New Betta wont eat/acting weird

Question
Hi Chris...

I just bought a new female betta on Saturday. I fed her a little bit of betta min tropical medley flakes. It's Monday morning and she hasn't touched any of it. She also is very active in her tank for a few seconds and then will go through long periods of time where she's just lying on the bottom or just floating with absolutely no movement. I guess I find this very strange because I had a female before who was very active and ate like crazy.

This new one LOOKS fine, just won't eat and is acting really strange 90% of the time.

What's up with her!?!?!  

Answer
Hi Courtenay;

The first thing to do is get that excess food out of there. After 3 days it can cause the water to be toxic. You might want to change all the water and it will help her feel better. Remember to use a good water conditioner and the new water has to be the same temperature as the old.

Bettas are raised eating live or frozen foods. She may simply not be willing to eat flaked foods. Try freeze dried tubifex, brine shrimp or blood worms if you don't want to get into the live/frozen thing. New fish are often reluctant to eat and it can take several days to get them settled in enough.

A few other things to look at;

Filter flow; if there is a filter on the tank she may be getting pushed around too much. Bettas are traditionally kept in slower moving water before they get into the fish stores.

Water temperature; Bettas need their water to be at least 75 degrees, especially when not feeling well. It helps with appetite too. Even up to 85 is just fine.

Size of the tank; If the tank is smaller than a gallon she may just be very uncomfortable. She may adjust to it over time but she may need another larger tank to feel more comfortable.

Nervousness in general; I have found many females to just be little "nervous nellies". They act like a predator is after them so they hide and dart around when they see movement. Just very scared. As long as the tank gets lots of light, provide live plants for her to hide in. They are softer than fake ones and more comfy to hide in. Keep the room she is in very quiet. If it is a busy place, partially cover her tank with something to make her feel more safe.

Here are some good sites about bettas that may have even more suggestions;

HealthyBetta.com
BettaTalk.com

Hope she does better soon.....

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins