[animalover13]

I have had this betta for 1 1/2 years. I know thats old for a fish but he wont eat. I have an aquarium that is good size, a filter, light,a treasure chest and fake plant. He wont eat and he is staying towards the bottom of his tank. He hides and wont come out. This is very unusual for him. I am extremely worried that he is about to die. Is there any thing I could do??????
Please any advice no matter how small is appreciated.

 

[Jess]

Acually, 1 1/2 isnt that old for a betta... Ive had one that lived over 5 years. C:
Exactly how big is your tank?
And, it is normal for bettas to hide at the bottom of the tank alot. Most spend quite a bit of their time sleeping and hiding in the decorations. They only really need to eat a lil bit every 2 or 3 days, so he just might not be hungry.
If your still worried about him, a partial water change usually perks them up quite a bit.

 

[animalover13]

Thanks for the advice I just cleaned his tank about a week and a half ago. The main reason this worries me is because he is normally a very excited fish always swimming around espically when he sees me and knows its time for food. He is extremely slow. He is laying on his side and that scares me the most. My tank is about a gallon(i think). Any way thanks again for the advice

 

[Kendalle]

i think with a tank that small you need to be doing partial water changes more often than that... i could be wrong though

 

[Jess]

You tank is most likely your problem... Fish should have at least 5 gallons of water to live in.

 

[animalover13]

Im not sure how big it is. But I dont think its a 5 gallon Any way could to much food in the tank like 7 pieces make the water green and kill him?

 

[animalover13]

4 got to add to my other post....Are guinea pigs or bunnies easier to take care of?:dust: :bouncelove these smilies)

 

[Sasami]

Your tank is pretty small, so I assume you don't have a heater (since it's almost impossible to safely heat such a small aquarium). Do you have a thermometer? It might be too cold for him, bettas are tropical fish.

Try offering frozen bloodworms and/or brine shimp, those tend to be betta favorites.

Good luck!

 

[animalover13]

You are right I do not have a heater but I do have a thermometer. Its 75 right now. I cleaned his tank a week ago and its already green. Could that be because there is to much fish food at the bottom? Could that kill him?Im so confusedanic:

 

[Dragonrain]

4 got to add to my other post....Are guinea pigs or bunnies easier to take care of? (love these smilies)

www.rabbit.org for house rabbit info. I would compare my rabbit more to a dog than to something small like a hamster or something. They need a lot of attention and vet care for them can get really expensive. I can't speak for g.pigs because I've never had one before.

Good luck with your fish!

 

[Jess]

Your tank could be turning green from algae... Is it in direct or partial sunlight?

 

[animalover13]

He is not in the sunlight. He has a light instead. I just think its weir that his tank already turned green in only 1 weeeks time. I think its because he has so much food at the bottom he wont eat. Could that kill him??? Should I do another tank cleaning?

 

[Jess]

If you tank turns green, then ya.
I bigger tank would help too.

 

[animalover13]

I just dont know if he can handle another cleaning. But if he can it might make him better. (I think)

 

[Jess]

When you clean it, do you drain all to water or only half? Draining all the water is extremly stressful on fish, and if thats how your cleaning it, it could be causing problems for your fish.

 

[animalover13]

OH NO!!!! I do drain all the water and clean the rocks and his toys. Is that a bad thing? I have been doing this for at least a year with him and he was fine why would he be reacting to it now?

 

[Jess]

Well, for a fish to be happy and healthy, the need essential bacteria that live in their water. But every time you change the entire tank, its stripped of all these bacteria, and its very stressful for them because then all those bacteria need to start all over. Then right when these bacteria are back, you clean the tank and get rid of them all.(Sorry if that doesnt make sense, but its the best I can explain it xD) This time when you clean your tank, just take a cup and scoop out half the water... youll need to do this a few times a week if your tanks only one gallon.

This usually wont kill your fish right away, but like I said, its extremely stressfull for them. If youve been doing this for a year, all that could just be catching up with him... Or he could have something entirly different thats not related to water changing.

But either way, your fish will definatly improve when he has stable water conditions. If you can, get a tank at least 5 gallons (these are SO much easier to keep! And you only half to clean it once a month or so) and some Cycle.

 

[Zanzibar]

You should actually do water changes with fish at least once a week.

 

[Jess]

You dont have to if you have a big enough tank that is stocked properly.
Doing half of the tank every month is fish with most fish... It depends on what fish you have and the tank size, but I guess you can change it as often as you want. C:

 

[animalover13]

Yeah I change all the water. I always have and it never effected him why now?