# my betta



## mel&ned (Jul 26, 2005)

as you guys know, our first betta diet :rip: 
(the pet shop said to me he was probably sick when i got him)

now my new one is just having around and not eating

i went to a new pet shop and the girl there actually bred betta's and was a regular font of information!
she suggested placing a desk lamp over the bowl (2 gallon) during the day and then covering it at night to keep the heat in
i am hoping that this will help my little guy to actually become a bit active and eat something! i bought him some dried worms too but he's still not interested although he has deigned to sit in the real plant i bought rather than the silk one lol

will keep you posted
cheers
mel


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## ChaldoChris416 (Aug 19, 2005)

have u tried putting him in a container and feeding him that way maybe hes stressed out if u do try the container also let him flare at his reflection in a mirror


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## ChaldoChris416 (Aug 19, 2005)

do u have nething he can hide in


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## Alisha (Aug 5, 2005)

Hmmm...sounds like my betta. He was in a large bowl, and didn't move very much or eat, and so I just moved him to a 2 gallon with a filter and he is so happy. He is swimming all over the place, and I leave the light on all day, so I would suggest that...although my little boy still refuses to eat... :-( but yeah, I would try putting the light on him...good luck!


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## MarkMI (Aug 1, 2005)

i've seen many posts about people saying that thier betta won't eat. It seems the general consent is that they do that sometimes. It seems they are picky eaters even though they eat pretty much anything.

Mine, when I got him, didnt really eat anything for 2days, then, just decided he was going to love the flakes. <shrug>


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## BettaMommy (Aug 20, 2005)

Sometimes my betta doesnt eat the pellets I give him, but once they fall to the bottom of the tank he will eat them. Then Jing-my female holds her pellets in her mouth and swims around with it until it is soft and then eats it.


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

My first betta would hardly eat anything...for months. I'm quite sure he was ill when I bought him. My new betta "blueberry" would eat from my hand the second day I had him. I think they all have different temprements. I'd say if they don't eat much after a week, you should probably be concerned. If it's more than 2 weeks you should be really concerned, and any longer than that you should probably start worrying a lot. 

I know it sounds funny, but Blueberry didn't want to eat last week. I stuck my finger in his bowl to see if he'd let me touch this discoloration on his back. Well, he wouldn't, but he started biting my finger like he likes to do. So I played with him that way for awhile. He flared and swam around like he was the king of the fishbowl. After that, he seemed to get his appetite back. It never hurts to try unconventional methods to get your betta's interest peaked.


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## BettaMommy (Aug 20, 2005)

Like I say...Bettas are fish with personality...I think that is why I took such a liking to them.


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## mel&ned (Jul 26, 2005)

unfortunantly he died
my friend kindly bought me a new betta from a competely different source and he's a little champ, eating and flaring away lol
i think the shop i was getting them from was crap (to put in nicely) - now that i can see what a healthy betta looks like!
mel


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

Once you see a healthy one, you know that there's something wrong with your others. My first betta was sick from day one. I did everything right, but he just kicked the bucket in 4-5 months. (I don't mean that to sound harsh...I was crying...couldn't even flush him.) But once you get one that's in better shape, you immediately know something was wrong with the others. Even the one I have now, I question how healthy he is, but from the difference in the way he acts, I'm sure he's much better off than my other betta.


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## mel&ned (Jul 26, 2005)

i was telling everyone, yeah it's ok they just hang around the tank not doing much and my friend had to say 'mel, your fish is SICK!'


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

Unfortunately, the one easiest way to tell is if they're going to the bathroom, and it's discolored. If it has any white to it, or if it just looks really weird, you know they aren't doing well. I was starting to worry about mine a lot because he's been listless, but since he's going to the bathroom normally again, I think I caught up with whatever he was sick with before it caught up with him. He's been perfectly normal, but still lazy. I think his water "could" be too cold, but I'm not sure.


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## lwstinkinsweet (Aug 2, 2005)

I dont think i have ever seen if my fish has gone to the bathroom. he may do it during the day when i am not home though. but i havent sucked up more than one little bit of fish poop when i clean up the bottom of his tank. does it dissolve or should i be worried?


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## mel&ned (Jul 26, 2005)

yeah, i could never see any in my tank either


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

Mine goes frequently. At least 2x per day. I don't feed him very much either. It will dissolve somewhat, or if you're changing the water daily, you probably wouldn't notice it. If you have any colored gravel in the bottom, it makes it almost impossible to notice.


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## lwstinkinsweet (Aug 2, 2005)

i do daily changes and i have black gravel. i am tired and accidentally wrote black water that would be a problem i think. i will see how things go this next week and then decide if i want to do bottled or not


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

That makes sense then. Changing the water that often would keep it from being obvious, especially with black gravel. I don't have gravel in mine right now, so it is a lot easier to see. He's probably fine then. Like I said in one of your other threads, just keep an eye on him.


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## lwstinkinsweet (Aug 2, 2005)

he is doing great now. i am just a worry wart. this is the first pet i have ever owned on my own (not a family pet) and i am worried that he will die. i dont want that to happen


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

I can't blame you. My first betta died from mysterious causes, and I was soooooooooooooooooooooo upset. I didn't think I was that big of a baby at the time, but I was.


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## mel&ned (Jul 26, 2005)

i was upset when my first 2 died, i get attached to my animals, why bother keeping them if you don't?


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

My thoughts exactly. I'm worrying about mine again, his head is turning gray again. I have to keep putting pima fix in his water every 2 days (the day before the water change) to keep it down. I wonder if he needs some kind of antibiotic or something. Or if he's even sick, or if he's old, or what...sigh.


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## mel&ned (Jul 26, 2005)

am keeping my fingers crossed for you


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