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We recently welcomed a new veiltail SF into a new 10g cycled tank. We brought Teddy home Sunday, and each evening we've dropped a few Betta pellets but I have only seen him take one once and he ended up spitting it out. I even tried some flakes also, but all he did was stare at the flakes lol.

I am wondering, do they take awhile before they eat?

Also, I noticed that he is starting to spend time lying in a plant or on the bottom behind a rock. He'll go up for a gulp of air from the surface, the back down he goes.... normal? odd??

Thanks!

nah its fairly normal.. he might be bored. try to get him to flare with a miror and then he might have a heartier appetite... i am no betta expert, but he could also be used to live foods (depending on how old he is and who raised him and how they raised him)... mybe try freeze dried or frozen blood worms... or mybe brine shrimp.

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My M Betta has never been shy of any foods. I would contact where you bought him to see what they were feeding him. Is there any other fish and water movement in the tank.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

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Keith

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they had each betta in its own small cell, um cup, lol. Presently I have an AquaClear 20 HOB filter, set quite low to reduce heavy flow since Teddy is the only occupant and I am still working on getting more plants...

If he's not eating and seems mopey (top would be fine, bottom is a little bit worrying) I'd try some bloodworm or brine shrimp. Bloodworm is usually the foolproof food that even the fussy ones will eat.


What brand of pellet and what type of flake are you using? Some are more accepted than others. The size, texture, flavour and meat content all seem to have an impact, as does the competition in the tank.


He has probably had 2 weeks at a wholesaler/in transit and a week or so on the shelves with minimal food, so don't let him hold out for more than about 7-10 days as he's not really in a position to be fasting for too long.

He's not looking clampy or 'flat' is he? Most of them are a bit fussy about foods when they come in and the filtered tank can be quite distressing for them, but even though the behaviour sounds perfectly normal, I just don't want to be missing a different problem. Give him a good inspection for parasites and growths, and at 10 days (or sooner if you can) if he's still not accepting foods, I'd get some frozen bloodworms. Once he's built up his condition a bit, then you can fight the fight over what you want him to eat

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

cant help on the eating part but with teddy laying on the plant ya its normal

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

well, in conclusion, we lost Teddy Thursday evening. I had begun melafix/pimafix for a couple days, he developed a red bump on his uper lip and a cloudy eye. I tried bloodworms, they bumped him in the nose and he paid them no mind. I think he had a bacterial infection of some sort.

So, I did a 50% WC and off we go... We'll get another Betta here in a bit. Stuff happens...

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions!

sorry to hear about teddy, but don't let that put a damper on you rescuing another betta buddy. There are lots of them out there that we need to give good homes to. I'm sure this was also a valuable learning experience that can be useful on your next try! good luck and keep us informed on your next betta friend.....

Justin

Colts Fan For Life
30g platy tank: 2 sunburst wag platys, 2 redtailed white calico platys, 2 red wag platys, 1 fry(not sure who it belongs to), 1 Golden CAE.
Bettas:1 VT male

well, it just so happens that we went over to the LFS today and grabbed a new Betta, Jack. He's a black and blue crowntail, very handsome. He's floating in his bag in the 10g right now... I cannot wait to see him in the tank! I will get some pics posted to my blog at some point in the future!

Good luck with Jack, Scott!!!

The pottery that growls!

So far, Jack is looking quite spry, fins a flowing, exploring his new digs. Tonite we'll feed and keep our fingers crossed!

I'll get some pics up soon on my blog.

I hope Jack does great in his new home scott. im glad you got another betta after teddy

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we dont know what to do.