Diggly

Hi,

I am afraid I may lose my little randy .

Since I have had him I just cant get him to eat, I have tried betta food, normal flake food crushed up. live blood worms, live brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, soaking food in garlic juice, everything and he just wont eat. Now he has started sitting at the top of the water and not moving.

Water is 0,0 5 and I do 10% water changes every saturday. There are live plants in the tank and a slate cave so I dont think its that he hurt himself. Could I just be unlucky and have picked a betta that was on his way out when I got him? I picked him because he looked very stressed out in the tank he was in and was flaring at every other fish in there (he was stocked with about 20 tetras and not in a seperate cup)

I really look forward to you advice and hope I can make things better for the poor guy .

ABCDemily

Betta's, as I'm sure are notoriously fussy eaters. I'd try doing the de-shelled teeny tiny thawed pea.

Also, put a few drops of garlic juice into the bowl, rather than soaking, that really stimulates their appetite.

If he isn't thinning too much, then I'd just keep up with the small food bits. Entice him up to the top and drop a soaked bloodworm right in front f his nose, or wiggle it about a bit. That's how I get Galileo to eat when he's being a silly fish.

Good luck Diggly!

CHoffman

I'm so sorry about Randy. What size tank is he in? does he have any tankmates? Your water perimeters look great and your w/c schedule is awesome too. Betta's live hard lives at the LFS and from the sounds of it he has been through allot. How long have you had him??

Diggly

I have had him for 2 weeks today . He is in a 17 gallon with 3 otos but they dont bother each other, the otos stay on the glass and he stays everywhere . There is a filter in the tank but that doesnt seem to bother him either. He also has a hiding place (the slate cave) which he does use now and then.

The tank had fish in it before I bought him but they have all been moved into my 120g and he was moved in after they were moved so I know the tank was cycled. He seems to have perked up a bit today and I am going to the lfs later to try more live blood worms, I will also try a few drops of garlic juice into the tank .

Edit: he doesnt look any thinner than when I first bought him sorry forgot to mention that!!

aquarist48

Hello Diggly. I'm glad to hear that your fish has perked up a bit. Sounds like you're doing all that you can.
Best wishes and I hope he's going to be alright.
Ken

Diggly

Right I tried dangling the bloodworms infront of him and it worked!! thank you so much for that tip he sends his thanks too and he has perked up alot . Seriously thank you I have grown so attached to him that I really didnt want to lose him.
I have asded 2 more live plants in and he is playing with them at the moment .

Thank you again

iloveengl

I'm so glad it worked out! They are picky little buggers, aren't they and we love them for it.

I use a chopstick to dangle my blood worms. A toothpick would work too, but I worry they'd poke themselves when they jab at it.

Hurray for Randy!

Lucy

Picky little bugger. I'm glad he's starting to eat.

Red1313

Oh they like to make our lives interesting don't they
Glad to hear he's picking up.

Diggly

they certainly like to scare us! it does add to their charm though so I guess i will have to forgive him .

Right thats 1 tank sorted now I need to make sure my new fellas are fitting into my bigger tank .

Diggly

update:

Now he is only eating bloodworms and keeps trying to outsmart me! He grabs the bloodworm and drops it and pretends he cant find it until I give him a new one (I give him about 3 worms 2 times a day) and when I walk away from the tank he eats the ones he apparantly couldnt see earlier!! I am on to him

He has also coloured up very well and has even started begging . This is all thanks to you guys.

chickadee

Good for you! I have thought with some of my boys that they would starve or I would be bankrupt trying to find the right thing to feed them. If you ever have another peckish or stubborn one the easy way is to contact the people you got them from and find out what they were used to eating and as long as it was not shrimp (not a staple food after they leave fry stage) then they should be weaned off of that if you do not want them to have that slowly by offering the old food one piece and then the new.

Rose

He would not be overfed by giving him another bloodworm or two if you are feeding him twice a day or increasing him to 3 meals of the 3 bloodworms.

Diggly

He will be happy to hear that!

He is like a totally different fish now he is eating and his colors have changed too! They were feeding them flake food in the store.

bolivianbaby

So glad he's doing better. You're a fabulous betta-mom!

Diggly

no I just learnt from fabulous betta moms lol!