Betta Is Active And Appears To Be Healthy, But Won't Eat!

[WeslinCamden]

I've had my Betta toothless in a 3 gallon for about 8 months now, and much like other betta keepers, i was misinformed about their care for the first few months and he got ammonia burns on his fins. However, I added a heater and started doing 50% water changes every other day (Making sure to not disrupt bacteria in gravel.) Anyways he has been way more active since, and has been bubble nesting lately, however for a few weeks now i can't get him too eat much. I bought him a better formula pellet than i originally had him on, and he usually only swallows one a day and spits out the rest. So i tried his old pellets, same thing. Tried flakes (Won't even touch them), tried freeze-dried krill (Eats a couple but still spits out most) and last night i even tried some frozen brine shrimp and he just eats it and spits it out. What the heck is going on... Is it common for Bettas to lose their appetite when nesting? Or is something more serious going on? Like i said he is showing healthy behavior, but now hes starting to get thin... Any tips would be appreciated!

 

[Wildbetta]

What is your tank setup like?  I know you said it is a 3 gallon, that you have added a heater, and it sounds like you have gravel for substrate.   Do you have a filter on the tank or a thermometer for monitoring temperature?   You want your water temperature to stay 78F-80F at all times.

Bettas can be picky boogers at times.  However they are normally piggies so when one is not eating (especially when they have previously had a good appetite) then there is cause for concern.  Have you seen him poop?  Is it white or stringy at all?   Is he pooping at all?    Have you noticed him flicking himself against anything in the tank like he is scratching?  

Sometimes when we think our bettas are not eating when they spit the food back out but in reality a lot of the time they are actually getting more than we think.  However, if he is progressively getting thinner then something needs to be looked into.  Have you tried frozen bloodworms?  They tend to be a favorite that can get picky eaters eating.  I also recommend treating him for internal parasites just in case there is something there causing him to not want to eat.  Flubendazole or Praziquantel are my go to meds for internal parasites.

 

[Far_King]

Seconded.  Bettas can be notoriously fussy at times.
 
I have Hikari Betta Bio Gold and freeze dried bloodworms.  He absolutely loves them both.

 

[NickAu]

 
my Betta toothless

Oh I hope he is not toothless, Bettas do have teeth.
 
Have you tried live food, Most pet stores sell small crickets, maggots and my Bettas favourite small live earth worms, she also loves live fruit fly. 

 

[WeslinCamden]

I named him Toothless because he is a "Dragon Scale" Betta haha and I don't have a thermometer in the tank, However i check the temp. with a temp gun and it reads either 78 or 77 every time. And the gravel is FloraMax by CaribSea (I wanted something to grow as much bacteria as possible) I also don't have a filter, hence the frequent water changes. The closest thing i have to a filter is a fake moss ball. The only other problematic thing with my tank is there has been a film ontop of the water for a couple months now, which basically started after putting in that moss ball... So probably going to take that out, But would the film harm the betta? Im sure its possible, but I read that its not likely. And yeah I know bloodworms are a favorite for a lot of fish, So i'll try that next. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[NickAu]

 
The only other problematic thing with my tank is there has been a film ontop of the water for a couple months now

The film is due to poor surface movement of the water. I would leave the moss ball in as its not the culprit.

 

[Wildbetta]

I named him Toothless because he is a "Dragon Scale" Betta haha and I don't have a thermometer in the tank, However i check the temp. with a temp gun and it reads either 78 or 77 every time. And the gravel is FloraMax by CaribSea (I wanted something to grow as much bacteria as possible) I also don't have a filter, hence the frequent water changes. The closest thing i have to a filter is a fake moss ball. The only other problematic thing with my tank is there has been a film ontop of the water for a couple months now, which basically started after putting in that moss ball... So probably going to take that out, But would the film harm the betta? Im sure its possible, but I read that its not likely. And yeah I know bloodworms are a favorite for a lot of fish, So i'll try that next. Thanks for the feedback!

 
While I am sure that the temp gun does get a decent reading, it is probably not going to be as accurate as having a thermometer in the tank.  I know this because my husband has one of those temp guns and likes to mess around with them and I have checked a couple of my tanks with them.  Ends up reading either a bit low or high depending on the room temperature.  In all honesty the substrate is probably not going to do much for you in the way of a cycle since you do not have a filter running and since you are doing so many water changes.  The surface film is because you do not have any surface agitation.  It is not really harmful but can be unsightly.  You can easily take a clean paper towel and soak up the film or you can get a small sponge filter for the tank.  The moss ball is not the culprit really for that.