Spike isn't going to make it

[purple_drazi]

He hasn't eaten anything significant since August 16, and then it was only a couple of days where he ate a few pieces of bloodworm.

He's in his own 2g tank, with some nice soft java moss, 50% water change daily, aquarium salt & bettamax in the water. I put 1 or 2 small pieces of bloodworm in the tank every day, sometimes he goes over to them and smells them but he won't eat. All he does is hang around at the top of the water barely breathing. I tried feeding him peas for awhile but he wasn't interested.

this is not fun.

I originally thought that Spike's problems were caused by the person I had looking after my animals while I was away overfeeding the fish - when I returned there was a ton of uneaten food on the bottom of the tank and scum on the top, but he said that he had left food in the tank because Spike wouldn't eat and he didn't know what to do.

I dunno. When I left I had two happy bettas. Now I'm losing Spike. He's a mutt from the lfs and I've had him for 8 mths, could this be old age?

 

[GuppyDude]

could be age, theres no telling about lfs bettas i dunno thogh, it sounds like ur doing all u can do for him. just keep up on water changes and stuff and c wat happens

 

[BabbleFish]

aw. I just lost my girl, Yesterday, for pretty much the same reason. She wouldn't move from the top of the water, refused to look at food, let alone eat it. I hope things turn out better for you then they did for me. As a last resort, perhapse buy frozen brine shrimp, use a toothpick and try feeding it to him off of the end of it. It's never worked for me, but my sister has had success with it quite often.

 

[purple_drazi]

Thanks for the idea about the brine shrimp but he hates brine shrimp!

Before he got sick I'd try mixing in a few brine shrimp to vary his diet every once in a while and without fail, pffft they'd get spit right back out again!

 

[GP]

Why such huge water changes?

 

[fourplayfishy]

try stickin the pieces of food to your finger and bringin them right to his mouth thats what i do if mine cant see his food... the vibrations help him find it... (hes almost blind in the dark)