Question about food, plus not eating, fin rot

[unoriginalNemo]

Hi, I'm only about a week and a half into my betta addiction but my first guy (Nemo) was adjusted and doing well after about 4-5 days. Thanks to all the reading I did on this board, I think I know all the good things to do for them. Now I've got another one (Dory - I know we're so unoriginal with the naming), and he's been home for four days and still not eating. He's so much less active, laying around on the bottom or top, only swimming around occasionally and hasn't flared once yet at Nemo or the Bio-Gold fishy picture (which is Nemo's best buddy!). Also no bubble nest which Nemo did soon when he felt comfortable in his new home. I don't see any signs of disease and I know it can take time for them to acclimate to their new homes. It just worries me that he won't eat. I've tried every type of dry food and treat but absolutely no interest.

Also I have a question, for those that use HBH Betta Bites, why do they sink almost immediately? Lots of times Nemo can't eat them before they sink, even if I just give one or two (definately not the 6-8 that the label recommends!) Plus he sometimes likes to spit his food back out and eat it again, but these just sink before he can get them the second time. It's very annoying! The picky boy will only eat Bio-Gold and freeze dried brine shrimp (which I only found out he liked because that was all he'd eat out of the BettaMin was the shrimp, wouldn't touch a flake). So I've got a lot of different foods for trade on the other board if anybody's interested.

Thanks for listening to me ramble, I was so in love with Nemo the day we brought him home (he was supposed to be for my 6 year old), now I've just got to get Dory as happy and healthy as Nemo is and I'll feel better.

[spiff]

It's normal for them not to eat, even after four days. Joey didn't eat for almost a week (finally ate once I stopped giving him flakes and gave him pellets exclusively). Aragorn didn't eat for at least a week either (and he is another one that doesn't like flakes). Are you just giving Dory flakes or pellets too? If you are just feeding flakes, try giving him some pellets, he might like those better.

Some bettas aren't very active. Joey rarely swims around, he just typically swims to a corner and stays there for a while, until it's food time. I'm hoping he gets more active when I put him back in his tank and he can see the females. Also, not all bettas will flare at everything. Chandler won't flare at another male (although he does flare at the female next to him). I would say just watch him carefully for a few days, and maybe add some BettaMax and see if that perks him up at all.

[Rachel - old]

Spiff is right; some bettas do not eat right away while they are adjusting to their new home. I've had a guy go for two weeks before eating. Don't worry though; bettas can be fine without food for a while. I would try feeding just one or two food options (not treat foods), such as flakes or pellets consistently. Once Dory gets hungry enough and knows that is the only option he will begin to eat.

Betta Bites are similar to the Aqua Culture Micro pellets that I use. After a while I just learned how to drop the pellets so they float for a bit longer. Bettas do scrounge on the bottom for food though, so if they do sink be aware that he will probably still eat them later. And as always, remove any uneaten food from the top of the tank.

[palepinkvase]

I feed the Bio-Gold pellets and I have not had any of them sink right away, but like Bethis said, Bettas will scrounge on the bottom.

I wouldn't worry about Dory just yet. give him some time to get used to his new conditions. Check him over real well and keep monitoring for any sign of illness. All my guys came home and wouldn't eat right away. Also, lack of a bubble nest doesn't always mean things are wrong. One of my guys, who is quite happy and healthy, has only made one very insignifcant nest in all then time I have had him.

Good Luck with Nemo and Dory.

[suddenbettalover]

I've also had a problem with the Betta Bites sinking - the first couple of times I used them one or two would immediately sink to the bottom. I've found that if I get my fingers really close to the surface of the water and lightly drop them so that they don't go through the surface they will float for enough time for my betta to eat them. But he does gobble them up pretty quickly. I wait until he eats each one before I drop another one. But, you're right, once the bite has broken the surface, it will sink - so if he spits them out it will be difficult for him to grab it again, and I'm not sure how to remedy that.

Good luck! I'm sure Dory will get her appetite eventually!

[unoriginalNemo]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I have tried both flake and pellet food, even tried brine shrimp just to get him to eat something, but no luck yet. I didn't know they would scrounge around on the bottom to get sunken food, that's good to know. I do use the BioGold and those will float forever, but I wanted to get some variety and was bummed that the BettaBites sink so soon.

I changed Dory's water last night and he seemed to perk up a little, swimming around more. It seems he's a little more active at night. I did notice though that he's getting some frayed edges to his tail and some thin spots here and there on his fins. (I've been using Melafix on both of them because Nemo has a little problem with his tail fin too, but I think I might need something stronger).

It's just so hard to watch them side by side in their bowls when Dory just lays there on the bottom most of the time and Nemo would just swim and flare and bubble all day long. I got Dory as a friend for Nemo but he so boring so far I feel bad for both of them. I guess Nemo will just have to stick to the fish on the Bio-Gold package for his buddy.

[palepinkvase]

You mentioned Dory's fins aren't looking so good. Are they showing signs of Fin Rot? From my own experience, Melafix has not helped with any fin trouble. Some people swear by it, but I was disappointed. Just wanted to let you know.

[Rachel - old]

Just a tip, make sure their tanks are warm enough and at a consistent temperature. Too large of temperature differences between night and day can cause a betta's tail to shred.

[unoriginalNemo]

Yeah, I'm finding that the Melafix isn't helping and from most of what I read it won't help until the rot is gone. I'm going to check the store tomorrow to see if I can find any Jungle Fungus Eliminator and try that for both of them. Although Nemo is totally happy, (flaring, eating, bubblenesting) he does have a black line on the edge of his tail fin and a few spots that are very thin on it as well.

Dory had one little piece come off his tail and yesterday it looked like a red line on his tail fin (he's blue) but I changed his water last night and it looks a little better today (water was only two days old but since he's not eating I'm worried about the food making dirty water since I leave it in longer in the hopes he'll try to eat it if I just stop staring at him).

If I can't find the JFE is there another something I could try? I'm pretty sure I looked last time I was at WalMart and our pet store and they didn't have it (they don't have BettaMax either which I want to try as well, grrr....).