# My betta doesn't like pellets?



## LonelyPilgrim (Jan 22, 2011)

Hi. I'm a new member, and I've had my first betta about a week. He's a male crowntail betta named Ozymandius. I've read the FAQ here, and there are some things I definitely need to do (get a larger tank and heater, to start with). Right now I have him in a small bowl with about half a gallon of water.

Ozzy is a gift from my best friend, and she aso gave me a TetraBetta Floating Mini-Pellets. I had been giving him the pellets twice a day as indicated, but he didn't seem to keen on them. I saw him swim up and take a bite of them, but then spit them out, and then eventually they'd all sink to the bottom. This went on for three or four days, and I was getting a little worried. In the meantime his water was getting dirty, so I went to PetSmart and got some supplies (a couple of books on bettas, a small net, betta water conditioner, some different types of food), and went home and changed his water.

Afterwards, to reward him, I gave him some bloodworms. He *loved* the bloodworms. Gobbled them up ravenously for about five minutes. Unfortunately, I think I put a little too many in there, and some of them sank to the bottom of his bowl and got lost in the rocks. I've been trying to stir the rocks every now and then so he can get at the rest, and I think I got most of them, but there are probably still some remnants.

Now here's the problem: Since I gave him the bloodworms, he hasn't touched his pellets. I've been putting them in there and he hasn't gone near them. I also got some flakes (TetraMin Tropical Flakes, which claim to be for all tropical fish, and have a picture of a betta on the label), and he hasn't touched at all, either. Does he just not like pellets or flakes? Have I spoiled him already? He is now acting very hungry, rooting around in the rocks at the bottom for something to eat, while some fresh pellets and flakes float on the surface untouched. Help!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Hello and welcome to the forum.It's pretty common for new bettas to not eat while they're adjusting to their new home.Sometimes this can go on for a week or two. I wouldn't be too worried. You might want to try a different brand of pellets. Hikari betta bio gold, Wardleys and Atison's betta pro are just a few brands out there.


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## LonelyPilgrim (Jan 22, 2011)

dramaqueen said:


> Hello and welcome to the forum.It's pretty common for new bettas to not eat while they're adjusting to their new home.Sometimes this can go on for a week or two. I wouldn't be too worried. You might want to try a different brand of pellets. Hikari betta bio gold, Wardleys and Atison's betta pro are just a few brands out there.


Thank you, dramaqueen. I changed his water again, and gave him some fresh pellets and flakes -- just a little bit at a time, and then I leave him alone with them. He seems to ignore them at first, but eventually he does eat when I'm not looking. I now have a few brands of pellets and flakes, in addition to the frozen bloodworms, which I plan to give him about once a week.

I'm concerned that I'm stressing him out worse than I have to. How often should I be changing his water? And do you have a recommended method for that? I'm going to try a method I read in one of books, of keeping two bowls, one with him in it, and one with water I'm conditioning. I was dumping him from the bowl into a net, because my net wouldn't fit through the lip of the bowl, but I really hated to do that, and I imagine it must have been frightening. I now have a smaller net, which I think should be gentler when it's time to transplant him.

Thanks again!


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## betta4me (Jan 24, 2011)

try soaking the pellets in tank water or cutting them in half that worked for me, also remember that bettas stomachs are the size of their eyeball. oh and one more thing he may love the bloodworms, but that is NOT ever a substitute for food, because they are a little unhealthy.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

In a half gallon, the water should be changed about 3 times a week. I would just net him, put him in a temporary container while you change the water, dump the old water, put fresh, dechlorinated water in his bowl and put him back in. He'll get used to the water changes.


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