Allie

I wonder if he isn't feeling good b/c he ate 5 white cloud minnows in a day. Is that possible? He's not swimming and he either floats at the top or the bottom. When he swims in the flow of the filter it's like he has no energy.
He looks kinda dull. He's not bloated, fins aren't as pretty and has no ICH spots. His usual bright blue eyes aren't full of life... they are dull tonight. He not eating.
The Datnoids ate much more than 5 minnows & they are all fine. I hope he'll be ok in the morning. My bf has tested the water...all level are where they should be. I just did a water change yesterday.
He really doesn't look good...of course my camera batteries died & are charging. I will post pix tomorrow.
Just wanted to vent.

phlox

Bettas should not be eating large feeder fish at all. Their natural food is insects. The only live food they can eat is small worms and baby brine shrimp. Anything bigger than his eye is WAY too much food. He needs to be fasted for a couple days and then put on very small pieces of pea (no more than 2 for each feeding) for a few days after that. If he still looks sick after 48 hours I'd give him some broad spectrum antibiotics like Maracyn-Two.
Feeder fish are often sick and infected with parasites. I'd never use them both for that reason and I just could never watch an innocent fish die.

Allie

The minnows weren't sold as feeders so I don't imagine they'd be anymore sick than the regular LFS fish.
The minnows weren't suppose to be feeders for the betta...they were feeders for the Datnoids & they are tiny little fish...I have kept minnows with my betta before & things were fine. So all the minnows are out of the bettas tanks and in the 120g to be the dats snack.
I didn't expect Sammy to eat them. They were suppose to be his tank mates like I had with my betta last year.

Oh yeah made this post earlier about him eating the minnows.
http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/be...ow-murder.html

COBettaCouple

he completely ate all 5?

Allie

Yup, one skeleton...unfortunately he was at the bottom of the tank this morning stiff. RIP Sweet faced Sammy. He looked like he had fin rot....how the heck...what the heck Man lfs betta sure are sensitive.

COBettaCouple

poor guy.. bacterial finrot can hit suddenly and do a lot of damage fast.

phlox

Finrot doesn't kill that fast. It is only deadly if it is allowed to go beyond the fins and reaches the body and that takes time.
It is far more likely that one of the minnows had a bacterial infection or that his belly burst from eating too much. They should have been removed after he ate the first one. I can't imagine his stomach not bursting after eating several! He would have eaten at least 10 or more times the amount that can comfortably fit in his stomach. This had nothing to do with being a pet store Betta. This would have happened to a show Betta too.

armadillo

Oh Allie. I am so sorry. That's really tough.

Bonochick

Sorry about your loss. I am amazed that he ate 5 of those! Wow.

nmwierman1977

I am very sorry. This is a good lesson to be learned though. Natalie

Allie

Thanks guys...I only had him for a few weeks. He could have had been sick from the lfs & it took the minnow feat to make him sick. It probably stressed him out just trying to catch them. Whatever the reasons are...no matter what I read about betta tank mates. I am not putting other fish in the tank unless they are the clean up crew.

Allie

Yup Betta are unpredictable and I know now they can eat other fish (even if they can't swallow them whole).

Allie

I didn't notice him eat the first 2 minnows & wasn't expecting him to eat the other 3 (one had not too much left of him). They were going in the Datnoids tank the next day for their supper.