# Stress Relief for my New Betta?



## Dali Kalak (Jun 6, 2011)

Hi everyone-- just joined this forum! I love bettas and figured this site would be a fun community to join.  

Anyway, I was recently shopping, just bumming around with friends, when we went into a pet store and found their bettas. They were AWFUL-- at least 5-6 were dead in yellow water, almost all of them had fin rot, and most were looking like they were on their way out. I picked one up to rescue him. 

I had a tank arrangement all set up-- unfortunately, it was at a friend's house, and I wasn't able to get it until the following day. I kept the rescue (who I named Irwin) in a small vase until he could have his BIG bowl. 

When I came home with the bowl, I couldn't find Irwin anywhere. He had jumped. D: He was on the ground, sticky, but when I touched him he flopped about. I got him back in the water immediately, but he was covered in dust and dog hair and other miscellaneous floor debris. His tail fin retained some damage, a little tearing on the edges, but otherwise he looked alright, all things considered. I covered his vase, fixed up his new bowl (which is at least 2-3 gallons I'm guessing) and used a water treatment on the water. 

Two days later, he's swimming around and looking vibrant, though he still hasn't eaten since I brought him home. I'm guessing his lack of appetite is because of the stress. My question now is: how can I get him to eat? I have regular fish flakes, frozen bloodworms, Wardley brand betta pellets, and HBH Betta Bites. My other betta, Levi, is pretty ravenous when it comes to the flakes and bloodworms. I've tried Irwin with all of the dry stuff, but not the bloodworms yet. I'm wary with them, since they made Levi constipated once... 
When I put a pellet on the water, Irwin doesn't notice. I poke at it a bit with a tooth pic, which usually works with Levi, and Irwin swims up to it like he's going for it-- but then he kind of... stops. And goes about his day. 
I don't want to leave the food in his tank, since it'll cloud the water. 

Any advice? 
I'll post pics of Irwin and his bowl soon, after the camera charges.


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## Dali Kalak (Jun 6, 2011)

Oh, I just found this: 

Housing 
What size is your tank? Round, about 8"x8"x8"
What temperature is your tank? Room temp, approx. 65 degrees F
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? No
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? He's alone. 

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Trying to feed him HBH Betta Bites, Wardley Betta Food, and TetraFin Goldfish Crisps
How often do you feed your betta fish? Once or twice daily

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? So far, only once, since it's a new tank-- but I plan on changing it once a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? Planning on 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Tap water treatment

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? No 

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? N/A
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? N/A
When did you start noticing the symptoms? N/A
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? N/A
Does your fish have any history of being ill? N/A
How old is your fish (approximately)? He's almost full grown


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Welcome to the forum......

In his current condition I would start a daily 50% water change with 100% once a week for at least 7-10 days to prevent any secondary problems...once he gets settled in he should start to eat for you....continue to offer food as you are...and if you have access to any live food like mosquito larva...give them a try and you can even try fresh crushed garlic juice on the dry foods...sometimes garlic will stimulate the appetite.....

Then on a regular bases I would make twice weekly water changes of 1-50% and 1-100% on the unfiltered 2-3gal container to maintain water quality and fin health.....you may also want to increase the water temp to at least 76F....Bettas tend to do better in a tiny bit warmer water...stable 76-80F area since they are tropical fish....you may or may not need a heater...but you do need a good thermometer to monitor the water temp in both the tank and for water changes to keep the water within a couple of degrees between new and old to prevent temp shock issues.....some Bettas are more sensitive than others in regards to water temp/changes....

Look forward to pics.....


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

I believe it can take bettas a few days to adjust to their new homes, and they won't eat for a few days. Just offer a pellet and if he hasn't eaten it in 5 or 10 minutes remove it. It might take him up to a week. If you're really concerned you could try a bloodworm, they are more appetizing to them.

Also, 65 is really on the cold side for a betta, a small heater 10W or possibly 25W will make him alot happier. Bettas prefer warmer temps, and are quite comfy at 70-80 degrees.


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## Dali Kalak (Jun 6, 2011)

Thanks guys! He might still just be acclimating, I hadn't thought about that. He's swimming around a bit more now, more than he was this morning. I'll keep trying him on the pellets and look for a nice heater.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Bettas can be super finicky about food, too. Plus, his near-death experience may have made him lose his appetite. How big is Irwin? Is he really small? It could be possible he's not eating because the food is too big. My new little girl shunned all of the pellets I offered her, including the very small Hikari Pellets. It wasn't until I got her a really small pellet (and I mean reeeeally small) that she started to eat. So one thing you can try is crush up one of Irwin's pellets so it's small, practically a powder. Or try soaking a pellet in water for a few minutes to soften it up before offering it. That makes it easier for Irwin to pick a small bite off instead of trying to swallow it whole. I think sooner or later, Irwin will eat, either once he gets a small enough food or his shock at moving and his jump wear off and he gets his appetite back.

For future reference, if he ever jumps out again, try this. Pick him up and take some water from the tank in a different container like a bowl or even the cup he came in. Put him in that first, that way you'll keep the dust and dog hair from getting in the tank. This'll also help if he's really listless and shocked because he won't have to swim much while he gets his bearings back and it'll be easier to get to the surface to breath. Once he's recovered, release him back into his tank. 

And welcome to the forum.


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## Dali Kalak (Jun 6, 2011)

Thank you for the advice, everyone. 
Irwin seems to be doing better-- we fed him some tiny pellets this morning and he actually ate some!  However, for some reason, his water is really grey and foggy, so it's time for a water change already. Despite that he's swimming around like a nice healthy fish!


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## peachypath (Dec 6, 2013)

Ohmygosh did you name your betta fishes after Levi and Erwin from Attack On Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin?? * o *


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

This thread is 2.5 years old.


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## peachypath (Dec 6, 2013)

dramaqueen said:


> This thread is 2.5 years old.


lmao I'm aware of that;; I was just curious and if you did happen to name your fishes after characters in SNK , I just wanted to tell you that I thought it was cool!! ^^;;


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