Betta Fish Not Eating – Possible Solutions

If your Betta fish is not eating there are a number of possible reasons. It is important to figure out the reason why your Betta fish is not eating the food and address the issue. The last thing you want is your precious and beautiful fish continuing to be unhappy!

Betta Fish Not Eating – Causes and Solutions

You are feeding it too much

Betta fish eat a surprisingly small amount of food. Not many people realize it, but their stomachs are actually very small (around the size of their eye). They therefore only eat a small amount of food at one time. It is much more common for them to be overfed rather than underfed.

Overfeeding can lead to two main issues:

  • Excess food remaining in the tank and starting to rot
  • Overeating can give your Betta fish digestive complications that lead to disease in the future

It is best to check that you are not giving your Betta too much food. If this isn’t the problem there are a number of other possible reasons which we discuss below.

The temperature of the tank is incorrect

Betta fish tanks should have a temperature of between 78 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (25.5 to 26.5 degrees Centigrade). It is important to keep the tank temperature in this range. Temperature outside this range (and temperature fluctuations in particular) can cause your Betta fish to become stressed. This stress could be the core reason why your Betta fish is not eating.

In order to ensure the correct temperature in the tank you’ll need a good quality water heater (unless you live in a very, very warm climate). These water heaters will have a built in temperature gauge that will regulate the temperature to the desired level.

It is also worth investing in a water temperature gauge (thermometer) as well. This will give you an “second opinion”. It also allows you to take the temperature on the other side of the tank. This will help to identify if there is a problem with one part of your tank (near the heater) being significantly warmer than other areas of the tank. This can happen if there is not sufficient water flow in your tank.

You are feeding it the wrong food

Betta fish can be particularly fussy when it comes to food. Some will eat pellets happily, but for others there can be 3 main issues with this:

  1. Your Betta fish doesn’t recognize the pellets / flakes as food. Try them on some shrimp brine products to see if that makes a difference.
  2. You are buying low quality pellets. If you are going to feed pellets, may sure they are good quality pellets rather than mass produced pellets / flakes that have minimal nutritional value.
  3. You Betta fish isn’t eating because they just don’t like the pellet / flakes that you are feeding them. If you want to keep them on dried foods, at least consider changing up the type / brand to see if it makes a difference

Being stressed is causing your Betta fish to not eat

Stress is a major cause of Betta fish not eating. This stress doesn’t just have to come from the environment in the tank. If your tank is clean, and at the appropriate temperature and pH, it may be worth thinking about other factors that may be stressing your Betta. Some things to consider:

  1. Have you recently moved your Betta (either from the pet store or from another tank)?
  2. Have you recently added (or subtracted) any tankmates?
  3. Is the overall environment stressful? Vibrations in particular can cause stress. Whether this is caused by children tapping the tank, the spin of a nearby washing machine or something else it can be a major cause of stress.

If one of these is true it may be worth eliminating the issue and giving your Betta fish some time to settle down and start eating again.

If you’re looking for another way to reduce stress, it might be worth considering purchasing a Betta hammock. These allow your Betta fish a place to rest recharge.

Your Betta fish is ill

This is perhaps the most complicated reason for your Betta fish to not be eating. Unlike the other options discussed it is less easy to treat by trial and error. You’ll need to keep a good eye out for any other behavior by the fish to see if there are telltale signs.

One of the most common issues for Betta fish relates to digestive issues. If they become less active it is a good sign that they may in distress. One option is to increase the amount of fiber in their diet and see that that will help. If this isn’t working, and you’ve tried the other items in this article, it may worth a trip to the vet have your Betta fish properly assessed for disease or other ailments.

Your tank is unbalanced and / or dirty

Keeping your tank clean and balanced is incredibly important. Some questions to ask yourself:

  • Are you changing some of the water on a regular basis?
  • Are you using a good pH meter to ensure that the tank is not too acidic or alkaline?
  • Do you have a good quality filter to ensure that the tank is keep clean?
  • Are you cleaning the bottom of the tank regularly. An aquarium vacuum cleaner is great for this – particularly if there is uneaten food at the bottom of the tank that is starting to rot.

Betta Fish Not Eating – Conclusion

There are a range of reasons why your Betta fish is not eating. It is important that you identify the reason why they are not happy and then address it. Hopefully the above will give you a good idea of possible causes are well as their solutions.

Good luck!

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