Betta Suddenly Not Moving Not Eating

[kenlecombattant]

Hello fellow Betta owners and experts!

I've had a Betta for about 4 months now, with everything going spot on. Feeding him the usual food, with the occasional bloodworm treat. But its been a week now that he has suddenly stopped eating - he wont even touch a bloodworm even if it sits right in front of his mouth. Also he doesn't move at all anymore: he just stays in a corner and rarely moves.

I tried looking around another forum and found this:

" THE BEST ADVICE YET!

This information is excellent because I brought the prettiest blue male siamese fish and at Pets @ Home they are rubbish! They told me it was fine in cold water so i brought a biorb etc...popped it in. It hasnt ate anything in months and it is definately alive as it moves along the bottom occasionally. I now know that they have told me the worst info at that shop. They need to live in 24 degree plus water and so ive brought a heater. Hes feeding now and swimming!! I was soo close to thinking he was dead. He's alive Thanks for your temperature information you saved 'Rainbow'. "

So I did exactly that, I bought a heater and brought up the temperature to about 25°C but nothing has changed. I don't know what to do, so if anyone has had a similar experience or knows what to do I would be forever grateful if someone helped me save Ken's life!

Thanks in advance for reading this!

 

[Glegorly]

Hello fellow Betta owners and experts!

I've had a Betta for about 4 months now, with everything going spot on. Feeding him the usual food, with the occasional bloodworm treat. But its been a week now that he has suddenly stopped eating - he wont even touch a bloodworm even if it sits right in front of his mouth. Also he doesn't move at all anymore: he just stays in a corner and rarely moves.

I tried looking around another forum and found this:

" THE BEST ADVICE YET!

This information is excellent because I brought the prettiest blue male siamese fish and at Pets @ Home they are rubbish! They told me it was fine in cold water so i brought a biorb etc...popped it in. It hasnt ate anything in months and it is definately alive as it moves along the bottom occasionally. I now know that they have told me the worst info at that shop. They need to live in 24 degree plus water and so ive brought a heater. Hes feeding now and swimming!! I was soo close to thinking he was dead. He's alive Thanks for your temperature information you saved 'Rainbow'. "

So I did exactly that, I bought a heater and brought up the temperature to about 25°C but nothing has changed. I don't know what to do, so if anyone has had a similar experience or knows what to do I would be forever grateful if someone helped me save Ken's life!

Thanks in advance for reading this!

Biorbs have pretty strong water flows and your Betta might not like the strong movement of the water surface when he comes up to breathe due to the effort he'll have to put into swimming because of the drag on his fins. Because of the shape of the BiOrb, once water reaches the sides it is forced down into the sediment and continues the cycle creating a current. He could just be exhausted from fighting the current. If this is the problem, I'd suggest densly planting your tank with silk plants (or live) to create a bit of cover and to slow the water movement. Not having a heater wouldn't have helped, how long has the heater been in for? Usually when a Betta gets put back into tropical from cold temperatures they liven up pretty quickly.

However, if you've had him for 4 months already, he would have got fed up of the current a lot sooner, have you checked your water parameters? When was the last time you did a waterchange?

 

[kenlecombattant]

Hello, thanks for your quick reply!

The heater has been in the tank for about 3/4 days now, but it hasn't changed his attitude at all! The heater creates no current so that can't be the problem.

We tend to change 1/4 of the water every few days, and we checked the water conditions so nothing is wrong there.


How long do Bettas live for? Because I've had it for a good 4 months and he was at least 2 months when we got him. Is it possible he is just getting old?

Thanks again.

 

[Lacuna]

The current isn't from the heater, it's from the filter. Finding a way to lessen the current from the filter would be a good idea, if it seems to be strong.

Do you have the results of your water tests? Especially ammonia and nitrite?

Bettas tend to live about two years in captivity on average and some live much longer, up to five years or more. So it's unlikely to be old age, although you can't know for sure how old he was when you bought him. He would have been older than two months, anyway. Does he have any other symptoms other than sitting around and not eating?

 

[Glegorly]

Hello, thanks for your quick reply!

The heater has been in the tank for about 3/4 days now, but it hasn't changed his attitude at all! The heater creates no current so that can't be the problem.

We tend to change 1/4 of the water every few days, and we checked the water conditions so nothing is wrong there.


How long do Bettas live for? Because I've had it for a good 4 months and he was at least 2 months when we got him. Is it possible he is just getting old?

Thanks again.

No problem , I meant the Built in Biorb filter. The tube in the middle that releases bubbles can cause quite a bit of disturbance on the surface, does it seem to be bothering him or have you seen him struggling to swim?

Bettas usually have a lifespan of 2 years, but have been known to live for 4 or 5.

 

[kenlecombattant]

Oh ok!

Well he is in a tank with no filter - the lady at our local shop said he could be in a small tank (about 8 litres) at room temperature. So there is absolutely no current at all in the tank!

To be honest the fish just looks depressed - if I added a female in the tank do you think that could stimulate him?

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Oh ok!

Well he is in a tank with no filter - the lady at our local shop said he could be in a small tank (about 8 litres) at room temperature. So there is absolutely no current at all in the tank!

To be honest the fish just looks depressed - if I added a female in the tank do you think that could stimulate him?

oh yes it would stimulate him into killing her or being killed. Don't add a female.

Since his tank doesn't have a filter you need to be chaning his water more frequently. He could do with a larger tank but I don't think thats the issue here; he needs a filter if possible

 

[Glegorly]

Oh ok!

Well he is in a tank with no filter - the lady at our local shop said he could be in a small tank (about 8 litres) at room temperature. So there is absolutely no current at all in the tank!

To be honest the fish just looks depressed - if I added a female in the tank do you think that could stimulate him?

Is the Biorb switched on and bubbling?

 

[kenlecombattant]

Ok so no female!

We are doing partial water changes every two days, and the water appears to be healthy after testing it. Do you think adding a filter will do him some good even if the water is perfect?

Oh ok!

Well he is in a tank with no filter - the lady at our local shop said he could be in a small tank (about 8 litres) at room temperature. So there is absolutely no current at all in the tank!

To be honest the fish just looks depressed - if I added a female in the tank do you think that could stimulate him?

Is the Biorb switched on and bubbling?

There is no filter at all. All he has in his tank is the heating system and plants.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Sorry I must say I didn't mean what I'd written before to come across as rude; it was meant to be funny but when I've read it back it was rude.

Adding a filter will help; the bacteria builds up in the filter which means that when your fish creates ammonia then the filter bacteria will effectively "dispose of it".

If you add a filter to his tank now; you'll still have to do your regular water changes until the bacteria is built up and then you can do less frequent water changes if you wanted to.

 

[Glegorly]

There is no filter at all. All he has in his tank is the heating system and plants.

Sorry I'm getting lost so he's in a biorb, but you've taken the filter (the clear tube and sponge compartment) out that came with the biorb before you set it up?

 

[lilfishie]

There is no filter at all. All he has in his tank is the heating system and plants.

Sorry I'm getting lost so he's in a biorb, but you've taken the filter (the clear tube and sponge compartment) out that came with the biorb before you set it up?

Heres hoping i get it right

Am thinking the betta lives in a tank of approx 8l, it now has a heater but no filter.


you really need to get a filter for your tank, this is where the beneficial bacteria lives/grows that removes all the nasties (mainly ammonia) from your water which in certain doses can be fatal to fish.

in the mean time i would recommend at least 50% water change a day

hopfully he will perk up a bit