Why is Your Betta Fish Not Eating (Steps to Solve this Problem)

It is a very common problem faced by betta owners that sometimes betta fish not eating. In a Brief, Possible reasons for betta fish not eating are stress, water temperature, parasites, and disease so make sure that your betta is in a healthy environment before making any treatment plans and changes to its surroundings.

Take note of what your fish’s circumstances are and see if there are some factors that you can change or remove to make it feel more comfortable so it would not be stressed out anymore.

If you own a living creature, it is important to know what it needs from you in order to survive. As a fish owner, it is also very important for you to know why your pet betta fish is not eating and how can you make it eat again.

By reading this article, you are one step closer to knowing why your betta fish stop eating. You will also learn some ways to get your betta fish-eating again and how to make sure that they won’t stop eating for good in the future.

Reasons Behind Betta Fish Not Eating

Aquarium Water Temperature

The first thing that you need to do is find out what temperature is your betta fish used to before it stopped eating.

Make sure that the temperature in their tank is consistent with its habitat. If your betta fish has been used to living at a cool temperature, then you should not increase the water’s temperature as this could lead to death.

The same goes if your betta has been used to living in warmer temperatures and you keep dropping the water’s level or lowering the temperature.

If your tank is too hot or too cold, the fish will not eat. If you can’t change the tank’s temperature, then make sure that you put a heater or cooler in there to keep it at a safe and comfortable level for your betta fish.

Water pH

Water pH may affect the normal behavior of aquarium betta fish. Water pH fluctuation directly changes the other water quality parameters as well. You should also check the water’s pH level and other aspects because these could affect your betta fish too.

Parasitic Attack

If your betta fish has been continuously moving around the tank without eating for a while, then maybe he has an infection or parasite – these may be caused by dirty water and must be treated immediately.

To prevent further damage, get your betta fish to a  vet as soon as possible and make sure that the water is treated immediately as well to avoid any other fish from getting infected and dying.

Treatment if Your Betta Fish Not Eating

Betta fish are one of the hardest species to maintain in aquariums and are known for being very sensitive. If you do not have any experience with taking care of a betta, then ask someone who does or better yet, gets professional help from a pet store so you can be sure that everything will be done correctly.

Take Patience & Observe the Situation

Firstly, one important thing you have to remember is that it takes time and patience for this little guy to get used to a new place, especially if you bring him home from a pet store or choose between multiple betta fish available in an aquarium.

It is best for you to treat your betta fish at home first before taking it to a vet because they can only give you medications prescribed by your vet.

There are times that people will take their sick betta fish to a vet without trying any treatment at home and then spend a huge amount of money on medications that may not even be effective against whatever disease the fish has.

Do Search Online

Do searches online about how to deal with this situation and check which remedies are effective in curing infections or parasites.

Make sure that they are food-based medications so they will not cause more harm than good.

Also, always read the instructions carefully and do not follow them for anyone’s advice unless you are 100% sure that they know what they’re talking about.

Control Water Temperature

Let your fish sit in another tank or jar tank. The tank will have a slightly lower temperature of around 78 – 80 degrees with an active filter to eliminate any parasites.

Make sure that the water is clean because if it’s not then your betta fish will have no incentive to go back in and eat again. Also, do not use medicines yet because you want them to get used to their new environment first.

Change Poor Water

If it is dirty water, try changing 50-75% of the water immediately and add chemicals to take out all of the impurities in one go. Check if there were any improvements after 24 hours before doing another change. Food

Provide Medication

After 2 days, check if there are any improvements. If there are then consider treating them immediately for parasites or infections while still allowing them time to rest and relax at the hospital tank.

If there are no improvements then consider taking it to a fish specialist or get in touch with an expert to examine your betta closely.

Final Words

I have been discussed in this article with the hopes that they will help you solve your betta fish not eating problem. Also, there are several places that sell medications and solutions for betta fish not eating problems at an affordable price so you can try those as well if the ones in this article don’t work out for you.

Prepare yourself emotionally as well with research on how to deal with this situation as it can happen at any time, especially if you are new to pet fish rearing or recently adopted your first betta fish. Also, do proper research so you can apply proven treatments and medications that will help relieve its stress and make it feel more comfortable again.