New fish won't eat:(

[moniibettalover]

Heey there everyone:)
I'm new here and i hope i put this in the right place.
Yesterday i got a betta fish .I used to have betta fish before but it was quite a long time ago. I put him in a 6 gallon tank with no other fishes in it.He looks quite healthy and happy and today when i caam home to my surprise i already saw him making one of them bubble nests:D but the problem is he won't eat:( i had him yesterday around 2 o'clock (it's 4 o'clock now cos im in the UK) and since then i fed him every couple of hours but he didn't even touch any of the 'tropical fish flakes' .Should i buy him different food or wait couple hours until feeding him again?? Thanks in advance x

[Gerty7408]

Hello!
Congrats on your new betta! My betta actually wouldn't eat for over a week when I first got him. I'd feed him once a day and he would just stare at it and swim off. It takes some of them some time to get used to their surroundings. I wouldn't keep feeding him every few hours though, because the food breaks down and releases ammonia.

[denaliwind]

Hello and welcome!

Some bettas take longer to acclimate to a new home then others. I've heard of members with new bettas going for a week or more without food after their arrival, but that's fairly rare. He may just need more time to adjust. However, I personally would go ahead and purchase some new food, he may just be a picky eater. There are a lot of different foods you can try, pellets (42% protein or higher) and frozen (not freeze dried) foods like mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, bloodworms and daphnia, and even live insects like wingless fruit flies. Just make sure you take out any uneaten food from his tank. ^^

Good luck! :D

[moniibettalover]

Thanks so much for your super quick answers:) i will try to get him some pellets which are so much less messy than flakes , so we'll see if he will eat that x

[CyerRyn]

My first Betta took almost a week to get to eat anything and I spent $15 on all diff. kinds of food. Eventually he ate though.. sometimes they just need to settle in and get comfy.

[moniibettalover]

Another problem : the name :] . I have no idea what to name it . Hes got scarlet tail and fins but his body is light pink. He's quite shy but likes taking the mick out of me . Like today he decided to look dead layin on to bottom of the tank on his side. But he came back to life ^^

[Canuck Fins]

Bettas can go a long time without eating so he is probably just settling in. I would recommend getting pellets for him as flakes tend to sink and foul up the water if they don't get eaten. Also, try feeding him twice a day and fasting one day a week. If he doesn't eat it, just remove and wait until next feeding time. He won't starve! :)

[moniibettalover]

Panic over. He started eating :D thanks for all your replys

[SillyCone]

Now... Photos!

[copperarabian]

mine isn't eating either, freaked me out until I found out he is just settling in still. My other bettas where very eager eaters when I first got them lol