I brought home my new betta yesterday- I know they can go a long time without eating- but I'm not sure if he doesn't like the food or if he's not hungry or what.

I attempted to feed him this food labeled especially for bettas that is made by tetra. He comes to the top and sniffs the food, then goes about his business. Then, I remove the food.

He's a beautiful red veiltail. Of course I couldn't tell this when I bought him in a little cup but his tail is a little ragged at the tips. Should I do anything special about this?

He is in a round tank that I bought- it holds about 1.5 gallons. It is not heated and I did not hook up the airlines since he breathes from the top. The hood has little vents around the edge, then the top is clear plastic that can be opened for feeding. He looks very nice in it and is swimming around at all levels. The gravel is smoothe and he has a medium sized plant in there- I may add another plant. The plant has large leaves and he lays on them sometimes.

Does he not like the food?- should I try something different?

Here are the foods I keep on hand, some obviously would not be appropriate, but should I try something else? I really don't want to do live foods.

-BettaMin tropical medley
-Freeze dried blood worms
-TetraMin tropical flake
-Freeze dried brine shrimp
-Hikari sinking wafers
-TetraMin tropical rich mix tablets
-Algae flakes
-Semi floating micro pellets- I think they are designed for guppies, but my tetra like them, too.

I'm sure you should be fine with the the first three you listed.

I use blackworms when mines dont eat. Thats only if they are avalible at ur places though. ;) Since you didnt want to do live food, then maybe you shouldnt feed him for a day or two. That might work. Always works on my bettas.

Its been 24 hours since I brought him home. After how long with no eating should I become concerned?

Thanks!

Couple of things you might want to consider.

Threat #1. Poor food poses the biggest threat to your betta. Very few will eat regular flake foods. It may take them as long as six to eight weeks to die, but many will starve rather than eat flake foods. They will not eat plant roots either -- regardless of what those stupid brochures say.

Threat #2. Cold water slows their metabolism and makes them susceptible to diseases. We keep ours in unheated containers (but we heat our entire fish room). Bettas kept in unheated fish bowls are not going to fare well in cool weather. If you want a tough, cold water-tolerant fish, pick one of the many varieties of Paradise Fish. You can choose from reds, blues, albinos, and blacks. Paradise Fish also eagerly eat flake foods.

Threat #3. Meaner, toothier, and faster fish pose a real threat to bettas. Bettas fight with each other but cannot stand up to most cichlids, tiger barbs, some “sharks,” headstander-type characins, or piranhas.

Threat #4. Dirty water also threatens your betta’s health. They can live in polluted water because they can also breathe atmospheric oxygen. But the polluted water will eventually kill them. It makes them susceptible to velvet.

Threat #5. Of course, bettas fight with each other. Few will kill each other, but it’s best to keep them separate from one another.

Things to keep in mind.

Tip #1. Exercise your bettas regularly. Hold up another betta to make them show off or use a mirror. Daily exercise will help keep them healthier and prettier as well as help them live longer. Betta pros put cards between their betta jars. When they take out the cards, the bettas flare. Moving their jars around also works, but takes more time.

Tip #2. Feed your betta a variety of foods. We’ve never found a single food that will meet all the nutritional needs of bettas. As far as that goes, How would we know all the nutritional needs of bettas?

Tip #3. Feed lightly. Bettas eat surprisingly small quantities. Overfeeding causes more problems with fish than any other factor – especially in small containers.

Tip #4. Read a book. The more you read about bettas, the better you’ll like them. Then use your judgement before accepting some of the info you stumble across. I

I hope these help you but i'm still looking for more answers.

Thanks, I think I may try to feed him again here in a few minutes.

What's kinda weird is that I was cleaning my 10 gallon tank that is next to his and he was on that side of the tank "watching" Then when I went to get something, he was no longer looking that way. I lowered his water level so that I could reach in to give him another plant, and he started swimming along at my hand kind of rubbing.

Do you know what they were feeding him at the pet store? Perhaps they have had him for a decent amount of time and he is hooked on a particular brand of food. You could always try going a day or two without feeding him. If he's hungry, I don't think he will care one way or the other.

I tried the betta food again- he ate a bite and promptly spit it out. Apparently unsuitable for consumption.

So, I put in a couple of micro-pellets that are designed for guppies. He ate these quite eagerly. I didn't let him have too many, though since he hadn't eaten. Maybe we'll try some more micro-pellets in the morning.

I'll try some of the other foods I keep on hand in the next few days to see what he likes.

But, at least he had something to eat.

Well, now I have this can of betta food that is not suitable for my betta to consume. Do you think it would be safe for my other fish to eat? I hate to have to throw it away.

The info that Cichlid Commander pasted is VERY sage advice.

