Our betta just stopped eating

[aj]

I've tried searching through the Internet and newsgroups and found some
topics on this, but I'd rather post to make sure I haven't missed something.

Our betta just stopped eating, its been quite awhile now. It still swims
around abit but the lack of food is starting to catch up with it. We've
tried a number of different avenues...different food, betta water
conditioner, parasite medicine, lots of reading...all to no avail.

Does anyone have advice? I hate to put the fish down, but I don't want
it to suffer.

Thanks in advance.

[winddancir]

I've tried searching through the Internet and newsgroups and found some
topics on this, but I'd rather post to make sure I haven't missed something.

Our betta just stopped eating, its been quite awhile now. It still swims
around abit but the lack of food is starting to catch up with it. We've
tried a number of different avenues...different food, betta water
conditioner, parasite medicine, lots of reading...all to no avail.

Does anyone have advice? I hate to put the fish down, but I don't want
it to suffer.

Thanks in advance.
What kind of food? Did you try frozen bloodworms? Or maybe live blackworms if you can get them.
Or you can call the psychiatrist and see if they will make a home visit because he might be depressed. Is he an only fish? Maybe a flare buddy might help. Another betta in a separate tank next door can be a great perk up for a lonely fish.

I hope your boy get better!

[Gill Passman]

"winddancir" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> aj Wrote:
> > I've tried searching through the Internet and newsgroups and found some
> > topics on this, but I'd rather post to make sure I haven't missed
> > something.
> >
> > Our betta just stopped eating, its been quite awhile now. It still
> > swims
> > around abit but the lack of food is starting to catch up with it.
> > We've
> > tried a number of different avenues...different food, betta water
> > conditioner, parasite medicine, lots of reading...all to no avail.
> >
> > Does anyone have advice? I hate to put the fish down, but I don't want
> > it to suffer.
> >
> > Thanks in advance.
> What kind of food? Did you try frozen bloodworms? Or maybe live
> blackworms if you can get them.
> Or you can call the psychiatrist and see if they will make a home visit
> because he might be depressed. Is he an only fish? Maybe a flare buddy
> might help. Another betta in a separate tank next door can be a great
> perk up for a lonely fish.
>
> I hope your boy get better!
>
>
> --
> winddancir

I give me Betta a mirror to look at from time to time....keeps him happier.
He also shares the tank with some Platy fry (too big for him to eat).

He was very shy to start with and slow to feed. He also used to shred the
plants. But since the mirror he has come on leaps and bounds and feeds
enthusiastically.

Good luck
Gill

[IDzine01]

Sudden loss of appetite is usually a sign of an underlying illness or
water quality problem.

How long have you had him?
When fish are first acclimated to their new tank it's not uncommon for
them to stop eating for a week or more. This is especially true with
bettas. If he is new to you, I recommend sticking to a couple types of
foods like frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp until he gets used to it.
Try feeding foods that are desirable to bettas and close to their
natural diet.

Other tasty food options include frozen mysis shrimp, frozen tubifex
worms, frozen beef heart, live black-worms, white-worms, grindal worms,
glass worms, or wingless or flightless fruit-flies.

If this isn't just an acclimation issue and you have had him awhile
it's always recommended to run the gambit of water tests. I suggest
started with ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH tests. Check your
temperature daily too. Poor water quality very commonly leads to
illnesses that effect appetite.

Because he might be sick I don't recommend a flare buddy or mirror.
Encouraging your betta to go into fight mode is not the best way for
him to recoup. He should first focus on getting better. There is plenty
of time for healthy fish to flare later.

Also, euthanasia should be a last resort. Bettas get sick just like us
and can often make a full recovery. If he's so sick that you can pick
him up out of the water then euthanasia may be an option but if he's
still fighting for his life I'd give him a chance.

How long has he gone without food? It generally takes about 2 weeks or
more for a betta to starve to death.