bigal8469

I am having problems with my female betta. Ever since I brought her home I feed her and for the first day she ate, but she seemed to have problems eating as if the Betta pellets were to big. My 2 male Betta I have eat ok with the brand I have and are eating and doing fine. I tried tropical fish food, but she still won't eat after her encounter she had with the first food. Now she isn't too active and is worrying me. She just stares at either one of the males and it seems she wants to be with one of them, but I had tried to see if that worked. This didn't work the male Betta is way too aggressive and harasses the female too much causing stress. I had to separate them. I was wondering could I put the female Betta with my Guppies and Platies and would they get along without any harassment? Let me know of any Ideas or comments that would help, Thanks.

TFA101

It's a 50/50 chance. Both guppies and platies are active fish and could possibly stress her out. Be sure to provide hiding places and such for her so she can get away from the hustle and bustle.

MinxMermaid

welcome to fishlore...

you seem to care for your bettas,
but with all due respect, those little boxes are not really proper housing and conditions for them to thrive.

i know the local fish store, promotes this type of set up for bettas, but if you send a little time going through the betta threads, you see the most fabulous happy bettas in filtered heated little tanks.


i'm not judging you and what you decide to do is up to you....
but if you made some changes, i'd think you'd be happy with the results.

good luck to you!

Lucy

I agree with Minx.

What size is the tank with the guppies and Platies?

Betta's normally don't play well with other, and she may find the guppies pretty little fins fun to nip.

I personally wouldn't take the chance.

As far as her not eating, try soaking her pellets in garlic juice. It'll help stimulate her appetite as well as help her immune system.

bigal8469

Thanks, guys especially to Lucy. I will try that. The guppy tank is 10 gallons and the small ones the Bettas are in is quart size. I have been reading and I will soon later do this. I just wanted to get these particular Bettas because they were the best and pretty ones the Wal-Mart pet store had. I wish my town had a better pet store and the nearest town has a PetSmart, but still wishing for a better or a REAL pet store. I Love fish and am always learning in this hobby the do's and don'ts.

Lucy

Your welcome, perhaps this will help you with your betta care:

Welcome and Betta Care Guide - Please Read First!!!

A quart is too small, they might live, but they won't thrive and will be susceptible to illness.

Walmart carries the mini-bow tanks, I have a 5g with an African Dwarf Frog, I love it and so does he.
Minx has the 2.5 mini-bow and her bettas are doing great.
All you need to do is cycle, add a heater and your good to go.

bigal8469

Thanks, when I am able to I will. I was also wondering would two or more females work. I have been reading about this, but am getting confused with some of the info along with other's comments of their success. Just a suggestion....

MinxMermaid

for the record, i have
One- 2.5 gal mini bow - LEMON
One- 3 gal eclipse - Royal Blue
Two - DIVIDED 6 gal bookshelves
one with Ace and Rainbow
& one with Flame and Pink Floyd

you can see my betta tanks at
http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/be...tta-tanks.html

and yes ALL my bettas are doing excellent knock on wood!

and they're all thriving and growing.

a total of SIX bettas~~

if i had room, i'd have six more....but no place to put them.

capekate

Hi BigAl
You can try buying some Hikari Tropical Betta Bio-Gold baby Pellets. These are small enough for the female Bettas to be able to eat. Most chain store fish depts carry it. The females are so much smaller than the males and I can see where a new baby female would have a hard time eating the larger pellets.
As you have already found out male and female Betta's should never be allowed to share a tank and it was a good thing that you noticed the aggression before it was too late. As with either gender, they do best when kept alone. They are very pretty Betta's btw and I do hope that you read up on their care to ensure a healthy and happy Betta!

jdhef

My Betta loves freeze dried bloodworms. I soak them in some water or garlic guard to soften them up before putting them in the tank.

bigal8469

Thanks, guys the more everyone is sharing their ideas the more I am learning that there is more to Bettas than meets the eye. This is really fruitful knowledge. I am beginning to obtain more reading on this subject to get the maximum brain power to make these Bettas more comfortable. Today I had a one gallon tank that I had bought when I put male and female in it to find out about this aggression and had to separate them. Now I put the female in this one gallon tank and she seems to be happier at this time. I know I need to go bigger and I will when I get the chance to go to the store to buy the bigger tanks and getting more knowledge on this, thanks again....

