Picky Betta Or Something Else?

We have a male baby and he refuses to eat anything other than a few bloodworms each day or even every other day. We have tiny pellets and flakes for him but he won't touch them. He is alone in his tank as he was a bully to everything "compatible" including snails. He is in a 1 gallon tank, has a betta heater, we run the tank filter for about an hour or two a day as it seems to irritate him if left on for too long. He has a betta hammock and a small artificial plant. Recent check of his Ph was alright from what I've read. Do you think he's being picky and spoiled or could there be a different reason for his eating behavior?

 

It could be that the filter flow is too strong for him. What type of filter do you have? Even if it's not adjustable there are many DIY ways to baffle the intake/outtake. I personally wouldn't turn off the filter as it will not cycle your tank. Also a one gallon will be too small for him once he is full grown, do you have a backup tank? Welcome to fishlore, your baby is super cute!!

 

It could be that the filter flow is too strong for him. What type of filter do you have? Even if it's not adjustable there are many DIY ways to baffle the intake/outtake. I personally wouldn't turn off the filter as it will not cycle your tank. Also a one gallon will be too small for him once he is full grown, do you have a backup tank? Welcome to fishlore, your baby is super cute!!

It's supposed to be a super gentle filter for betta or the tiny neon tetra. When it's on he's been seen playing in the "current" from time to time. It's like he either gets bored or irritated and goes and sits atop the heater, down on the gravel in front of his plant or on his hammock. We do have a 10gal tank that we will eventually need to upsize for the community fish it currently holds so I'm sure we'll move him when they get an upgrade. I'm just mainly concerned of his diet. I know it can't be healthy for him to only eat freeze dried blood worms but it's the only thing he'll touch.

 

Ah yes, the main problem with caring for baby bettas. The 2 babies I bought from petco ate Omega one minI pellets right off the bat and they were tiny, about 1in long. I also feed them frozen/thawed brine shrimp. I'd get some frozen brine shrimp as they are a favorite for all my fish. Some daphnia might be another option but you can never go wrong with brine shrimp.

As for the filter, you should have it on 24/7. Only having it on for a few hours defeats the purpose of the filter. A filter is meant to house the media that beneficial bacteria colonies. The bacteria is what breaks down the fish waste (ammonia) into less harmful substances (nitrates). I suggest you read up on the Nitrogen cycle for more info. I'd also look into getting him a larger tank in the near future.

 

Ah yes, the main problem with caring for baby bettas. The 2 babies I bought from petco ate Omega one minI pellets right off the bat and they were tiny, about 1in long. I also feed them frozen/thawed brine shrimp. I'd get some frozen brine shrimp as they are a favorite for all my fish. Some daphnia might be another option but you can never go wrong with brine shrimp.

As for the filter, you should have it on 24/7. Only having it on for a few hours defeats the purpose of the filter. A filter is meant to house the media that beneficial bacteria colonies. The bacteria is what breaks down the fish waste (ammonia) into less harmful substances (nitrates). I suggest you read up on the Nitrogen cycle for more info. I'd also look into getting him a larger tank in the near future.

Very much agree, I feed the Omega one mirco pellets to my baby bettas and frozen foods because they can slurp up any size! I do have my baby betta in a 1gallon, but I do lots of water changes and there is a 5 gallon cycleling away in the background. Besides baby bettas need a bigger variety of food to grow. I have 8 different betta foods plus other fish food so I never had such issues.

 

I saw that you said you were using freeze dried bloodworms, have you tried frozen bloodworms? Just a thought that maybe if he ate those since they are similar but different texture, it would be easier to transition him to other stuff. Do you soak your freeze dried bloodworms before giving them to him?

 

The other option would be try soaking his other food in garlic. It's good for them and will make your pellets more appealing.

You could also fast him for 5 days or so, then offer him the pellets. Beggars can't be choosers once he understands that the pellets is the only thing he'll get, he would be more likely to start taking them.

On the filter, I too agree not to off it, but try to do some modifications to lessen the flow.