Betta Fish Not Eating

[ajbrown]

Ok, so I got my fish sometime near the end of last October. Ever since, he's been in a 1 gal. bowl with rocks at the bottom and a plastic plant in the middle. He's gotten sick a couple of times, but recovered just fine. Recently, I changed the plant to a smaller one so he has more room to swim. However, going on 3 weeks now, he hasn't eaten anything. I keep having to change his water more frequently due to the nasty water his food makes. Sometimes he'll swim up to his food (TetraBetta pellets), look at it, and knock it down to the bottom. He's uninterested in flakes or sun-dried shrimp. His behavior hasn't changed much, but he seems a little more mopey than usual. Other than weight and color loss, his appearance hasn't changed. What's going on? Please help!

Tank specs:
1 gal
Room temp water between 77-82 degrees
PH unknown
Large rocks at bottom and a plastic plant in the middle

[LittleBlueFishlets]

A few more questions....

How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

How much food do you give him each time?

Can you post a photo?

[ajbrown]

I usually change 100% of the water every 7 days or so.
The water comes from a Britta filter and is treated with Tetra BettaSafe water conditioner

Pictures included. Ignore the bubbles. I just changed his water yesterday

EDIT: Also, he usually gets 2 pellets in the morning, and 1 at night. I've been trying to use flakes and shrimp as bribes, but he doesn't want them

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Originally Posted by ajbrown

he's been in a 1 gal. bowl
I keep having to change his water more frequently due to the nasty water his food makes.
1 gal
....
I usually change 100% of the water every 7 days or so.
The water comes from a Britta filter and is treated with Tetra BettaSafe water conditioner
he usually gets 2 pellets in the morning, and 1 at night.

A one gallon bowl needs more frequent water changes. Ammonia and waste build up quickly in small bowls. Poor water quality can make him ill, and leave him susceptible to disease.

I recommend doing 100% water changes every other day. (Or you could get a larger tank if you don't want to make frequent water changes.)

Any uneaten food should be removed immediately. Leaving it long enough to make a mess will cause it to foul the water.

You don't need to use filtered water. Regular tap water contains dissolved salts and minerals, and is fine to use, along with your water conditioner.

[ajbrown]

I use filtered water because it's more convenient for me, plus the water at my college is shitty and def. unfit for a fish.
I will try changing the water more often, thanks.
Any other ideas of what it could be?
Also, what do you think about using the 7 day feeder block from Petco? I wouldn't leave it in the full time, but it might be something to encourage him to get nutrition. Thoughts?

[LittleBlueFishlets]

I would NOT use a feeder block unless I was standing directly next to the tank to see if he ate it. And I would then immediately remove it again.

I once used a feeder block for a weekend. When I got home, it was sitting at the bottom of the tank, encased in a cloudy goo of decomposing food and material. My Betta was curled in her hammock, not moving and completely clamped up.... I did an immediate 100% water change. It took her several days to recover.

After that, I looked into feeder blocks more. I found that they don't usually contain 'good nutrition.' And they contain other ingredients that can foul the water quickly if the fish doesn't eat them.

Some people have success with them. But Bettas often want to eat at the surface, not the bottom. And since they're mostly junk food and non-food fillers, I would suggest not bothering with them at all.

I feel that doing frequent water changes is the most important thing you can do for your guy right now. Once he is in clean, warm water, he'll probably feel better and regain his appetite.

If you want to pick up some new food, look for pellets that contain whole fish as the first three ingredients. A lot of people on this forum highly recommend two brands of pellets:

• New Life Spectrum (NLS) pellets
• Omega One Betta Buffet pellets