Lucy

Bettas are wonderful fish, such personality. I'm glad you're reading and learning.
They'll reward you with their beauty, antics and devotion.

Keep us posted.

COBettaCouple

The females tend to be more active and smarter than males and more prone to stress. They'll be happier when they get into heated, filtered tanks of 2.5g or more and can't see any other bettas.

For food, the Betta Pro pellets by Ocean Nutrition or the .5mm Grow pellets by New Life Spectrum would be the easiest for a young female Betta. Thawed, frozen Hikari bloodworms are also good.

bigal8469

I am now getting extremely worried for my female Betta. Ever since my post she hasn't eaten anything, which surprises me the least. She isn't much active only is stimulated by another Betta in another tank or when I remove the lid to feed her. I make sure the water is with in parameters and trying to make her as comfortable as possible. I think I got a sick fish on my hands right from the pet store. She hasn't done much of anything since I got her.....sad.

Lucy

Have you changed tanks? I notice her tank doesn't give her a place to hide to feel secure or a nice soft plant to lay on, the ones she has look like fin snaggers.
What are you trying to feed her?
Have you tried any of the suggestions the other members have given you?
You said she is stimulated by the other betta, are you sure it's not a sign of stress?
Have you tried not letting her see the others?

Sorry for all the questions, but hopefully we can get to the bottom of this.

bigal8469

Yes, I have changed her into another tank that is a little larger and she isn't around the other Bettas. She was at first active but still not eating and yes I tried the suggestions. She just turned her nose at it as if she was snobbish. Then she became non-active again so I moved her to see the other Bettas and she became active again. No she isn't stressed. If she is she is stressed of not having a companion. I know this sounds weird, but she seems like she wants to be in the tank of the blue male Betta (Blusey). But it is sad that she couldn't be with him I know he will tear her up. So, what am I supposed to do? My poor girl just seems to be getting the dumps. Oh, the larger tank has smoother rounder plants. Sorry, no pics of this one.

Lucy

What foos have you tried feeding her. Someone, I wish I could remember who, had a fussy betta, they tried all kinds of food until they finally found one their betta liked. I remember her complaning she spent a fortune on food.

She doesn't like garlic or frozen blood worms? Most fish go nuts for them. Does she seem bloated?

bigal8469

No she is not bloated. She looks healthy actually just not active as you would think. At first I had used Betta pellets then I soaked in garlic juice. So, I tried flake food and then dried brine shrimp. The brine shrimp she hit it a couple of times, but didn't seem to eat it. The pet stores here are limited to what foods there are. I would love to try blood worms and other as such, but not found here. Sad.

Lucy

Wow, ok, you have tried a lot of different foods.

Hmm, I wonder if she's got parasites? Is she pooing at all?

bigal8469

Can't seem to tell. Yeah, I would guess judging from the last water change. The gravel tend to have some trash (food and fesses). If there is parasites how can one tell?

Lucy

Some of the symptoms of parasites are loss of appetite, inactivity, erratic swimming.

It's just a guess on my part. I'm hoping other's will see this and give their opinion.

I'm going to pm someone who has more experience and ask them to take a look at this thread.

bigal8469

Thanks.

pamd

Your girl was probably sick at the time you purchased her, but many people who frequent this forum have saved lots of bettas seemingly on the brink of death.

I think the suggestion to keep her from seeing the other betta is worth a further try. Even though she seems to perk up when seeing the guy, it can definitely cause stress. She doesn't need a "friend" right now. She needs recovery time.

She seems to get excited when you go to feed her, but maybe tries and rejects the food. Does she even look at it, other than the hit at brine shrimp? Have you tried the Atison's pellets, as suggested? They're very tiny pellets. Bettas learn astonishingly quickly, and she might be thinking about your other offerings, "Oh yuck, not that stuff again!"

I see you moved her to the one-gallon tank, which is a small step in the right direction. I hope you can get her at least a 2.5-gallon tank soon, but I realize your selections and resources are limited.

How's her tank temp? If it's below 78 degrees, at the very least, get her a heater and thermometer ASAP. She needs to be on life support right now. You're going to lose her soon if she doesn't start feeling better and eating.

And get that "trash" out of there ASAP. That's adding to the ammonia and is especially dangerous in an uncycled tank. You can do this with a $3 turkey baster from your local grocery store.

