Gone Off His Food

[ParadiseGuerrero]

I've had Toby (betta) for almost 2 months maybe not sure bu a fair while. He settled in straight away but in the last 4-5 days he gone off his food and has been a bit less active than usual- sitting on the bottom more. He was on king british sinking pellets (that didn't actually sink XD) but when he went off them I tried him with tetra waffers then nurafin flakes then tetra prima but he just ignores them all. The only think he seems interested in is peas so I've been giving him between 1/4- 1/2 of a pea each day but I'm not sure how good this is for him long term.
In the past I've also tried frozen and freeze dried bloodworms and frozen brineshrimp but he never liked these.

Can anybody think why he might do this or what I can do to get him eating again?

He lives on him own in a 20L tank with a few plants and a pice of food that acts like a cave for him. I've not changed anything since he's been here.

Thankyou in advance for any help you can offer

 

[sona98765]

I've had Toby (betta) for almost 2 months maybe not sure bu a fair while. He settled in straight away but in the last 4-5 days he gone off his food and has been a bit less active than usual- sitting on the bottom more. He was on king british sinking pellets (that didn't actually sink XD) but when he went off them I tried him with tetra waffers then nurafin flakes then tetra prima but he just ignores them all. The only think he seems interested in is peas so I've been giving him between 1/4- 1/2 of a pea each day but I'm not sure how good this is for him long term.
In the past I've also tried frozen and freeze dried bloodworms and frozen brineshrimp but he never liked these.

Can anybody think why he might do this or what I can do to get him eating again?

He lives on him own in a 20L tank with a few plants and a pice of food that acts like a cave for him. I've not changed anything since he's been here.

Thankyou in advance for any help you can offer

You can change his water,rearrange the decorations inside or put a mirror infront of his tank for about 5 minutes twice a day.
Also do u have a heater?

 

[ParadiseGuerrero]

yep his tank is heated- 25C

I've tried him with a mirror before- he just stared at it for a minute then swam off and I moved the plants around two days ago.
He's due a water change tomorrow so I'll see if he perks up then

 

[sona98765]

yep his tank is heated- 25C

I've tried him with a mirror before- he just stared at it for a minute then swam off and I moved the plants around two days ago.
He's due a water change tomorrow so I'll see if he perks up then

Continue on with the water change, but I wouldn't feed him any more peas. I heard that the peas are rough enough to damage betta fish's digestive tract and that could lead to premature death. So stop feeding him until he starts eating his normal food. Also if he doesn't start eating within 12-24 hours of the water change consider getting him a snail or two.
Best of luck and keep us updated!

 

[Cazgar]

Can you get hold of any live food such as bloodworms or daphnia?
sometimes something wriggling encourages them to eat

 

[OldMan47]

I am going to be way off the usual opinion here but I suggest that maybe you have been pandering to his desires too much. I know that is heresy, but I find that a hungry betta, or almost any other species, will eat what you present to him. Sorry, but I know that fish will not voluntarily starve. Instead they will take whatever is offered and will try to convince you that they simply cannot go there. What you do as a fish caretaker is completely up to you. I have decided long ago that any fish that I care for will darned well eat the foods that I can readily obtain. That means that I do not tolerate fish who try to bend my will to their own by refusing specific foods. It may take a few extra days, but fish will eat what I give them. I am a very harsh task master, but my own fish always thrive and expand their numbers. I judge my results as results, not as any fictitious "ideal caretaker" standard but instead based on my own results. I am far from the "ideal caretaker" of my fish but always judge my results based on the real world, not the idealistic world where a fish keeper will do anything that is requested of him. My fish always seem to thrive and I have long since decided that their response to my care is the "best" for them. Please do not take this too literally. My fish do as I wish, but you may well find a better method to deal with your own fish. Each of us is, at the base, a true experimental fish keeper. I hope to find that each of you has adopted your own interpretation of the best of fish keeping techniques. In reality, my own methods are, at best, primitively acceptable.

 

[sona98765]

I am going to be way off the usual opinion here but I suggest that maybe you have been pandering to his desires too much. I know that is heresy, but I find that a hungry betta, or almost any other species, will eat what you present to him. Sorry, but I know that fish will not voluntarily starve. Instead they will take whatever is offered and will try to convince you that they simply cannot go there. What you do as a fish caretaker is completely up to you. I have decided long ago that any fish that I care for will darned well eat the foods that I can readily obtain. That means that I do not tolerate fish who try to bend my will to their own by refusing specific foods. It may take a few extra days, but fish will eat what I give them. I am a very harsh task master, but my own fish always thrive and expand their numbers. I judge my results as results, not as any fictitious "ideal caretaker" standard but instead based on my own results. I am far from the "ideal caretaker" of my fish but always judge my results based on the real world, not the idealistic world where a fish keeper will do anything that is requested of him. My fish always seem to thrive and I have long since decided that their response to my care is the "best" for them. Please do not take this too literally. My fish do as I wish, but you may well find a better method to deal with your own fish. Each of us is, at the base, a true experimental fish keeper. I hope to find that each of you has adopted your own interpretation of the best of fish keeping techniques. In reality, my own methods are, at best, primitively acceptable.

We need more excellent caretakers in the world like you

 

[OldMan47]

In reality, most fish keepers can do a better job than I can sona. I very much appreciate your support, but many fish keepers are likely to take me to task, which is exactly as it should be. I am a simple hobbyist fishkeeper with little if any experience in the general fish keeping role. If I am the best that can be found here, we really need better members, IMO. I am quite confident with what I do but I am a livebearer specialist, not a general fish keeper. I know my own limits. If you have the insight needed to address more general fish keeping techniques, I applaud your expertise among us amateurs. Please step forward and help us amateurs get back on track.

 

[kevinhannan]

interesting, hope all is well

 

[ParadiseGuerrero]

he's getting a bit better. I decided to stick with the king british pellets as he at least recognises these as food(I'm not sure he's ever been given flake before so perhaps that confused him bit.. don't know). He's started to eat at least 1 per day some times two but then he ignores them. I tried feeding him one/two at a time twice a day but he still seems adament thet he only wants to eat one.

How many would you recomend feeding him each day? I was going with the goal of 4 but may be it's just too much; but one seems far too little despite him not being quite fully grown

Thankyou for all the help so far

I did his water change, I don't know if thats what got him eating a little or not. I think I'll try with OldMan47's idea for a while, I does make sence that it could just make him really picky if I went out my way to get food for him (my old cat certainly decided she wanted the best and nothing else )plus I happen to have quite a selection already and I don't think I need any more.
As for live food I can't get hold of any at the moment- the day before I posted though I did have some water fles; wish I had tried them for him but I really didn't want him to ignore them and then have little bigs swimming around- that'd just creep me out

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

The first week I had my betta he was turning his nose up at everything but bloodworm but after that he started tucking in to everything going. I have my guy in a community tank so I feed a variety of foods at each feeding and he samples a bit of everything now! I honestly think it's part of the settling in process and his appetite will return as he feels more confident.

 

[ParadiseGuerrero]

but he was eating as soon as I bought him home, it's jsut recently that he went off his food?

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

Sorry I got you confused with someone else who had only had theirs a week, my bad!

 

[ParadiseGuerrero]

ah no worries but interestingly my guy in the community tank took a while to eat as well while this guy ate straight away..but then stopped, the other guys increddable greedy and races for the food(he's suprisingly quick). I don't supose it could be that he just does feel the need to hurry because he's the only one in the tank do you think? I don't know how much fish think about these sorts of things...

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

lol I do actually think competition comes into it!