
ago I treated him for ICK in which means that I did a complete water change 3 days in a row. Then Friday I sis a complete water change again. I also out 6 Ghost Shrimp
in with him to give him some company AND eat the food that falls to the bottom of the tank because he will not touch it! He hasn't eaten in about 2.5 or 3 weeks. Pet store says he will not live past 4 weeks of no food and so I am getting quite desperate!

sometime if you change there food alittle(something more interesting) that will boost his appitite. so if your giving him the flake or pellet try and give him the freeze dried or frozen bloodworm or brine shrimp. you could also try to add a small live plant theat he can nibble on an also the plant will hep oxegenate and clean the water

The plant that I have in his tank is plastic and he seems to love laying on the leaves. I have tried the regular Betta crisps (he ate them like crazy for quite some time.) Then we have tried flakes (nope) tried freeze dried blood worms (nope) then tried sun dried Gammarus or baby shrimp (nope!) I absolutely will not eat anything! We have tried to hand feed him (nope). We are quite desperate!

the only thing I can suggest is see if you can maybe find a live baby brine and try a live plant, but I will also say I am not a expert and bringing bettas back to health. thats all i can think of. Sorry! hopefully he'll start to come around

If you are changing all of the water at once, you will interrupt the nitrogen cycle and put the Betta into shock. They can handle a variety of water parameters but no rapid changes. Try the partial water changes, and use a turkey baster to clean up uneaten food.

That sounds reasonable; however, I am only following the directions on curing ICK. This morning I notice that he has developed some form of disease on his head. Should I try to do some disease curing?

what does his head look like now? wh colour is the diseased area?

If you are using an ich treatment, be sure to follow the directions to the letter. It's very easy to over do, especially in a small aquarium. Most fish diseases and parasites are already in most aquariums, but fish with a healthy immune system can fight them off. Poor water quality will compromise the fish's immune system and leave them vulnerable. That's why regular, partial water changes are so important. Sometimes, the cures they sell in aquarium shops will help a fish recover, but only good maintenance will keep the aquarium and fish healthy.

Been using Tetracycline for 3 days now. Last night I switched him back in the tiny Betta bowl so that he does not have to go so far to get air and hopefully make him that much closer to the food. Still will not eat a bite and still lays on the floor of the tank. Head discoloration seems to be almost back to normal. Not any real visible signs of bacteria. I wonder how I can get him to start eating again? I put so garlic smelling food attractant on the food last night. I did get him to look at it, but not bite at it.??? Any thoughts?

Don't worry about the Betta not eating. He will not be hungry if he's sick, and he can go for a week or more without eating. Changing aquariums just shocks his immune system. On top of that, the little Betta bowl has not gone through the nitrogen cycle even if you filled it with the original aquarium water. A successful aquarium has a fair balance between beneficial bacteria and it's biological load. Probably, the Betta will be better off in the original aquarium (how big is it?) provided he has time to acclimate.

Sorry, I made that sound more difficult than it is. Check some of our older posts to learn about the nitrogen cycle, and ask more questions if you need to. People new to the hobby are very welcome here.

johnarthur wrote:

Welcome to the forum. Have you checked water parameters recently? If the Betta is gasping for air, the aquarium water does not have enough oxygen. Bettas can breath ambient air, but they also need to absorb oxygen through their gills. If you have not done a partial water change in the last week or so, the aquarium could have a buildup of toxic ammonia. Try to change 20 or 25 percent of the water every day for several days, and see if he acts better. If that helps, do a partial water change once a week. The replacement water should be at about the same temperature as the aquarium water.

I just joined this forum and am concerned with my beta who all-of-a-sudden wont eat and appears to be lethargic. He is in a filtered and oxygenated aquarium and up to last night, he was swimming around and acting normal. I changed his water last night, waited a few hours for the water to get room temperature (it was already at room temperature, but in another room) and when I put him the fresh water, he swam around, but immediately stopped. He is 1 or 2 years old. He use to follow me around his aquarium, come to my slight tapping on the wall, and always up to the opening where I fed him. I'm really worried. I feed him Hikari Betta Bio-Gold and Topfin's Small Freeze Dried Medley on Saturday and Sunday. What caused him to all-of-a-sudden change?

Did you change all of his water? Twenty percent is better. Water quality is much more important than fish food. When you feed the Betta, he eats the food and creates waste, or he doesn't eat and the food molds on the bottom of the tank. Either way, the water gets too much toxic ammonia and nitrite. You can get rid of the toxins by partial water changes (a good temporary measure) or by establishing a colony of beneficial bacteria. In very simple terms, the beneficial bacteria convert toxins into plant food, or if you don't have live plants, algae food. The bacteria make the water habitable for fish, and the partial water changes remove excess toxins. Remember that an aquarium is a closed environment,and it needs to be kept clean.

