In this blog, we will answer why betta fish is not eating. We will also cover different possible reasons that might cause your betta fish not to eat and what the solutions will be to resolve this issue.
Why is my betta fish not eating?
There can be multiple reasons why your betta fish is not eating. Betta fish are tropical fish and are famous for thriving in a wide range of conditions and are tremendously hardy.
There can be many reasons why your Betta fish is not eating, which can vary from their health to the environmental conditions in which they are kept.
What are the reasons for Betta fish not eating?
Betta fish are tropical organisms; thus, they can survive in a wide range of conditions. Following are the reasons that can highlight as to why betta fish is not eaten:
Water quality
One of the prominent reasons for our betta fish not eating could be the result of the poor-quality water. It has often been observed that water quality and quantity affect fish’s eating behaviour.
Water quality can induce stress in fish, leading to decreased appetite and vulnerability to certain diseases and reduced production, which can be harmful to a growing business.
Solution
Luckily for poor quality water, it can be easily fixed and help ease your fish. Take your fish in a bowl with adequate water and easy fish movement. Now replace the tanks’ fresh and aerated water with 5 to 10 gallons of water heated at the required temperature for your betta fish requirement.
Check your Betta’s water quality regularly so that there will be no complaints in the future and your fish stay healthy, active, and disease-free.
Poor quality food
Among the significant reasons for Betta fish not eating, food quality matters a lot. Betta relies on their sense of smell to eat their food; if the food quality is not optimum and is rotten or putrid, it will not ingest it.
Food lost its water-soluble nutrients over time when it’s been open times and again regularly over days. So moisture exposure and air induce their effect and lose the fish’s food quality and nourishment strength.
The best possible solution, in this case, is to use fresh and good-smelling food. Use fresh pelleted food that is replaced every six months at least and is pleasant to appeal to the fish to eat with the size of your fish eyeball.
Overfeeding
A critical reason your Betta may not be eating is that you might be overfeeding it. Betta will stop eating after a limit, just like we humans do. Similarly, Betta will stop eating when the food is available in excess.
The best possible solution to the reason for overfeeding your Betta is that you feed them twice or thrice a day and at regular intervals. The amount of their feed at a time should be small so that they finish it up and have space for more in the next diet.
Inappropriate temperature
Another critical factor that leads to the Betta not eating up its diet could be that its water temperature is not optimum. Though Betta can survive in a wide range of temperatures, there is certainly a limit to it.
A change in temperature up to a limit will lead your Betta not to eat anything, and thus you might face the issue of your Betta not eating up its diet.
Using a heater can quickly fix any easy fix to temperature variation because Betta requires around 78 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit temperature. If you don’t maintain a temperature in this range, then there is a chance of diet indigestion in your Betta’s GIT.
It would help if you used a heater to heat the water and maintain the temperature in this range for your Betta so that there might be no further incidents of Betta’s decreased appetite.
Competition
Bettas are notorious for their territory markings. Males and females alike can get stressed out regarding their territory, show severe aggressiveness towards others, and stop eating the feed.
The best possible fix in such a situation is to avoid placing any of the males or females in the same tank or in close visibility to each other to prevent any stress and aggressiveness towards each other.
Illness and diseases
There can be the reason your Betta has stopped eating because of any disease, especially when you have opted out of all the above parameters or noticed any change in colors, lethargy, rips or fins. So it’s time that you get a specialist.
Conclusion
In this blog, we answered why is Betta fish not eating and discussed the reasons and possible solutions for why Betta fish might not be eating.
References
What to Do If Your Betta Fish Is Not Eating (thesprucepets.com)
Betta Fish Not Eating (All Reasons & Solutions) – Betta Care Fish Guide
Why Is My Betta Fish Not Eating? (Reasons & Solutions) | Aquarium Labs
Betta Fish Not Eating – Everything You Need To Know And How To Fix It (tankarium.com)
Why Is My Betta Fish Not Eating? 5 Reasons For Appetite Loss (japanesefightingfish.org)
