New Betta not eating... help!

We got a Male Crowntail for our seven year old last week. We have a 10 gallon tank, added the water treatment and bacteria starter, waited a few days, and brought home the betta. It's been 6 days and it hasn't eaten anything as far as we know. We were given a vacation feeder, which we added, but we haven't seen him nibbling it. We have tried a couple different types of food, but no interest.
Ammonia,Nitrate, and Nitrite are all 0, PH is a battle to lower past 7.4. We had a live plant with him, but the ph was not lowering despite adding PH reducer.Todays test was about 7.4
We really don't want our fish to die, so what can we do to help it eat?

 

We got a Male Crowntail for our seven year old last week. We have a 10 gallon tank, added the water treatment and bacteria starter, waited a few days, and brought home the betta. It's been 6 days and it hasn't eaten anything as far as we know. We were given a vacation feeder, which we added, but we haven't seen him nibbling it. We have tried a couple different types of food, but no interest.
Ammonia,Nitrate, and Nitrite are all 0, PH is a battle to lower past 7.4. We had a live plant with him, but the ph was not lowering despite adding PH reducer.Todays test was about 7.4
We really don't want our fish to die, so what can we do to help it eat?
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i would get him on live food wherever you can find it and regular water changes of around 70 percent in addition to aquarium salt. they can go about 7 to 8 days without eating so you are going to need to get this done quick
also your ph is fine and just under the max recomended, they are recomended for 7 to 7.5

 

Hi and welcome to the forum!

What a lovely betta boy you have!!

Your betta is most likely still adjusting to his new environment.

If you haven't already done so, please read about the nitrogen cycle. As his tank cycles, you will need to track his water parameters. Also, having a good water conditioner is essential. I recommend Prime water conditioner, as it can hold the toxicity of low levels of ammonia and nitrites, which are toxic to fish. You can also over dose with Prime if needed, and it will still be safe for the betta. I would also add the plant back to his tank. Live plants are great for fish, and it will add oxygen to the water.

For foods, I usually recommend frozen daphnia (will help to prevent bloating) or frozen brine shrimp. For pellets, Omega One betta buffet pellets are high in protein and low in fillers. New Life Spectrum Therra A+ is laced with garlic, so a good option. Fluval bug bites are high in protein, too.

Once he starts eating, feed him twice a day, with maybe 3 pellets at each feeding, or small amounts of the frozen foods. It's best to give him about 8 hours or so between feedings.

You can try soaking his food in garlic juice to temp him into eating. It is used for picky eaters, and it will give him a really good immune boost, too. You can get a jar of cut garlic in most grocery stores. I use the liquid that the garlic is soaking in, or there is a product called Garlic Guard by Seachem that you could get. But I find that the water from the cut garlic works just as well.

I agree with sslliitthheerr about the ph, too. Bettas will acclimate to your ph. Adding chemicals to the tank to affect the ph can cause more harm than good.

Bettas like low light, so if the light is too bright, it may be stressing him a bit. They need a good 14 or more hours of lights out.

You can add some Indian almond leaves (catappa leaves) to the tank. The leaves will tint the water brown, but the tannins that it produces will provide some slight antibacterial and antifungal properties. It helps a lot with fish stress, and bettas just love the stuff - both the tannins and the leaves themselves. Another thing that tannins will do is lower the ph slightly, so that would be a win-win if you are still worried about the ph.

I know this is a lot of information. I do hope that it helps, and that he eats soon!!!

 

Thanks for the helpful advise! We're continuing to make sure his tank is suitable for him, ph seems to be holding still, and I'm going to try and track down an Indian Almond leaf.
We tried frozen blood worms today, and he gobbled them up! I let him eat for a few minutes and removed the uneaten ones, and Myron(the fish) is now swimming about his tank, exploring in a way he's never done before!

 

Great! Sounds like Myron is coming around!!!

I get my Indian almond leaves from Amazon. They are also known as catappa leaves, if that helps. They come in various sizes. I rinse them off and put them directly in the tank. Other people boil them and make a tea, let the tea cool, and then add it directly to the tank.

 

Welcome to Fishlore!

What is your pH out of the tap?

I would be careful what you are feeding or you can get a picky monster. Bloodworms as a whole diet is not good for him. I would still try the garlic soaked pellets and some other frozen foods too. They get spoiled reallllly fast.

 

Welcome to Fishlore!

What is your pH out of the tap?

I would be careful what you are feeding or you can get a picky monster. Bloodworms as a whole diet is not good for him. I would still try the garlic soaked pellets and some other frozen foods too. They get spoiled reallllly fast.

Thanks!
Ph out of the tap is around 7.0.

Yeah, it's like getting your kid to eat. You give them hot dogs just to keep them alive. Now that I'm not afraid of waking up to find Myron dead, I'll be pushing the other foods more.

 

Thanks!
Ph out of the tap is around 7.0.

Yeah, it's like getting your kid to eat. You give them hot dogs just to keep them alive. Now that I'm not afraid of waking up to find Myron dead, I'll be pushing the other foods more.

i am really happy he is doing better

 

i am really happy he is doing better

Us as well! Now that we're sure he's eating(though getting him to eat anything else is proving to be a challenge), it's time to introduce a snail friend

 

Us as well! Now that we're sure he's eating(though getting him to eat anything else is proving to be a challenge), it's time to introduce a snail friend

he is picky I see

 

Update!
So, Myron is eating Bug Bites no problem. We are a little concerned that he's bloating though, since he doesn't seem to have any impulse control...
I saw him eat a bug bite then spit it back out, only to try to eat it again and spit out three pieces afterwards! We've been trying to feed him slowly so he doesn't over eat, but his belly is looking a bit... big

 

I would fast him for two days, and then feed him some frozen daphnia, if you can get it and if he will eat it. It won't hurt him to miss a few meals. Bettas can go for a while without eating - something like 10 to 14 days.

Apparently he has a delicate digestive system, if you are not over feeding him. Try feeding more frozen if he will eat it, and use pellets to supplement.

 

I would fast him for two days, and then feed him some frozen daphnia, if you can get it and if he will eat it. It won't hurt him to miss a few meals. Bettas can go for a while without eating - something like 10 to 14 days.

Apparently he has a delicate digestive system, if you are not over feeding him. Try feeding more frozen if he will eat it, and use pellets to supplement.

We're going to try skipping a few meals, I think. He originally went about 11 days or so before we gave him bloodworms, so a day won't hurt. It is entirely possible we are overfeeding him by accident, what with his desire to eat everything he can, whether he has room for it or not

 

Yes, once the little piggies start eating, they just can't stop!!!