Why is My Betta Fish Not Eating? – 7 Reasons Betta Fish Won't Eat
Like every other living organism, betta fish need to eat in order to survive.
However, sometimes your little buddy may refuse to eat,
even though you may not see anything wrong with them externally.
Now, the big question comes “why is my betta fish not eating?”
New Betta
New fish are stressed when they first come home due to the move.
You can lessen this stress by drip acclimating your fish.
Drip acclimation is simply dripping aquarium water into their cup at 2-4 drops per second
and removing half the water from the cup once it gets full.
Keep a constant drip on the cup, and after removing half the water twice.
However, even with careful acclimation,
your fish may be stressed and intimated by its new surroundings.
This stress can leave the fish open to disease, but in the meantime, it may simply avoid eating.
If your fish still does not eat 3-5 days after you buy it,
there is probably an underlying issue with the betta.
In the meantime, you can try feeding live food like daphnia, scuds, and bloodworms.
You can also increase the number of hiding spots in the tank to make it feel more secure.
Disease Once a
fish becomes so sick that it refuses to eat,
the outcome is generally not good. This does not mean your fish is doomed,
but you should be prepared for the worst. Fish can recover from this,
but it is difficult since they are not bringing proper nutrients and energy into their bodies.
Constipation
Constipation is a common problem with betta fish and easily treatable.
It is usually caused by a fish being fed the wrong amount or type of food.
Betta fish need to eat food meant for carnivores and cannot handle plant-based food.
In addition, they should only eat an amount of food the size of their eye 2-3 times a day.
If your betta has an abnormally swollen belly, it is probably constipated.
To treat it, you must simply fast your betta for three days
then feed either part of a deshelled, blanched pea or some frozen daphnia.
Both foods act as laxatives for bettas. Swim Bladder Disorder
The swim bladder is an organ that controls a fish’s position in the water column.
They let air out of this organ to go down and let air in to go up.
However, this organ can be damaged or become infected,
which will lead to swim bladder disorder.
Fish with swim bladder disorder have a hard time maintaining their position in the water column.
They are normally either stuck at the bottom of the tank or at the top.
It will seem like their back half is either constantly dragging
them up to the top or to the bottom, depending on the type of the disorder.
Water Quality If your water quality is very poor,
your betta will feel so bad that it will refuse to eat.
If your tank is not fully cycled or went through a mini cycle,
some ammonia and nitrite will be present.
Ammonia burns fish on the outside and often leaves large black burns.
In addition, it causes severe damage to the gills, which can shorten the lifespan.
Nitrite binds to hemoglobin in the blood and prevents it from carrying oxygen,
which suffocates the fish. If you are being constantly
burned or are suffocating, food is the last thing on your mind.
You must test your water, and if you find any trace amounts of ammonia or nitrite,
you must do large water changes to remove all of it.
Any amount of ammonia or nitrite is toxic to fish.
On the other hand, if you have not been keeping up with your weekly water changes,
your nitrates will be very high, which can make your fish feel icky.
If your nitrates are above 20ppm, your fish will feel the effects,
and if they are over 80ppm, betta fish may refuse to eat.
Old Age Once your betta fish begins to get older,
its metabolism will slow down. This will cause it to eat less
but shouldn’t cause it to stop eating altogether. Because the metabolism is slower,
your betta will not be able to digest as much food as it once did,
and it will not need as much energy. Temperature
If your betta’s temperature is too low, its metabolism will drop significantly.
This will lead to it eating less, but not stopping altogether,
unless the temperature is excessively low. Betta needs a heater because its temperature
must be between 78- and 80-degrees Fahrenheit to have the best metabolism.
Betta fish are cold blooded,
meaning their internal body temperature is dependent on the surrounding temperature.
In conclusion, your betta fish may stop eating for a variety of reasons.
All these possibilities have a fix, and most of them are very simple to fix.
Eating is an essential part of keeping your fish healthy and alive,
so take note if your fish is suddenly refusing to eat.