What To Feed Betta When Live Food Is Unavailable

[nortonmad213]

have to be tomorrow lights out if thats ok

 

[Chad]

Sure. Sometimes seeing helps. But not always. There are lots of reasons for clamping so it can be hard to pinpoint online.

 

[nortonmad213]

i been trying to cross of reasons but its hard when you keep finding other possibilities for it to happen. whats the most common ones that you know of?

 

[Ninjouzata]

Im not sure if it's why he's hiding under the filter but really don't recommend freeze dried foods for bettas as it can easily cause bloat. I hope he perks up soon!

 

[nortonmad213]

not sure borrowed a pinch of frozen brine shrimp off a friend down the road, he ignored it until it floated to him, getting quite worried really

 

[Ninjouzata]

What's the temperature of the water?

 

[nortonmad213]

27 degress celcius

 

[Chad]

That's about 80 degrees F which is about right really. I have always done best with them between 78 and 80. 
 
Too much light can be one thing, they like shade and bright light stresses them 
 
Too much food is another. I have always maintained a couple of fast days each week for my betta and given them small portions of food. As mentioned above they are prone to bloat and issues with digestion. Having the right temperature helps but it's not a guarantee. 

 

[nortonmad213]

Sorry the pics aren't the best they were rushed as I had to get to college early today

 

[Chad]

He does look unhappy...
 
Do you have the filter and an airstone in there? I'm wondering of you turn off the bubbles. He's a labyrinth fish so he doesn't really need the as much oxygen exchange and the bubbles might be annoying him. It's something to try as an experiment. If it doesn't respond then you can rule that out and move on to the next thing. 

 

[nortonmad213]

I'll turn the filter off tonight when I get home and see how he responds

 

[Wildbetta]

He is extremely clamped so he is def not feeling well.  Temperature is good and that is the first thing I check when I see a clamped fish.  One of the most common betta issues is velvet.  A condition that is caused by an organism similar to ICH.  Treatment is basically the same as ICH except with an added total blackout of the tank.  Turn off all the lights and take a flash light and shine it across your betta.  If you see anything that looks like dust(some people describe it as gold but it could easily be grayish) then you are most likely dealing with velvet. To find more info on velvet (as well as pics) google the name : 

Oodinium pilularis
 
 Other issues could be internal parasites or a bacterial infection.  Have you seen him poop recently? If so was it white or stringy?  
 
I wouldn't turn off the filter but if you have an extra airstone/bubbler in that tank I would remove it as bettas really don't care for such things.  

 

[Chad]

I'll turn the filter off tonight when I get home and see how he responds

Not the filter, the air stone if you have one. 

 

[nortonmad213]

They are both run on the same air line. I have removed the stone and put a gang valve on the filter to reduce flow still on the bottom of the tank but moving a bit

 

[Chad]

Let's see if that does anything over the next few days. And the velvet test wildbetta mentioned is also a great idea.