My poor fishy. :(

Well, I got a betta at the pet store about a month ago to brighten up my dorm room. He's been doing a good job at that. Today, though, all of a sudden, he won't eat. He used to eat like a little pig. I actually had to start feeding him a little less than I had been, because he was getting chubby. I've been feeding him three pellets of betta gold once a day. I cleaned out his bowl a couple days ago, and I thought the little plant in it was bothering him, becasue it was plastic, so I left it out. He started burrowing into the marbles, so I put the plant back in, and he seems a little happier. But, he still won't eat, and he's looking a bit pale. When I tried to feed him tonight, he took it like he was going to eat it, but then spit it back out and now is just swimming around looking at it. His water feels a little cool, but I haven't done anything different than when I first got him, and the first couple of weeks I had him he was flaring and making bubble nests. He's really starting to worry me a bit... I don't want my little Sakana to die. Can anyone tell me what's wrong, and/or how to help him?

I just moved his bowl so that he is under a light... that seems to help a little... he seems livlier, and he was flaring at his reflection in the side of the bowl, but he still won't eat, and he hasn't blown any bubbles.

He's still acting the same today... swimming around, but no bubbles and still not eating. He looks pretty pale, too. I'm really worried... does anyone have any ideas?

Now it looks as if he's clamping his fins. As soon as my batteries to my camera recharge, I'll attach a picture of him.

OK I'm not the expert here but I've had a very happy betta for about a year now. How big is his bowl? If it is very small and unfiltered do you change the water every few days? Do you treat the water before you add it? If your room is chilly you might need a bigger tank(like 2 gal) so that you can heat it. Bettas like to be warm(like 78-82). I've read that you can use a heating pad placed under a small bowl but Ive never done it. Do you have any kind of water test kit? Ammonia, nitrates, nitrite, chill, and cramped space can all contribute to a sickly betta. Read the pinned stuff at the top of this forum ... it helps tons
Good luck

corykitty516 said:

OK I'm not the expert here but I've had a very happy betta for about a year now. How big is his bowl? If it is very small and unfiltered do you change the water every few days? Do you treat the water before you add it? If your room is chilly you might need a bigger tank(like 2 gal) so that you can heat it. Bettas like to be warm(like 78-82). I've read that you can use a heating pad placed under a small bowl but Ive never done it. Do you have any kind of water test kit? Ammonia, nitrates, nitrite, chill, and cramped space can all contribute to a sickly betta. Read the pinned stuff at the top of this forum ... it helps tons
Good luck

Click to expand...

It's a half gallon bowl... I do a 100% water change at least once a week. Does it need changed more than that? I've been changing it once a week for the last month, and he's just now started acting like this. My grandma has a beta, and she just buys the $.50 gallon jugs of drinking water from Wal-Mart, and her beta has been with her for about a year, so that's what I've been doing, and he was fine until the last couple of days. I've been putting BettaFix in his water the last couple of days, ever since he started acting weird.

I have never heard of the heating pad thing, I might have to try that, as it's been hot in my room lately, but I don't want to make Sakana cold, either. The only thing that worries me is having that heating pad on my desk for a while. You know, colleges are pretty strict about the whole fire-hazard thing. Do you know of any heating pads that would be safe for that?

Picture time... the camera makes his color look brighter than what he really is... but, he was dark blue when I first bought him, and you can see in the pictures that he isn't dark now.

I didnt say this before but walmart water is what killed my first betta nearly 2 years ago. For a month it was fine then one day a did a water change and he swam around furoiusly for a few minutes then just stopped. I didnt own a fish for almost a year after that. I now use tap water treated with a chlorine/chloramine remover. I really have no idea exactly how the heating pad thing works as I've never done it myself, but you should make sure you have a thermometer so you dont boil him. Mine stays at 78 with no heater.. the room is just warm.
Think about going up to a full gallon bowl and changing 50% of the water every three or so days. You dont really have to have a filter but it makes it a bit easier to maintain (its harder for them to build bubble nests with one anyway) I have this weird thing on mine that works sort of like a UGF (looked for a picture cant find one) but doesnt make the turbulance that a regular UGF does. I dont wash the gravel so the bacteria stays there and he has a live java fern in there.

What are the drops called, and how much do they cost? I could try to do that...

Are you in the US? I get my supplies (but not fish) from petsmart and their brand is proaquatics. I have also used Jungle Bowl Buddies for betta fizzy tabs. These are cheap ... less than 5 bucks depending on the size of the bottle (I have a few tanks so I just get the large size) Tabs are also just a couple of dollars and treat up to a gallon or so each. Check to see if the label for give doses for small tanks. Any pet store that sells bettas should have a chlorine treatment. I also use mardel 5 in one test strips every couple of weeks just to make sure the water parameters are staying OK. I also have an "ammonia alarm" in the tank all the time (some meds will stain it unfortunately... and its about 7dollars). Many people on this forum seem to swear by products like melafix, bettafix, and just plain aquarium salt. Check the pinned topics for dosage info. I have not had to use these on any of my fish yet but I keep melafix aroung just in case.
Has he started eating again? I'd say try something like frozen bloodworm but if your dorm room doesnt have a freezer that could get sooooo messy. Maybe a shelled pea or something would be good.

Oh petsmart also has a tank a bit over 1 gal that comes in orange or purple with a filter and some other junk included for 16.99 (by marina I think). I'm thinking of getting one of those for my baby.... maybe 2 so I can get him a friend.

I'm not sure if you'll get this before you run off to the pet store, but the clamped fins could just be a sign of boredom.

That happened to my crowntail when he... well... stopped crowning. What I did was a bought him a few buddies to flare at and he was, and still is, beautifully crowning along with his plakat and half-moon buddies. I've now got 21 (and am breeding a new set of half-moons) and I set the bowls next to one another so they flare at each other. Not only do they look incredibly cool when they do it, but it keeps them active and healthy. When they flare and do their dance, they're exercising and becoming stronger.

I suggest buying a few bettas.

My advice is to have four, a pair in two different sections of your room. Every so often, move the bowls around and switch partners so the bettas keep thinking they've got a new opponent and a new reason to keep on flaring.

Buying medicine probably isn't the best first action unless you're at least 75% sure that they're sick. Sometimes, medicating for something that isn't there is worse than doing nothing.

So yeah, just buy another betta (or three) and let them flare at each other before buying the meds.

Oh, and you might want to switch to sand later on. Food and worms sometimes get stuck under gravel and marbles and pollute the water when they decompose. At least sand lets you use a dropper or baster to take the waste out.

Can/do Bettas vomit? I fed him this morning and then left the room for a couple minutes. WHen I came back, one if his pellets was gone. I was next to the bowl telling him how happy I was that he finally ate at least SOMETHING, when something white came out of his mouth.

Was this white thing a bubble? Or did it just spit up the pellet?

My bettas used to do that when they were first getting accustomed to their new food.

he has probably just chewed it and spit it back out.... try changing his food to a different brand or a diff type... i know my baby pinkish one dosent like hbh betta pellets cuz he chokes on them but he will eat the baby pellets... same with my new one spike...

YAY!!!!!!!!! HE FINALLY ATE!!!!!!!!

I was really worried about him when I got back from class... his fins are looking a bit limp. I tried feeding him again, and he finally ate! He seemed like he was having trouble chewing up the pellets, though, so I think I will try the baby pellets, and I'll do a water change tomorrow as soon as I get the drops for chlorine.

Thank you all so much for your help... I don't think I could have been happier than I was the moment he actually ate.