Help New Betta Won't Eat

[robertherrington]

So, I bought a crown tail betta. I keep the temperature in his tank right. The problem is: When I feed him he will not eat. He may eat a flake as it falls to the bottom, but the same thing with pellets. He seems to be acting normal, and swims around happily. I am just curious as to why he is ignoring food. Should I wait a few days before feeding him and try again? I have no idea what to do. I dont want him starving to death. Any input greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[robertherrington]

Here is a link to a pic of the little guy http/i358.photobucket.com/albums/oo21/robnerikah/betta12_zps4m5wwxdz.png~original

 

[BiggTexx]

How long have you had him? What are the water paramters?

 

[robertherrington]

had him a few weeks but tried to cycle before I got him using hardy fish Ammonia is at 0 Nitrites are at 0 and I am unsure of nitrates due to my cheap test kit I'm not sure the kit is accurate However I have given weekly water changes so they shouldnt be too high I would assume. He just doesnt go for the flakes or pellets, but he seems otherwise perfect
water temp is set to 75

 

[LyraGuppi]

I would up the temperature up to at least 78 F and see how he acts.

 

[robertherrington]

Ok, will do. I assume he would still eat though with the current temp. Just didnt know if I should refrain from feeding him for a couple of days

 

[LyraGuppi]

Forgot to mention, do the temp raising slowly.

 

[robertherrington]

will do, but I am really starting to get concerned with the fact that he wont eat. I've had bettas in cooler water whilst I was naive and they still ate

 

[LyraGuppi]

Just an idea... if you have any, try soaking his food in garlic oil. I've heard it works

 

[attibones]

You could also try using different foods like frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp. These don't need to be a daily food, but they are usually tasty enough to get fish interested.

 

[gmc1]

Hikari pellets.my betta won't eat anything else.dont feed too much though.bloating is common.

 

[BiggTexx]

had him a few weeks but tried to cycle before I got him using hardy fish Ammonia is at 0 Nitrites are at 0 and I am unsure of nitrates due to my cheap test kit I'm not sure the kit is accurate However I have given weekly water changes so they shouldnt be too high I would assume. He just doesnt go for the flakes or pellets, but he seems otherwise perfect
water temp is set to 75

I am still a little worried about the water params.  What do you mean by "tried to cycle before I got him using hardy fish"?  How long was the cycle, what exactly did you do and how did you monitor it?

 

[KrystaK]

My Betta was the same way. He would eat maybe one pellet but that was it. I was really concerned that he wasn't eating. 
It took about three months before I saw him eat several pellets in a short span of time. Some Betta's just aren't piggies I guess. My betta doesn't really care for Betta pellets, but he'll eat them if he has to. He liked the micro colour pellets I fed the tank every three days, they were his favourite. They were salmon based and had a pretty high protein content. 
I'm not saying go out and buy said pellets, but maybe experiment with a few different kinds of food until you find one he likes. 
 
Some people suggested I soak some Betta pellets in garlic juice to get the Betta to like them. I never tried it, but that's another idea you could try if your desperate. 

 

[LyraGuppi]

My gosh, I soaked my betta's food in garlic juice this evening...they went after it like SHARKS! I would try it.

 

[Wildbetta]

Do you remove the food when he doesn't eat it?  If not, he might be eating some when you are not looking. 
 
Bettas can easily go 2 weeks without any food so the fact that your little guy is nibbling a bit every now and then when you try to feed him is good.   Bettas in cooler temperatures sometimes will not eat or will eat very little.  I suggest raising the temperature to around 80F and see if he reacts any different to the food.  Also experiment with different foods.  Some bettas are incredibly picky about which pellets they like and it can take a little while to learn which one they prefer.  You can also offer (like suggested above) some frozen brine shrimp or bloodworms.  I also suggest live foods such as white worms, mosquito larvae (when available), or chopped black worms.
 
It is important to really watch your water parameters to make sure they are stable too.  Ammonia spikes could cause him to go off eating as well.  Another thought, how does his poop look (if you have seen it)?  If it is white or stringy, he might have parasites which can cause them to go off of food too.