betta fish wit a eating problem

Question
i have 1 male betta fish and he is in a big vase. he was getting very colorful and was eating twice a day but now he is eating very slow and he is making bubbles and that means he wants a girlfriend rite???? and does this have any thing with his eating problem?????????????

Answer
Hi Kaycee,

The first problem that you have is the vase.  A vase is the equivilent of a death trap for your fish.  Betta are tropical fish and require a warm, consistent temp of 78-80 F.  When people do not have heaters in their bettas tanks the temp is unstable and can plummet at night.  This would not occur in their natural habitat and causes stress, illness and finally death.

Also, all living aquaria deserves a filter.  No fish should swim around in their own waste.  A filter will also make maintenance less burdensome for you and it also will keep your betta healthy and happy.

I don't ever recommend that you put betta in anything less than a 5 gallon, filtered, heated tank.  You can get a 5 gallon hex with a built in biowheel filter from Walmart for $29 so it's not expensive.  All you'll need to do is add a small heater.  Your betta with thank you.  He'll also live a long, disease free life.

As far as the food is concerned if he's not eating as he used to it could be in part to being in an inadequate tank with no filter and no heat but it could also be if you are feeding him the same foods everyday.  All betta do best on a varied diet: high quality flake, pellet, brine shrimp, fresh, thawed peas, bloodworms.  Just give him something different and he'll be much happier and healthier as well.

The bubble nest is for mating, it doesn't have anything to do with the eating habits.

Good luck, I love bettas! : ) April M.