betta not eating

Question
hi karen, i purchased my betta (colin) on sunday, preped his tank the day before, it holds approx 6 to 7 litres (1 to 2 gallons i think?) colin ate one freeze dried bloodworm that sunday night(ideal for bettas so  the label and the shopkeeper said), he has not eaten since, i  put in a fresh one on the monday and he just leaves, i take it out and put in another one, and today tuesday i have also tried the mashed/skinned pea, still nothing. He is swimming around quite happily i think but at times he just sits at the top motionless in a floating plant and also somtimes is resting on the bottom, the tank is a cylinder type vase about5 inches wide at the top and bottom and about 20inches high. he did come in a very small butter container, is my tank to deep and exhausting  colin. i put a mirror on the side to test his reflexes and they are working fine just leaving it there for about 5 minutes, can this harm him if I leave it there to long?, my main concern is he is not eating, his fins are looking good still and he is swimming upright and straight. i can also with a toothpic put the food almost right on his nose, is this normal? should he be simming away in fear?  how do they sleep?
i used to have gold fish and they were very eager feeders so i am very concerned for colin, and i hope you can offer some help karen.

regards, david

Answer
Hello David, My most sincere apologies for not replying sooner! I have been terribly busy...

My first thought about Colin is he is having a little difficulty in adjusting to his new home. Many bettas experience shyness or an unsecure feeling when they are changed to a totally new place. It can take them a good while to get established in their new home and start eating again. Bettas also can be very picky eaters. Sometimes they just don't like certain foods. My betta, Crimson, however will eat all fish foods I add (go figure). But there are a lot of bettas that have been fed a certain type of food in the petshop have a hard time accepting new foods. Freeze dried worms are Ok. But I feel they don't supply all the nutrients bettas need to be healthy. It would be best for him to have a specially prepared betta food. Or lots of variety in the types of live or freeze dried food he gets. OMEGA ONE brand makes an excellent betta food my betta thoroughly enjoys and all my other fish love it as a treat. Bettas can be tricky. Sometimes they like flakes, sometimes pellets, sometimes only live food, and sometimes only freeze dried.
But there can also be underlying cause to their loss of appetite. Bad water conditions not indicated by "dirty" looking water can be a huge factor.
Too cold of a temperature can make a betta not feel like eating as can water with high ammonia in it. Colin will feel his best in a temperature range in the high 70's to 80 F.
Ammonia in his water can be because his enviroment is quite sterile and has no thriving benefical bacterial colony to consume ammonia and nitrite that established aquariums have. Because many bettas are kept in small containers that aren't cycled (don't contain a bacterial colony to remove waste)and they need to have a 50-100% water change three times a week. Always make the replacement water the same temperature as Colin's tank. One good way you can do this is to prepare his water in a clean (no soap) 1-2 gallon pitcher. Fill it with water, add water conditioner the day before changing his water and set it beside his little tank to age overnight and come to his temperature reading.

Once you have eliminated water quality and temperature as factors leading to his appetite loss, you will have his insecurity or maybe an illness to blame. His shyness emotion will just have to be dealt with until he adjusts which can be several days to a week. But usuaully it's quite sooner. And with Colin being new there is always the risk he might be ill. Any sign of illness like a hollowed belly or anything strange need to be looked into. Please as bad as it is, keep in mind petshops can have a "bad batch" of fish including bettas. Those whom have been very stressed either with their trip to the petstore from the hatchery, in the petstore or even the trip home. Stress can make a betta feel sick and act listless.

So your best bet is to watch out for any signs of illness, watch his temperature and be sure to change his water.

I am quite sure he only needs time to adjust. You will probably have to try him on several different foods before you find one he will accept. Don't give up!

I really hope this helps! If you have anymore questions, feel free to email me......

My best wishes to you and Colin!

Happy fishkeeping!
Karen~