Betta's deserve the same care and accomodations that we would give any other active tropical fish. Your Betta ideally should have a traditionally shaped tank of at least 5 gallons with proper filtration and a heater.

These tiny 1 and 2 gallon hex tanks that are so popular now are nothing but slow lingering death traps for fish. They have far too little suface area for proper gas exchange and are difficult heat and filter properly.

A traditional 10 gallon tank costs less than $10 most places and can be adequately filtered for less than $20. Add a small heater and your in business.

Your Betta is probably just stressed from the move and chilly.

On the food issue...The Betta food is perfectly safe for other trops...Hopefully they will like it.

Good luck with him!

I'm sure he would have been much happier if he had died a miserable death in the lfs like some of the dead fish in his surrounding tiny cups.

I was going to buy a 10 gallon tank, but I don't have enough available electrical outlets. My electrical outlets are burdened as it is.

I try to be very humane with my fish, and I want to take good care of him.

With a betta, how many electrical outlets do you need? Maybe one for lighting. Filtration would be a plus but not ENTIRELY necessary, depending on how you liked doing water changes. The big thing is would be heating the tank. I noticed my bettas we're MUCH happier in a heated tank.

I was'nt trying to imply that you are intentionally cruel to your fish at all. Sorry if it came out that way. I was just letting you (and anyone else reading this) know that just because Bettas will survive in un-heated cups and small tanks...they will not thrive in them. Being unfamiliar with your level of expertise in the hobby I thought it best to cover all of the bases.

FWIW...A 5 or 10 gallon Betta tank would require only 3 plugs. Light, heater, and airpum to run a small sponge filter. I like sponge filters in Betta tanks because after it "seasons" for awhile the Betta will actually nibble at some of the stuff that grows on it. Sponge filters don't seem like much but they are excellant bio filters for small, lightly stocked aquaria.

Sorry if you were (or are) offended by anything I have written but it's all true and meant to educate...not insult. :up:

I would feed it what you think is best for him. I don't think it will starve itself if there is food being offered. I had the same problem when I first got my Oscars.

Sorry for not responding for a while, I've been doing some research.

I actually had every intention of getting him a 10 gallon tank as you can see from another thread.

For college I'm living at home. Obviously my tanks would not be allowed in my dorm and there would not be space.

Problem: parents. They will not let me get another tank even though I pay for everything for my fish and tanks with my own money from working and stuff. They are paranoid about electrical outlets shorting out. I know it would not take that much electricity- but my parents don't see it that way. The tank would have to be in my room and I already have 2 tanks in my room as well as other items that run off electricity: the computer I'm typing on at the present moment, a light by my bed, and a CD player which I run occsionaly.

As you can see from my signature, I am not new to all this.

I live in Texas where there is no danger of him becoming chilly

This is spring break right now and I will be closely monitoring the temperature in his tank. I have one of those thermometers with the long metal deal that you stick in the water and get a reading on a screen in about 3 seconds. Extremely accurate.

I'm able to be at home monitoring him closely. He is very active. This morning we ate some more micro-pellets- rather he did, I didn't eat any! I gave him a bloodworm which he carefully inspected, bit in to, and promptly spit it back out. I don't want to do live or frozen foods because there is not a place close to me that carries them- and the parents wouldn't be too hot on the idea of worms in the fridge/freezer!

Thank you all for your help, I'm sorry I got a little defensive there. If you have any more ideas for me, I would appreciate it. Sorry, I got a little lengthy here.

I might try some brine shrimp tonight- but at least I've found something he likes (guppy micro-pellets)

Thanks! :D

Try this then.
Running Laps: Experienced keepers call it (Pun Pla). Daily, scoop your betta into a large round container – like a plastic bucket or ice cream container. Swirl the water with a stick or by hand. Some betta keepers use a power head to swirl the water. Swirl it slowly or you may tire him. Let him swim laps about five minutes. This might help to kickstart his appetite.

If pellets and frozen dont help. I would really suggest trying to find some live food.

CC, I got out one of those buckets and his tank is far larger. So would it still make sense to take him out? Your talking about those family size ice cream buckets that have the plastic handle for birthday parties and stuff?

I am beggining to wonder the size of his tank. It did not say on the label, so I just kinda guessed.

I checked, and the micro-pellets that he is eating are almost identical to the betta food. (on the ingredient and percentages list)

He really likes them.

I'm going to try to figure his tank size.

Thanks, y'all are very helpful!

1.73 US gallons. I calculated in cubic inches and then converted to gallons. My guess was fairly close.

This is measuring up from where the gravel is- in other words gravel is not counted in volume of water.

Of course, there is the displacement of him and plant- but that's it.

If you do bucket excercise its only for a couple of minutes you don't want to tire him out.

I have officially fallen in love with this fish. :wub: He eats off my finger! :D