[CandorColleen]

Hi, my new betta is a glo fish. She wont eat, which i understand is normal for a new betta, but i am wondering if the food i got her isnt what i should be feeding her. Its glo fish special flake food. I got her at petco, and that is what the worker gave me for her. Ive never owned a fish before so i really need some advice. Should i get betta pellets? Can glo fish eat those? I also have blood worms but she wont eat those either. Also, her heater's light keeps turning on & off. It said in the instructions that it turns off when the tank reaches optimal temperatures but i cant find anywhere where it explains why it would turn back on. Its a 5 gallon tank, for reference, and the heater came with the tank. P.s. ive had her for 3 days now and im getting worried.

 

[Eridanus]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Your baby doesn't have to eat the flakes! My glo Betta boy eats only live fruit flies and frozen foods.
If you're interested in trying something else, frozen foods are another option! Many people feed them frozen bloodworms, frozen brine shrimp, and frozen Daphnia.
Pellet wise, you could certainly try those! Some of the better brands are Northfin Betta bits and Fluvial but bites.

Sometimes they don't eat for a day or two due to stress and sometimes they're just picky little critters!

For the heater, the light indicates whether it's running or not. If it's not running, it'll turn off, if it is running, the light will turn back on. Heaters turn off and on consistently to keep the water at the temperature it needs to be!

I hope this of some help! Others will chime in with more advice too

 

[CandorColleen]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Your baby doesn't have to eat the flakes! My glo Betta boy eats only live fruit flies and frozen foods.
If you're interested in trying something else, frozen foods are another option! Many people feed them frozen bloodworms, frozen brine shrimp, and frozen Daphnia.
Pellet wise, you could certainly try those! Some of the better brands are Northfin Betta bits and Fluvial but bites.

Sometimes they don't eat for a day or two due to stress and sometimes they're just picky little critters!

For the heater, the light indicates whether it's running or not. If it's not running, it'll turn off, if it is running, the light will turn back on. Heaters turn off and on consistently to keep the water at the temperature it needs to be!

I hope this of some help! Others will chime in with more advice too

That is such a relief about the heater! I thought it was broken, but that makes more sense.

I'll look into some of those other foods for her, just in case shes one of the picky ones.

Thank you!!

 

[Eridanus]

No problem! Hope you find something she likes!

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

Welcome to the Forum!

Fish don't eat because they are stressed, sick or don't recognize what we are feeding as food. So if our Betta don't eat it is for one of these three reasons. You can rule out sick if they are otherwise active and responsive. New Betta might be a bit skittish or reticent but not completely lethargic.

Fish that are new often don't eat for the first and third reasons. They are often stressed because they have lived in a tiny, bare environment and are suddenly in the lap of luxury, so to speak. Once they settle in they will eat and this can take some more than a week. With places to retreat and of shade they tend to adjust faster.

Often there Betta are fed one thing in the store and then something else by the new owner. If they've been fed flakes they don't recognize pellets and vice versa; if freeze dried they are unused to pellets or flakes. They aren't being picky; just being confused. This is why it is best, in the beginning, to choose one brand in either pellets or flakes. I prefer pellets so I know exactly how much one is eating and because they are easier to clean up. Stick with that until the Betta begins to eat. Do not give up as they will not starve themselves.

I feed Devour Grain-Free Bug Crumbles as it has fewer fillers than any other food. However, it is only available from the maker. Other good foods, as noted, are NorthFin Betta Bits and Fluval Bug Bites. Equally as nutritious are New Life Spectrum and Aqueon Color Enhancing or Betta Formulas.

My Bettas' main diet is a variety frozen but I have multiple Betta and other fish. With a single Betta I'd suggest purchasing one type of frozen. Feed frozen once or twice a week and pellets the rest of the time.

 

[CandorColleen]

Welcome to the Forum!

Fish don't eat because they are stressed, sick or don't recognize what we are feeding as food. So if our Betta don't eat it is for one of these three reasons. You can rule out sick if they are otherwise active and responsive. New Betta might be a bit skittish or reticent but not completely lethargic.

Fish that are new often don't eat for the first and third reasons. They are often stressed because they have lived in a tiny, bare environment and are suddenly in the lap of luxury, so to speak. Once they settle in they will eat and this can take some more than a week. With places to retreat and of shade they tend to adjust faster.

Often there Betta are fed one thing in the store and then something else by the new owner. If they've been fed flakes they don't recognize pellets and vice versa; if freeze dried they are unused to pellets or flakes. They aren't being picky; just being confused. This is why it is best, in the beginning, to choose one brand in either pellets or flakes. I prefer pellets so I know exactly how much one is eating and because they are easier to clean up. Stick with that until the Betta begins to eat. Do not give up as they will not starve themselves.

I feed Devour Grain-Free Bug Crumbles as it has fewer fillers than any other food. However, it is only available from the maker. Other good foods, as noted, are NorthFin Betta Bits and Fluval Bug Bites. Equally as nutritious are New Life Spectrum and Aqueon Color Enhancing or Betta Formulas.

My Bettas' main diet is a variety frozen but I have multiple Betta and other fish. With a single Betta I'd suggest purchasing one type of frozen. Feed frozen once or twice a week and pellets the rest of the time.

Thank you so so much! I was wondering how long it might take her to get adjusted so this is great info. I will definitely look into pellets and frozen food, because you are right- the flakes are so hard to clean up! Plus, i do think being able to better monitor how much she's actually eating (as with pellets) would be helpful. I'll look for those brands at the pet store. I also have a fish-specific store near me, so i might actually try them first. Just in case they might be better able to help or might have more foods in stock.

 

[KatieMR]

One tip for finding good food for a betta is to look at the first 5 ingredients. You want them to be some kind of protein: whole fish, (it may say for example, whole salmon or whole krill), fish meal, insect or insect larvae, etc. There will probably be wheat flour that acts as a binder, but if there is more than one ingredient that is not meat/insect based, you will probably want to pass on that food.

 

[CandorColleen]

One tip for finding good food for a betta is to look at the first 5 ingredients. You want them to be some kind of protein: whole fish, (it may say for example, whole salmon or whole krill), fish meal, insect or insect larvae, etc. There will probably be wheat flour that acts as a binder, but if there is more than one ingredient that is not meat/insect based, you will probably want to pass on that food.

Okay, thank you! Yeah the flakes that i got when i got her do not fit that bill. I will make sure her future food does. Im going to the fish store today (they were closed yesterday) so ill make sure to look for that.