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Help emergency!

1K views 26 replies 7 participants last post by  Oldfishlady 
#1 ·
I just got my betta like 17 hours ago, and he's not eating ANYTHING! I'm giving him Top Fin Color-Enhancing Betta Bits, and he won't eat anything. I gave him 3 pellets yesterday, and 4 pellets today, and all 7 are floating around at the top in the corners of his aquarium, and he won't eat any of them! He's very active but I'm starting to get very worried, what should I do? :dunno: :cry:
 
#3 ·
Housing
What size is your tank? 1 gallon
What temperature is your tank? don't have a thermometer yet
Does your tank have a filter? no
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? no
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? twice a day

Maintenance

How often do you perform a water change? once every 2 weeks, just did one
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100 %
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? water conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:
I HAVE NO IDEA... uhhh... :oops:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? not at all
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? still very active
When did you start noticing the symptoms? he doesn't eat... EVER... he goes up to the surface every once and a while so then I get excited but he's just breathing.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? nope
Does your fish have any history of being ill? nope
How old is your fish (approximately)?just bought him

THANK YOUUU! :thankyou:
 
#9 ·
i could pm you a msge i received from anhel123 about precisely how to do water changes if you want.
juliat, i made the same mistake when i bought my first betta. after doing some reading i realized these fish type are tropical. they require a fish tank heater and a thermometer.
i hope your little guy isn't really sick. some fish, after being taken from pet store, don't eat at first before eventually coming around to it. take out any and all food that he doesn't eat so it doesn't spoil and become toxic to water. :)
like chocolatebetta said he may have parasites?
www.bettatalk.com has helpful info.
also anhel123 greatly helped me with my own fish, or even sakura8. feel free to ask one of them. i'm not very experienced but they've helped me.
 
#17 ·
changing water:
"when you change his water you can keep him in that small container he came in from the pet store with his old, original water while you are cleaning and rinsing out his bowl, marbles/gravel and decorations with hot water. no soap. :)
new water: if you use room temp water during warm weather, you can have a little bit of prepared water 24 hours before. put water conditioner in it and let it stay. this way new water temperature exactly the same as his old. i do that all the time. or in the winter i have water than i prepare overnight and warmer water that i prepare 25 mins ago. so i am mixing them to reach the exact temperature i need."

if i don't prepare water in advance, i use water from the tap and get it until it's the exact temp as his old water.

acclimating betta to new temp. the cup your betta came in can be filled 75% of his old water before using an appropriately sized small net to very gently bring him from bowl to his holding cup.
later, when you have the needed temp in his new water with water conditioner, you may pour new water from his bowl into his holding cup. let the little fish sit for five minutes, and repeat. you may do this three times total (15mins of acclimating him to new water. temp must be no more than +-1 or 2 degrees from old water when you gently put the guy back in his bowl. hope got everything correct? :)
 
#15 · (Edited)
#20 ·
with a one gallon, twice a week i believe. i don't always prepare water in advance with a busy schedule. i sometimes just use water from the tap and 1.) make sure there's needed temperature and 2.) he's acclimated properly to his new water to get same temp as his old water. :)

i used to have a 1 gal and did two water changes weekly, then i got a 2.5 gal tank and did a 100% water change once weekly, and now 5gal which change every nine days.

filter with properly cycled tank may help. i've never used a filter but heard people say it helps.
persuesmom's links he/she shared too.
 
#21 ·
with a one gallon, twice a week i believe. i don't always prepare water in advance with a busy schedule. i sometimes just use water from the tap and 1.) make sure there's needed temperature and 2.) he's acclimated properly to his new water to get same temp as his old water. :)

i used to have a 1 gal and did two water changes weekly when i did, yes. :)
and links persuesmom's shared would help :)
 
#26 ·
with a one gallon, twice a week i believe. i don't always prepare water in advance with a busy schedule. i sometimes just use water from the tap and 1.) make sure there's needed temperature and 2.) he's acclimated properly to his new water to get same temp as his old water. :)

i used to have a 1 gal and did two water changes weekly when i did, yes. :)
and links persuesmom's shared would help :)
No 50 oercent everyother day and one 100 percent.
 
#23 ·
hoping he'll eat within two or three days. maybe rinse your hand with hot water and stick your finger in his water. sometimes when you move your finger away from him, he'll chase it due to his hunting instinct. if it catches his attention, maybe try dropping a pellet in front of him when his eyes looks at the surface so he sees the pellet go in. i don't know...... :/
when i got fish from petstore, they were always sick when i brought them home. i tried changing their water 100% every day for a week. it'll possibly help with external sickness, but if there's something internal something else would need to be done.
atleast have him in clean, warm water and try feeding him twice daily like someon said. watch him for any behavior or appearance change. although, hopinh he'll eat within a few days.
 
#27 ·
I was asked to look at your thread, however, it looks like he has started to eat now...great....

FYI-It is not uncommon for a new Betta to not eat for several days to weeks sometimes. Watch their behavior and often this can help tell you if something else is going in.

You may or may not need a heater, however, its a good idea to have one on hand. Your goal is to maintain a somewhat stable temp in the 76-80F range.

You do need a thermometer to monitor both the tank temp and the temp of the replacement water used for water changes. You want to try and keep the two temp within 10 degrees-more or less.

With any 100% water changes and with new Betta- it is also important to properly acclimate to both temp and chemistry by adding small amounts of the new dechlorinated tank water to the holding container over 10-15min.

IMO/E-The 1gal unfiltered tanks are fine to keep the Long fin male Betta long term-provided that water quality is maintained.

What I recommend for 1gal-unfiltered tanks-without live plants-Twice weekly...1-50% water only and 1-100% to maintain water quality.

IMO/E-Filters are optional for this species-especially in the smaller tanks since the water movement can sometimes be the cause of fin damage and stress.

Nutrition-good quality varied diet fed in small frequent meals is best.
Most water quality problems are due to poor quality food, over feeding and/or leaving uneaten food in the tank too long.

Look forward to hearing more about your Betta...
 
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