Betta has gone on food strike!!

[Cyndih70]

Been about 4-5 days now, and Sushi has just quit eating! Couple of times he's taken the food in and then spits it out. So, me being the Mommy that Sushi has complete control of, decided to go to the store today and buy a different food. Maybe mine was stale. Maybe he'd like a different brand. Whatever... didn't work. Same thing. Food strike continues into day 5 I think. I had been feeding him Betta Buffet by Omega One and today I tried both Top Fin and Aqueon, with no luck.

Sushi is still active and swimming around...quite a bit actually and so no signs of illness. That's why I call it a food strike. The not eating is the ONLY sign of somethng wrong.

Suggestions? PLEEEEEZE!

Housing
What size is your tank? 3 Gallon
What temperature is your tank? 80 degress
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Betta Buffet Omega One
How often do you feed your betta fish? Once daily

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Once per week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 70%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Stress Coat and small amounts of Epsom Salt

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? No
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Just the not eating
When did you start noticing the symptoms? about 5 days ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Tried changing food
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No
How old is your fish (approximately)? Almost one year

[Sena Hansler]

Have you tried removing the filter? Most filters are a pain for our long finned friends, especially in smaller tanks.

Why do you add epsom salts? If you heard it is good to use for an additive, it is not. It can be harmful unless it is absolutely needed such as in cases of chronic problems like chronic SBD.

[callistra]

Photos would be helpful. Is he bloated or scales sticking out?

Is he pooping daily and what color is his poop?

Out of those, the only one I'd touch is Omega One but New Life Spectrum Betta and Atison's Pro are my favs. I would split up your feedings to twice a day - 3-4 a day. No matter what you feed he needs one fast day a week.

Do your water changes include a siphon or stir/dip method to clean the gravel? That may be okay as long as it's fully cycled. CAn you test ro ammonia, nitrites and nitrate? IMHO, any time you don't do 100% weekly changes you should own a drops kit for all three.

ETA: Epsom salts are used to remineralize RO. It's actually an ingredient in Seachem's Equilibrium. In small amounts it's fine forever. I assumed they were using it because the fish won't eat but good catch.

[Cyndih70]

Originally Posted by Sena Hansler

Have you tried removing the filter? Most filters are a pain for our long finned friends, especially in smaller tanks.

Why do you add epsom salts? If you heard it is good to use for an additive, it is not. It can be harmful unless it is absolutely needed such as in cases of chronic problems like chronic SBD.

Filter: I haven't removed the filter as I have used it for almost a year. Hasn't been a problem to date and I thought I was doing him good by having a filter. Most everything I read when I first brought Sushi home was to have at least 2 gallons and have a filter and heater.

Epsom Salt: When I first brought Sushi home he took some time to adjust and Epsom Salt was suggested. I have used it ever since. If I should back off the Epsom I will probably ween him off and not just suddenly stop the epsom salt. But, if everyone thinks that long term use of the Epsom salt is doing more harm than good, I will certainly start to back off of it.

[callistra]

It depends on how much you're using and what the gh of the water is, but overall you shouldn't need it unless he's constipated or has a condition like dropsy.

Why was epsom salts suggested then?

Have some more questions for you up there please.

[Cyndih70]

Originally Posted by callistra

Photos would be helpful. Is he bloated or scales sticking out?

Is he pooping daily and what color is his poop?

Out of those, the only one I'd touch is Omega One but New Life Spectrum Betta and Atison's Pro are my favs. I would split up your feedings to twice a day - 3-4 a day. No matter what you feed he needs one fast day a week.

Do your water changes include a siphon or stir/dip method to clean the gravel? That may be okay as long as it's fully cycled. CAn you test ro ammonia, nitrites and nitrate? IMHO, any time you don't do 100% weekly changes you should own a drops kit for all three.

ETA: Epsom salts are used to remineralize RO. It's actually an ingredient in Seachem's Equilibrium. In small amounts it's fine forever. I assumed they were using it because the fish won't eat but good catch.

He LOOKS perfectly healthy. No scale issues. Color is beautiful. Don't know for sure about the pooping. He doesn't seem bloated, however I can't tell you with absolute certainty that he has pooped or what color it is. I have bright blue and turquoise gravel and I don't see any. Suggestions for possible constipation?

When I do water changes I alternated the use of a ciphon and just draining some of the water.

[Cyndih70]

Originally Posted by callistra

It depends on how much you're using and what the gh of the water is, but overall you shouldn't need it unless he's constipated or has a condition like dropsy.

Why was epsom salts suggested then?

Have some more questions for you up there please.

I'm not sure exactly WHY the epsom was suggested at the time. I was a new Betta mommy and was following advice of folks here on the forum. After him being a tank of the epsom salt water, the next time I did a water change, he started to get very lethergic and uninterested in anything and so i did another water change and added the salt back in. He perked right up. So, with the reaction I got from him , I assumed he preferred the salty water.

This is coming from a fish who has never showed interest in pellets, bloodworms or dried krill. He has only eaten and will only eat, Betta Buffet, when he DOES eat. This is his first food strike. He's usually pretty frisky when dinner time rolls around.

[callistra]

Interesting.. Can you test the gh and ph of your water? Even better would be with and without the epsoms. There are several reasons why he may prefer the salts.

It's not normal to not be hungry. It could be anything though.. from stress, to constipation, to actual illness.

Do you still have that 3 gallon cylinder thing?

[Cyndih70]

I will test in the am and get back to you. And yes.. He lives in 3 gallon cylinder with filter and heater.

[Cyndih70]

Here are the test results:

pH between 7.5-8
NO2 and NO3 - 0
GH 120
KH around 180
Ammonia - 0-0.5

Tried giving him a piece of pea... didn't quite know what to make of it. I think he ate and spit out