And WELCOME to myaquariumclub.com!

Yes, I changed out all of his water, which I do each time his water is changed. The only difference this time was I used the water from a 5 gallon bucket that my husband was bubbling for our 50 gallon tropical fish aquarium. He'd been bubbling that water for several days and it was in our bedroom which is cooler than my kitchen where my betta fish is located. I live in florida and lately, the days have been cool enough to leave windows and doors open. I took the water temperature and it read 72. Is that too cold for him?

It's important to change only part of the water. A huge change will change water parameters other than temperature, and most aquarium fish cannot tolerate rapid changes. Neither can the beneficial bacteria that remove all the toxins. Chlorine can get removed by bubbles, but other dangerous compounds remain in the aquarium water. A good conditioner like Stress Coat or Amquel+ will remove heavy metals and other toxins, but partial water changes are still necessary for a healthy aquarium.

would it help that I put some drops of Betta Bowl Essential (a water conditioning that came with the aquarium)? Or will he eventually adjust or die?

I'm not familiar with that particular water conditioner, but it probably works just fine, as do most commercial water conditioners. The important thing, however, is to get a biological balance. Fifty or more years ago when i entered the hobby, nobody thought about such things; it took me only a few decades to learn about nitrogen cycling and biological load balancing, which is really pretty simple and very helpful.

In your experience, and considering my betta's sudden change in behavior, do you think he will survive?

They are tough, and i hope your Betta survives. But, like everybody on this website, we're all learning. A fish that did not go through too much shock has a good chance; the least any of us can do is provide that chance.

Well I added the water conditioner, so all I can do is just keep an eye on him and hope for the best! I read somewhere that Epsom salt is good. I have never used it in his water. Should I give that a try as well? Yes, you are right about everybody on this website learning and although I always change out all his water, I learned by you that I shouldn't, saving the beneficial bacteria that remove all the toxins in his aquarium is important. Thank you.

Epsom salt may help in some cases, but partial water changes are better. Every week or so when i do partial water changes, i add Stress Coat to take care of the chlorine and other stuff. It's just an opinion, but nothing helps like a balanced biological load. The last time i used any kind of medication or water chemistry fix was in the 1950s. I was stupid, and none of the fixes worked, because the fish did not have a healthy environment. We all go through that, but most people don't take 30+ years to learn.

I hear ya! I'm going to keep my eyes on him and like I said hope for the best. I hate it when I lose any fish. I lost an angle fish yesterday. I have two in the 50 gal aquarium. We bought them together, so when the one started showing signs of behavioral change, like not eating, lodging itself under coral or some other plant at the bottom, and observing his dorsal and tail fins were deteriorating. He was showing signs of weakness. Other fish, such as the tiger barbs would poke him and even his angle fish buddy was aggressive toward him. It was terrible to watch.

Angelfish need special conditions and are not good members of a community tank. Still, they are beautiful and exotic looking. I have several grow out tanks of freshwater angelfish and think they're the most desirable, if not the most difficult, aquarium fish to keep. No angelfish keeper has it all figured out, but we're full of opinions.

I agree with the multiple opinions! LOL!

I hope your bettas get better and Welcome to the forum!!!

After adding the water conditioner, I observed him the next morning swimming around and acting normal. He was responsive to my movements and slight taps on the exterior walls of his aquarium. Is he eating? Yes, although I don't think he likes the freeze dried medley of bloodworms, daphnia, and mysis shrimp. Anyway, I may have been overreacting a little or changing all of his water was too stressful for him. Whatever caused the sudden change, he is doing much better. Thank you for your concern and thank you, John, for all your advice!

Thank you, but I already changed him back into the smaller bowl. General thought was that it would get him closer to the food and he wouldn't have to go as far for his little puffs of air he gets. I do a DAILY 20% water change. Today will be my 5th and last day of antibiotics for him. I am doing all that can be done for him and very slowly I do see him improving. I think I will just keep doing what I am doing and see what happens. Sounds right to you? I did add a live plant for him as well as many other little tricks. Last night he actually swam around in the bowl a couple of times and held in an upright position for about 10 minutes. I believe that is progress.

If you've ever taken tetracycline or other antibiotics, you know how awful they make you feel and how they affect your appetite. The Betta is probably having the same side effects.