Are you doing about 50 percent water changes daily? It needs to be that much and that often, because the tank is not cycled. She very likely was suffering from ammonia and/or nitrite poisoning when you got her, and that would be compounded if she's continuing to suffer from it in her current setup.

She could also have developed disease, including possible parasites, before you got her. Often, their immune systems are weakened due to poor water conditions, making them very vulnerable. Sometimes they're exposed to cross contamination of contagious diseases. So whatever is wrong with her is not your fault. But maybe you can still help her.

It's a good sign she's not bloated, but not eating is a very bad sign. How's her balance? Is her color brighter or duller than when you brought her home? Have you looked very, very closely on her fins and body to make sure there are no abnormalities such as salt-sized white spots, tiny yellow spots, torn fins, etc.? Are there any tiny fuzzy patches, especially on her mouth?

Keep in mind that most (yes, most, not a few) pet-store people will tell you bettas can live in tiny bowls or "tanks" without filtration and heaters. Well, the lucky bettas can live long enough in cups until they're sold to caring Fishlore-type folks. But for long-term health and happiness, what most of the pet-store people tell you is absolutely not true!

You obviously care about your little girl a lot. Best of luck with her, and keep us informed as to how she does. I'm really scared you're going to lose her, but a lot of bettas have been saved through proper care and most of all proper knowledge and follow-through.

pamd

You sure she's not eating? She would not be pooping if she hasn't eaten since Sept. 7 when you started this thread. Is it poop, or uneaten food? And try, try try again to feed her one bit at a time. Get any uneaten food outta there. You'll not only know what the soon-to-be-toxic "stuff" is on the bottom of the tank, but get a better clue as to what's happening.

Lucy

I notice you don't have a filter or a heater? What's the temp of the water?
Do you know what the readings are? How often are you changing the water?
Ammonia can build up rather quickly in an uncycled tank.

COBettaCouple

pamd's advice is good. She needs to be in a heated, filtered tank with no view of other Bettas. I would recommend a 10g tank.

Parasite Clear tablets would be good to treat possible parasites (be sure no carbon is in the filter).

I would get Hikari bloodworms (soak them in a little container of treated tap water), 2 per meal (2x a day).

Garlic Guard (1-2 drops per gallon 2x a day) would be good to add to her water to help her get better and to stimulate her appetite.

Fish Protector and Vita-Chem (1-2 drops per gallon 2x a day) are highly recommended too.. but may have to be ordered online.

bigal8469

Wow guys, talk about over whelming, thanks. As for pamd suggestions, her balance is very good she just rests at the bottom balancing well. And as for the trash I do 100% water change and I wash out the trash so there isn't any trash. As for the foods others suggest I have to order on-line because my pet stores here don't carry a wide variety as I've mentioned before in this thread. As for the tank size I am trying to get there as soon as I can. I had bought all these fish including the 10G tank with the plants and things with the guppies and platies. All in a several weeks at one time so my wife puts a tap on me to slow down, but is, like me, concerned with her and will when afford to buy the tanks for them...sorry I am trying what I can. Oh, Almost forgot the temp is 76 degrees.

Lucy

Up the temp to 78F, 76F is rather cool for bettas. If you can't get garlic guard as was suggested by CBC, you can use garlic juice.
I get the minced garlic in a jar at the grocery store, it comes in it's own juices.

Are you just dropping her food in hoping she'll eat? You can try feeding her one pellet at a time, that way, you know if she's eating.
Does the store near you sell freeze dried blood worms? They can cause constipation, but for the time being, you can try that.

You could also call the store you bought her at and ask them what they were feeding her.

I would still consider parasites as being the problem.
Poor little girl has me worried.

Your other bettas are doing ok?

Good luck, I she starts to feel better soon.

pamd

In spite of your best intentions, you don't want to do 100% water change. Read up on the cycle!

bigal8469

The other boys are doing very well has no problems. Eating quite well actually and are very happy. I know once I get them their new tanks they will be extremely happy. As for the blood worms as I have mentioned they don't have that here and being it Wal-Mart the people that work there don't care about keeping fish. So, feeding is very few and far between and they use tropical flakes. I have tried the tropical flakes, but no succcess. I am about to do some serious reading on the Betta and will definitely take this bull by the horns. As for the water change it is the only way I can at this time to clean thoroughly the gravel of its waste and yes I do put one pellet at a time and she doesn't eat it as with the fd brine shrimp and flakes.