My male betta is not eating any food it has been a weekd a half what do I do?

[Brandon S]

My male betta is not eating any food it has been a week and a half what do I do? I have had him for about 5 months he use to eat slightly like a pig I clean his bowl bi-weekly and add salt and just added a 1/2 teaspoon of fungus eliminator today. I feed him freeze dried blood worms once a day and sometimes skip a day to let him digest but now I don't know what to do

[Mokey41]

You get it out of the bowl and into a proper 5 gallon heated filtered tank so it will be healthy. Betta's don't need salt. It is very stressful for fish to be constantly moved and have water changed.

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[lisa O]

Yes of course you can eat candy

[lisa O]

Yes of course you can eat candy

[FishMomma]

Hi! It sounds like your fish has gone on a food strike which Bettas will occasionally do. Bettas are one type of fish that can go for up to a month without food and do fine. There are several things that need to be addressed. First, bloodworms should only be fed as a treat. The best food for Bettas is Hikari Bio-Gold for Bettas. It is in a pellet form. Soak the pellets for about 3 minutes then drop several into the tank at a time. Your fish should be done eating after about 3-5 minutes. Remove any leftovers so that ammonia and nitrite levels do not spike. Bettas do LOVE bloodworms but only feed them as a treat 2-3 times a week. I usually feed my Bettas 3-5 bloodworms several times a week. Is your fish bloated at all under his gills? Try feeding him a COOKED, COOLED, and PEELED pea or two. This will act as a laxative and help with any constipation issues he may have. Feed you fish at the same time everyday. They will come to expect it and will look for you to come around, too.

As for your tank, what size is it? It is recommended that Bettas have at least 2 gallons to live in and be happy and healthy. They can go up to a 10 gallon with plants for cover, etc. With your water changes, only change 25%25%-50% of the water if you HAVE a filter no more than once a week. If you do NOT HAVE a filter, then change 75%-90% once a week. More frequent water changes only add stress to the fish and may cause him to get sick. Try to leave Mr. Betta in the tank when you change the water. That will decrease the stress level, too. As for the salt, you really only need the salt when setting up a new tank, adding new fish, or when the fish are sick. While it doesn't hurt them you really don't have to have it. Some fishkeepers always add salt and others don't. Do know, however, even if you have a filter, the salt is NOT filtered out so be careful to not add too much! If I'm adding it at all I only do it maybe once a month or so and not every time I do a water change. It really is the change of salt concentration in the water that does something. The salt acts as an irritant and causes the fish to produce more slime to his slimecoat thus adding more protection for him. It doesn't really sound like your fish is sick maybe only a bit stressed from the water changes and tank. Bettas also don't like to have their food changed too much so find a food pellet food like Hikaris and stick with it other than the occasional treat.

Another thing you need to check are the pH, ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrate levels. Ammonia and nitrIte should be 0. The normal pH for Bettas is around 6.8-7.0 but a constant pH is the main thing. Your water temp should stay around 78 degrees F but anywhere in the 70s should be fine as long as it remains constant. When adding new water make sure that the new water temp matches the old water temp. If you have problems with high ammonia and nitrite (which will spike with a new tank less than 1 month old or with dirty water) either add a filter if you don't have one or add some JAVA MOSS. It will basically grow off your fish's poo and help keep the ammonia and nitrIte down low. A good test brand is API.

I hope all this helps! Good luck and let me know if you have other questions.