Betta not eating, moving very little

[ChoclateBetta]

Epsom salt is also used for Anxiety and Fertilizer.

[LebronTheBetta]

Um... We didn't need to know that.

[ChoclateBetta]

I am just showing how useful it is.

[Reefing Madness]

Originally Posted by ChoclateBetta

IAL and Aquarium salt stop internal parasites.

More xperience needed for you to give advice on this subject.

[Withered]

He doesn't look very thin to me from the picture, he looks pretty healthy despite the small spots on his bottom fins that I see. One thing I do suggest is getting something like a turkey baster so that you can suck any uneaten food out of his tank. Leaving uneaten pellets in the water could be contaminating it and making him sick...especially since he's in such a small tank and you aren't doing 100 percent changes to get rid of the uneaten food that could be laying at the bottom in the substrate.

I'd also suggest perhaps getting him something he can hide in...like a cave or a house or a nice silk plant. It might make him feel more comfortable and not feel so out in the open.

[ligushka]

That is a great idea, I will get a small turkey baster to evacuate food with. Thanks for the suggestion.

I may get a bigger tank for him once he improves, perhaps another 2.5 gallon since my other betta seems quite happy and healthy in his 2.5 gallon currently.

I will do a 100% water change right now and get rid of all the uneaten food in the filter intake. I will add one teaspoon of aquarium salt as well.

[ligushka]

100% water change done. I rinsed the gravel in water and put much less back in, and moved the anubias to my 2.5 gallon tank with my other betta. I also cleaned the filter intake of food. I'm waiting for the tank's temperature to equalize before putting the fish back in. I put AquaSafe and 1 tsp of Jungle aquarium salt in.

Here is another photo of the sick betta in a cup: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/12783812/20...2020.22.44.jpg

As you can see he has not eaten the single pellet I gave him before I started, and about 20 minutes later it is still uneaten. He swims about the cup.

What should my plans be regarding future water changes? Any medication, regimen etc I should do with the betta?

[Sena Hansler]

I recommend 100% water change every day, or every other day. Since it is a smaller tank, you need to keep up with water changes. If you find it hard to, you may need to upgrade the tank size to ensure the fish remains healthy while keeping it easier on you.

Make sure to dissolve that salt before adding.

[shellieca]

I still suggest removing or at least turning off the filter to see if it makes a difference in his behavior. As others have suggested more plants real or silk & at least one cave to hang out in. He's a pretty boy.

[Withered]

There is a nice Betta Disease and Treatment thread in this Forum that is at the top. They have alot of suggestions for certian types of betta illnesses. Here is one about fin rot...which i'm not sure if this is his case or not since the tips seem to have a white fuzzy look to them. It may be fungus, but i'm not really sure. Either way, the AQ salt is a good starting point for treatment.

Tail rot or fin rot
•Symptoms: Betta’s fins and/or tail seem to be getting shorter and shorter or they seem to be falling apart and dissolving, Black or red along the edge of the betta’s fins/tail, Bloody tips, Behavior may not change
Treatment: Conservative: Treat with Aq.Salt at 1 tsp/gal. Increase water changes to 100% daily. Replace accurate amount of salt following water changes. Add Stress Coat to help repair tissue. If there is little to no improvement within the first 5 days, you can increase the salt dosage gradually to 2tsp/gal but do not continue any salt treatments past 10 days. Medication: If Conservative treatment is ineffective use API Tetracycline, API Fungus Cure, API Triple Sulfa, OR API Erythromycin. Also add Stress Coat to help regrowth. Continue until fins/tail stop receding and start showing some new growth.


The thing that worries me the most in the picture of him in the cup is that his fins look clamped, and that could be a sign of illness. I would continue with the daily water changes and add the proper dosing of AQ salt for your tank. If he seems too stressed out though for the daily changes..at least do every other day. As far as eating goes, I know that with the first Betta fish I got, it took him a long time to eat anything because he was trying to adjust and he was stressed out because of the new environment. Offering him a place to hide would probably benefit him alot. Some types of pellets are also sometimes too big for the Betta to swallow. I know that with my betta I have now...he would try to eat the pellets I gave him at first and they were too big for him to swallow...so I got him The Hikari Betta Bio Gold pellets (I think thats what they are called) and he had no problem chowing those down. Sorry for such a long post! I just know how frustrating it is to have a sick fish and not know what to do! Sakura8 has helped me out alot here on this forum, and i'm sure she wouldn't mind you pming her to ask her about your fish as well. I hope he gets better!