anorexic betta fish (what should i do?? plz help)?

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cherry_quf

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I'M SORRY THIS IS SO LONG, BUT I NEED HELP PLEASE!!

so i put betta in a gallon fish tank.
i've had it for 2 days, and it's not eating.
and my betta is discolored and pale.

it could be the water temp (my house is 65 degrees), so i bought a heater, but the fish seemed to be avoiding it. and some ppl say that heater shouldn't be used in a tank that is less that 5 gallons. and i didn't want to stress it.

i tried 2 different kinds of betta food: BettaMin red flake and brine shirmp, and Warldley's brown pellet betta food.
it eats nothing!

so, i'm thinking about putting a fake water plant or something like that to provide a hiding place, because i heard that when bettas get stressed out, it goes on hunger strike.

is there a good way to make it comfortable without getting a full 5 gallon heater fish tank?
 
just give it time, dont give it alot of food every day, my betta didnt eat for a weak when i bought him, i got him from walmart and you know how "well" they take care of thier fish **sarcasm) i would buy a 5 gallon tank with a filter and light, nothing special and maybe get him two platies as buddies for competition, that will make him want to eat his food before they do, i have alot of fish in my 5 gallon tank with my betta i have 7 platys,2 long finned tetras, 1 serpae tetra, 1 algae eater and 2 dwarf spineless puffer fish that i all saved at walmart!!!!
 
Q: is there a good way to make it comfortable without getting a full 5 gallon heated fish tank?

A: No if you cannon supply the bare minimum of a 5+ gallon heated and filtered aquarium you should not own a betta
 
How big is the tank he's in? If you can, get something bigger now, I don't think he'll make it otherwise.
What kind of heater are you using? They make ones for small tanks, as low as 2 gallons. Get a thermometer, I use the little one dollar ones that stick to the tank. Get his temp to around 80-84 degrees.
It sounds like he's cold and pretty sick. Be prepared for him to not bounce back : (
So get him warm, definitely get him a plant, and add some aquarium salt. This helps relieve stress, eases breathing, and can help ward off some disease that may be waiting to strike.
Keep offering the bloodworms, this has worked for me when my boys get sick. Just remove it before it sinks, disintegrates and fouls the water.
Check his water quality as well, with him being so sick, he can't survive for water quality.
Best of Luck!
 
i bought a beta fish about ,..........3 years ago.
and it happened the same
it just needs someone to play with thats all
it must be like sad and lonley
so when i got him a fishy friend he was SWIMMING.... and EATTING
 
I used to have a betta but I'm not sure what's the situation with your betta. Mine was in a gallon bowl and he did fine. After I fed him the dried worms for a treats he stopped eating the flake. He become pale so I tried the anti-bacterial thing and he died few days later. Maybe your betta is just stressed out. Good Luck!
 
well...the water temperature should be in the 70's...65 is too cold for your beta. this is most likely why your fish isnt eating. i dont know if you have a light on your tank or not, but I used the light in my little 5 gal aquarium at work and it kept the fish nice and comfortable. just an idea.

i hope this helps!
 
The first problem is the temperature: bettas NEED to be at 79 degrees or they will die, or get stressed out, then get disease, and then die. Get a mini-heater like this one: http://www.nextag.com/HYDOR-Mini-7-5-508972327/prices-html it's not too expensive and your betta needs it. To save your betta (as he may get a disease, which is common for fish that are stressed out) I would put some aquarium salt in the water as well as NovAqua, though do not use medication unless you know for sure that he is diseased. Keep the lights off for a while, to "de-stress" him, and meanwhile you need to buy a bigger tank, at least 2.5 gallons (although Wal-Mart employees will tell you otherwise, bettas need to live in a heated, 2.5 gallon tank.) Do a weekly 30% water change, using a gravel siphon. After a while, your betta should feel better, as long as you take good care of him. Try feeding him bloodworms too, though these should only be given as a treat and not as a staple diet.

Good luck!


---fish guy
 
First of all, Your title is rediculous. Fish can't be anorexic. And it is probably just to stressed or scared to eat. Oh and if it is a male beta. Don't buy it a friend. They will fight. And probably kill each other.
 
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