inari

I have two new betta a male and female, I did the typical noobie thing and fed them everytime they looked at me like "hey i haven't eaten in days feed me" so as I think Rose has told me they are most likely constipated and to feed them peas. now the problem i'm having is neither one of them will eat the peas. they refuse to eat anything that doesn't float or that is in my hand. Inari is drepressed so he is refusing to eat and well Tenshi has her own problems but she won't eat the peas either am I not cooking them enough or what. Please help me I don't want to lose these two preceious fish.

Thanks

brent

ebbandflow

You might actually be cooking them too much. In my experience, if you overcook the peas the sink. You want to defrost them only enough so that the skin of the pea will slip off. Then what I do is cut the pea into a sliver and then cut off a little half eye sized peice from there. It should float after that. If they still dont eat it Rose has suggested to me to try other veggies like carrots. Find one that they will eat I guess. But start with the peas.

inari

Ok so frozen peas just cooked enough to peel. they should be floting thank u 'cause my bettas won't eat anything that doesn't float i had a pellet in there for Inari yesterday that he didn't eat and when it sank he grabed it and spit it back out. Tenshi well she is very picky when it comes that idk minds of their own

thanx

brent

ebbandflow

You technically dont really want to cook them at all. Does your microwave have a "defrost" option. That will just thaw the pea a little.

0morrokh

If you have catfish you can cook veggies until they sink so the cats can get them. But with Bettas, they just need to be thawed enough that you can remove the skin.

inari

unfortunately not cat fish so i've been fishing them out by hand so they don't do gross things to the water and Inari hasn't been too fond of my hand in his tank tho he's tried to nip me a couple of times its kinda funny actually

inari

Well i have good news!! Tenshi loves peas she can't get enough how much should i give her i think I let her she would eat an entire bag until she explodes. LOL she is doing so much better I'm so happy but i'm worried about Inari he isn't eating what could possible be wrong? can anyone help?

Brent

inari

i'm trying to get these two to eat out of my hand is this a bad idea? I have a pair of tweezers that i have heated up signifcantly with a lighter and she eats right off them it makes my life easier, 'cause some of the peices were really small and sunk and she didn't notice them however with the tweezers every time she sees them flares up as if to say I want more veggies. with that said, is it wise to try and teach her to eat from my finger or would i end up with pieces missing. and what can i do about Inari I will try carrots like suggested but idk whats going on with the poor boy.

any and all help greatly appreciated

brent

inari

UPDATE ON TENSHI AND INARI:

Tenshi is doing so much better now, But now my major concern is Inari he refuses to eat even when u was full he used to go after pellets just he's spit them back up he won't even look at food. His colore is pretty normal for the most part, around his gill covers are a bit red, and his eyes seem to be 'poping out' He won't eat so the vitimin enriched food won't help I've moved him into a smaller bowl and I have it placed on a light that seems to be a decent heat source so that the water is warmer, but he won't eat he won't even flare at Tenshi like he used to. I'm confused as to what to do. please help me I don't want to lose him at all.

thanx

brent

chickadee

I have been nipped by almost all of my Bettas and I still have all fingers intact. It doesn't even break the skin or hurt. They just cannot get something as big as a finger in their mouth. I always put the peas on the tip of my finger and just hold it right at the water surface. Misty would come to the surface and jump right up and take it off my finger. As far as the amount, their stomach is the size of their eye. So I usually give them a piece about half the size of their eye cut in about 3 pieces. Those are small enough for them to get into their mouths and be sure to give them time to chem and swallow between bites. Otherwise they have a tendency to hurry and swallow stuff whole.

I am sorry about the trouble with Tenshi. It will not hurt him to go without food for a short time, but I am a little worried since he has been in an unfiltered tank. Loss of apetite could be the start of some kind of toxicity problem (poisoning) from the uncycled tank. The only solution that I know of is to get him into a cycled tank. As far as the possible constipation problem with him and him not eating peas, you can use Epsom Salts in his water (it is supposed to be a laxative to fish) - no table salt. It can be found at Walmart or anywhere there is a PHarmacy. It is very cheap and goes a LONG way. You use 1/4 level teaspoon for 1 gallon water. (use measuring spoon - don't guess) and put him in there. It would be good not to have gravel in the container you put him in so you can see if he is pooping. He can stay in the laxative bath overnight if needs be. I would not worry about feeding him until he is out of the bath.

