New betta problem

[XSprinkleFaceX]

I just got my betta today and fed him 4 pebbles but he's not eating? Is there something wrong?

[Ajones108]

Sometimes a new betta won't eat for a few days once it is in a new home. This is what mine did and he's eating again now. Don't worry too much, after a few days it should start eating. What type of food are you using?

[XSprinkleFaceX]

Yah i guess i just need to monitor the fish. I'm feeding it I'm feeding it TopFin colour enhancer betta bits

[Ajones108]

Bettas normally don't get all their nutrients from one food, especially something like pellets. I've been recommended frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp. Also, I hear Hiakri Beta Bio-Gold is great food for them as well. Its good to have variety in a betta diet. :)

[XSprinkleFaceX]

Ok well ill monitor him and buy new food. He ate one pebble :) so i guess thats better than nothing...should i scoop out the excess food? or leave it in case he wants it

[Natalee92]

you should definitely get the food he doesn't eat right away out. it makes the water get dirty faster. My fish rejected his pellets for a few days right when i got him but he loooves freezedried bloodworms which he ate even when he wouldn't eat pellets. Now i switch off so he has a varied diet. I would be careful with the frozen bloodworms and brineshrimp they can sometimew cary bacteria such as ich:/

[wallywestisthebest333]

Originally Posted by Natalee92

I would be careful with the frozen bloodworms and brineshrimp they can sometimew cary bacteria such as ich:/

Dude I think you just unknowingly solved my sister's ich problem! =D *hugs* Thanks! =]

[XSprinkleFaceX]

Thanks alot! He's still the same today but I guess he's still adjusting. Should I just wait to feed him tomorrow? Or try again later?

[Adastra]

First of all, ich is not bacteria. Ich is a parasite that is found in just about everyone's aquarium. The reason it doesn't infest most fish is because healthy fish have the strength to fight it off. Do not blame the ich infestation on feeding your fish frozen food--instead review your betta's environment for sources of stress. Water quality is the major cause of ich, but it can also be triggered by low temperature or temperature fluctuations, and general stress caused by being in a high traffic area or being around other bettas.

Frozen foods are certified sterilized--very few things can live in ice. This is why we freeze our own food to preserve it. The problems can occur when we improperly treat frozen food. You should never thaw something and leave it out, and you should never thaw something, and then freeze it again, then thaw it again and feed it to your fish. Just like if you did that with human food--you're gonna run into problems that way.

Another thing I'd like to point out is that Hikari Bio-Gold used to be much better than it is now. They changed their formula a few months ago--they used to have meat as the first ingredient in the form of fish meal, but later changed the first ingredient to wheat somethingorother. Bettas are carnivores, so for them wheat has no value at all. Hikari pellets are now more like fish-flavored biscuits than real fish food. I recommend Omega One betta buffet pellets, Atison's betta pellets, Ken's betta crumble, and New Life Spectrum. All of these products offer whole meats as the first ingredient.

Also, you should always soak the pellet in a little tank water before feeding them to your fish. Fish were not intended to eat bready air-filled foods. Soaking them helps release their "scent" into the water, stimulating your fish to eat them, and it makes them easier to digest.

[XSprinkleFaceX]

Update! He's eating now :) And looks as happy as a fishy could be. He swims up and down his tank and side to side when he sees me with his food in my hand.