Supplement for a picky female mahachai betta

Hi all
I have a female mahachai betta who recently has spit out every food I have tried except frozen brine shrimp.

Here is what I have tried:
Bug bites, ocean nutrition pellets, seachem nutridiet, vibrabites, biogold, hikari micropellets, northfin betta pellets, invert aquatics ultimate betta, invert aquatics extreme color, chopped plankton, daphnia, and bloodworms.

I do add a few drops of Kent Zoa vitamin, mineral and amino acid supplement to the frozen brine shrimp and let it thaw in the vitamin solution before pipet feeding, but worry that she may suffer nutritional deficiencies long term. Soaking pellets in Garlicguard doesn’t help.

She has always been fussy but this refusal of all pelleted food started around two weeks ago when I moved her from a 10 to a 15 gallon tank. Will this diet do damage long term and If so, can you think of anything else to try?

Thanks in advance for suggestions!

 

Try not feeding her for 2-3 days. She’ll be less picky if she’s really hungry, and if that doesn’t work try mixing the brine shrimp with a different type of food and she if she’ll eat other food if it’s mixed with the brine shrimp.

 

I do fast her one day a week but will try a longer fast. I have mixed the bug bites with the brine shrimp and have seen her selectively spit out the pellets. Maybe grinding it to a powder could help?

 

try soaking her food in garlic juice for a few days then try again without it (garlic is a appetite enhancer)
it is completely safe and I use it once every other week just as a preventative to parasites.

 

Does garlic juice work better than garlic guard?

 

Does garlic juice work better than garlic guard?

not sure I think they would both work.. I have always just used plain garlic juice and it workes fine for me

 

I will buy some garlic - I am desperate! But I tried garlic guard and it didn’t help. Bought some bug bites flakes . It seems like “fluttery” foods are preferred. She tracks the movement of the brine shrimp but won’t chase either floating or sinking pellets.I also ordered Atisons betta pro by ocean nutrition, since the first ingredient is baby brine shrimp. Her belly is slightly rounded ( either eggs or food, but with all the crustaceans she eats I doubt it is constipation, so I will also try Jkkgron2’s suggestion for a longer fast as well.

 

I will buy some garlic - I am desperate! But I tried garlic guard and it didn’t help. Bought some bug bites flakes . It seems like “fluttery” foods are preferred. She tracks the movement of the brine shrimp but won’t chase either floating or sinking pellets.I also ordered Atisons betta pro by ocean nutrition, since the first ingredient is baby brine shrimp. Her belly is slightly rounded ( either eggs or food, but with all the crustaceans she eats I doubt it is constipation, so I will also try Jkkgron2’s suggestion for a longer fast as well.

hopefully the garlic and fasting will work

 

I know it happens, but bettas not eating is foreign territory to me. Mine have always ate like little water piglets, no matter what i put in front of them!

 

I know it happens, but bettas not eating is foreign territory to me. Mine have always ate like little water piglets, no matter what i put in front of them!

I know!! This is the first time I have seen this. I know she is still adjusting to the new tank, but this is crazy! I have my fish pipet trained- she will swim up after fast day and bump the pipet tip, then grab it in her mouth! But god help me if anything other than brine shrimp come out of it- she won’t even eat bloodworms...

 

Thanks everyone for your good advice! With a longer fast followed by the fancy brine-shrimp based pellets soaked in garlic juice she is back to eating pellets!