Rose

inari

wow some odd remedies but thanx i may try to Inari into a cycled tank he is in an unfiltered envirenment that i have to change almost constantly...thank you for the advice

brent

ps Tenshi is as active as ever tho a bit timid around me she is doing well tho

0morrokh

There's definately a problem with Tenshi if his eyes are popping out and he won't eat...I am 99% sure it must have something to do with the toxin levels since it is an unfiltered tank. Let me try to find some links on popeye...
http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm - popeye info part way down the page
http://www.fishlore.com/Disease.htm - again popeye info down a ways
Hope this helps a little...watch Tenshi VERY carefully because popeye could be an external sign of a much more serious internal infection. I would say that extra water changes are a must. If you could get him into a cycled tank that would help a lot.

inari

Ok this is bugging me now it may be my typo so i will appologize but it is Inari my male who is having problems now. It maybe my typo sorry about that Inari is doing fine and thriving despite her lack of space, however Inari is the one with a problem I moved him to a smaller tank so that I can keep it warmer easier and he is the one with all the problems. sorry about the mix up but i will check out those links...also the cycled tank impossible for about 2 weeks that is when i get my next pay check would it do him any good for very frequent water changes(I'm talking about water changes everyday to everyother day) and should i be using a antibacterial med for him as well.

thanx

brent

inari

Update on Inari and Tenshi:

Tenshi is pretty health now altho the bowls I have them are right next to each other and she keeps teasing Inari its kinda funny to watch. She seems to be doing much better as everyday passes and I'm happy. Her tail and fins are even growing back nicely. Inari on the other I don't know what his problem I changed his water today and he is moving around alot more now for the most part, and I tried to feed him a pellet since he hasn't eaten in a few days and he spit the half chewed pellet back up. What does this mean, constipated, sick with something, or just being irriatable.

Thanx

brent

inari

It would be good not to have gravel in the container you put him in so you can see if he is pooping. He can stay in the laxative bath overnight if needs be. I would not worry about feeding him until he is out of the bath.

I"m pretty sure someone on another thread mentioned that the gravel will stress them out *confused* should i put larger rocks in there and only a few at that?

chickadee

sick I am afraid. *he is not eating because he is not feeling well. *Don't try to feed him tomorrow and just let him rest if he isn't interested in food. *He is having a problem with something and Yes he does need the anti bacterial medication. * MELAFIX * use according to the directions but you will have to be doing the water changes every day at least since you do not have filtration. *If the water is not kept VERY clean and toxin free I am afraid the finrot will take hold too far before you can get a tank set-up. *Remember that the tank is not cycled when you put the fish in and my concern is that the fish is going to be weakened already. *It is a stressful thing to have a fish do the cycling for you. *You will have to watch these fish very closely as their health is already weakened but they can benefit from the care you can give them. *I am glad to hear that Tenshi is doing better but don't expect the fins to be growing back so soon. *It takes a while and is a slow process. *You will hardly notice that it is happening until they are all of a sudden there and whole again. *

REALLY bright gravel can stress them out. They get hyper. You can use gravel, we all do but just while he is in the "hospital tank" it would be easier to see if he is not constipated if you don't have gravel on the bottom of the tank. There is no rule saying that they have to have gravel or that they shouldn't have gravel.. I would just suggest that if you want a bright color that perhaps you mix it with black so that the fish won't be stressed and it could still allow you to have a pretty color in the tank. Although the last I heard most of the ones who voted, stated a preference for the natural or tan gravel. It makes the tank look more like a piece of nature and like the waters where these lovely fish actually swim.

Rose

divakeeks

I had no idea about the bright color gravel. I use marbles and glass rocks (no sharp edges) in my tanks. Do all bright colors stress them out? I am asking because I saw a great tank decoration the other day for when I get my 10 gallon tank. It is a VW bug that could be a good hiding place but it is neon yellow. Would that stress them out as well?

chickadee

No I do not think "splashes" of bright color hurt a thing. But imagine living in a house with an electric blue floor ALL the time..... especially when you have fluorescent lighting beaming down on it for 10-12 hours a day.

The Neon Colors (lime green, fluorescent pink, etc.) need to be toned down for substrates. That is easily done with a dark colored gravel mix and makes a quite pretty tank besides.

The decorations do not cover a large portion of the tank bottom and you can always put plants and other "buffering" items of decor around if you notice the fish is spending time flaring at it or something. It is my experience that Bettas do pay a lot of attention to the decorations around them so you will know if they like it or not.

Rose