Is this normal??

[marshiemellow]

My new betta occasionally (twice) has darted around the tank like crazy around his plant, and once on the gravel of the tank.
I only got him 3 days ago and he seemed healthy. He ate on the first day but hasn't eaten anything since then... (I've tried pellets and bloodworms)
He isn't showing any other symptoms and his colour is still strong. He also swims around from time to time varying between the top and bottom of the water.
He was more active on the first day I got him though...
Would this be anything to worry about, and would the "scratching" be normal for a healthy betta? Coincidently it has happened both times when I turn the light on near his tank to check on him at night.
It wouldn't be a parasite would it?! It seems too soon....

Also, I've heard of bettas not eating the first few days.... But is it normal for him to stop after the first day?

[shellieca]

What size tank? Heated? Filtered? How long has it been set up? The scratching or flashing is typically a sign of external parasites, could be Ich which is easily treated with heat. Does he appear to have sugar sprinkled on him? It may just be starting & you might not be able to see it yet.

[sainthogan]

Also, depending on his coloring, he could have velvet, and you wouldn't be able to see it. Take a flashlight, and see if you see any gold or rust colored "dust" anywhere on his body, especially around his gills. If it's just developing, it would mostly be around his head area. If left untreated, it will progress to his entire body and fins, and he will become very lethargic, and will really not eat.
But yes, it is sometimes normal for them not to eat when they go to a new tank.
Please let us know the answers to the questions the previous poster asked on tank set up.

[marshiemellow]

His tank is 5L and has a heater. Which has been set up for 4 days
He is a blue fish and has a few scales which appear lighter... And I can't decide if its light blue or white... Or if its just part of him.
When I put the torch on him he darted around again trying to scratch himself. He goes really fast around one of his plants turning to a certain side then goes to the other plant/gravel/ornament to do the other side.
Apart from that he doesn't have any other colouring I can see...

[marshiemellow]

He still won't eat though :(

[shellieca]

When was your last water change & how much? Does your tank have a filter? 5L is I think maybe a 1g which means you need to do water changes more often. If your heater is adjustable I'd bump it up slowly over the next 24 hrs to 86F this will speed up the life cycle of a lot of external parasites but ich for sure. You'll need to add an air stone or something for water movement. If it is Ich you'll start seeing the little specks of white soon. Leave the heat up for at least a week after the last spot is seen. You'll want to do really good cleaning of the substrate & water changes frequently. I know many people disagree on this point but I suggest upgrading him to at least a 5g heated & filtered tank if at all possible. He may not like the food you're feeding, you can try crushing it up so its smaller or soaking it in a little tank water for a few minutes. They can go several days without eating so don't worry too much just yet. You might hold off offering food for a day or two, they can be finicky sometimes.

[marshiemellow]

I contacted the place I got him from, and they said it was probably something water related and to do a 20% water change. He started acting better once I did so I tried feeding him again. He spat out the pellet, so i tried two blood worms and he spat them out too and they sank to the bottom. He seemed to try to refind them afterwards though... So I'm not really sure what to try.
Is there any way to make him eat the food he has or do I need to keep trying different options until he's satisfied?

[sainthogan]

Scratching almost indicates some sort of external irritation - although, it could be internal and really irritating him. Also, with that size tank, you're going to need to do about 3 water changes a week. So if you noticed that he was better after a water change, do another one tomorrow. If your tank is not filtered, you're going to need to do at least 2 50% water changes a week and 1 100% water change (unless you have live plants - then you'll want to do another 50%) And if he's sick, you'll need to do them more frequently than that.

[marshiemellow]

He's been happier with the water change, but this morning I checked on him (he tried eating, still spat it out) I noticed he was losing colour in two patches on either side. I'm not sure if its the effect from scratching himself or not... He's still not showing other signs of velvet or ich yet, and I'm pretty sure it's not a parasite.
:/

[marshiemellow]

I was looking at him Again. He's lost colour under his mouth and there's a tiny red patch (1mm) near the side of his head.