Why do betta fish not eating and what to do with it?

The fish has received popularity because of his luxurious appearance, interesting behaviour and the ability to live in small aquariums. And he easily bred or cross-breeds, as a result, a number of variations of colours, excellent in everything from colour and ending with the shape of the fins.

The colour of a wild fish types is light olive. In order to please our eyes, breeders brought artificial variations of red, blue, yellow, pink, white colours for aquariums. To keep these fish mean to follow certain rules, but there is no guarantee that you will not have difficulties. One of the most important problems is that betta fish not eating.

What is the reason?

Aquarium bettas require careful maintenance or the fish can get sick or die. About how diseases can affect males, how to recognise them and how to treat further in the article.

There are a lot of reasons: a proper temperature in the aquarium, poor quality food, fighting between the males, but all leads to one thing – “cock” is sick. As the fish is bred artificially it is often susceptible to infectious diseases mainly because of a weakened immune system.

How to understand that your fish is ill?

Like all aquarium fish, bettas are also close to various diseases. It is important to note the symptoms of a particular disease in the early stages. Bettas are moving, cheerful fish; they always play with his reflection. But if the fish constantly sits at the bottom of the aquarium it’s not very good! Cock must be ill or just not feeling well. Usually, because of the illness betta doesn’t eat any food. You need to start immediate emergency actions if the betta fish has at least one of these symptoms:

• Compressed fins

• He lies on his side,

• Breathes heavily

• He’s got bleary eyes,

• Swollen gills,

• Pallor of the colouring,

• If the cock is itching on different objects in the aquarium

• White dots on body and fins,

• Golden dust

• Thread in white, stretching from the body of the fish,

• Sudden refusal of food.

Disease males can be divided into three groups:

1. Parasitic

2. Bacterial

3. Fungal.

If you notice that your fish have something wrong, please pay attention to the symptoms:

the symptoms appeared suddenly, they are the same and spreading to the majority of fish then the problem is a water quality. Actions: test for ammonia/ammonium, nitrates and nitrites, pH and urgently change the water;

symptoms appear gradually and slowly spreading to all the fish or members of the same species – infectious disease. Action: the infected fish or fish transplanted into a quarantine tank, in order to conduct a general inspection, to check all the symptoms (appearance, behaviour, appetite), to establish the diagnosis;

the strange behaviour of one or more fish, more like a discomfort, external signs and no change, other fish not applicable – the reasons can be varied. Action: a suspicious cock must be isolated in a quarantine tank and continue watching him.

What is the fin rot?

Most fish males susceptible to the bacterial disease of the fins – fin rot. The cause of this disease can be a variety of bacteria, and the consequences are the same – the destruction of the fins.

Symptoms: pale blue dimness of the fins, screencast, white edging, white ulcers at the base, the destruction of the fins, rarely – clouding of the cornea.

The primary cause of disease – bad aquarium care:

• the overpopulation of the aquarium;
• infrequent or insufficient water changes;
• the lack of or insufficient amount of soil;
• not proper or bad filter;
• the shares of fish that have not undergone quarantine or relocation of fish to another aquarium.

However, it so happens that even in the ideal aquarium bettas get fin rot. Understandably betta not eating during the illness. This is because the infection is everywhere, it all depends on how the environment is favourable for its development. In order to treat the fish use antifungal and antibacterial drugs of a wide spectrum. They will quickly suppress bacterial activity, and then you can treat the fish from the effects of the disease. The best suited Sera Baktopur, malachite green, Antibac and Main purple “K”, Ampicillex or Neosulfex from the company Aquatronics and TetraMedica FungyStop.

The ICH, or “semolina”

Its first name was the ICH parasite – protozoa-Ichthyophthirius, and the second – white nodules covering the body of the infected fish, similar to semolina. This disease can be compared with human influenza cure her with each passing year it becomes increasingly difficult because new strains are becoming more resistant to the old methods of treatment. And if earlier it was enough just to heat the water in the aquarium up to 30-35 0C to cure the fish, the modern “Asian ihtik”, quite successfully resists existing drugs. The main sign of infection – “semolina”, which first appears in the head region and the front fins, then thickly spread all over the body. Fish become lethargic, rubbing against the ground, eating poorly, tremble and float shocks.

The main causes of disease can be:

• bad hygienic state of the fish tank;
• overpopulation;
• overfeeding of males;
• new fish or plants that have not been quarantined.
• hypothermia.

For the treatment of disease can be used: by sea or table salt, malachite green, methylene blue, Antipar, Sera Costapur, Sera Costa®Med F, and also bitsillin-5 or trypaflavine. In parallel, it is necessary to heat water to the maximum available for males, temperatures over 30 degrees, but be sure to avoid overheating, the fish and so it will be hard to fight the disease. The temperature should be maintained until, until “semolina”, and then 3-5 days for prevention.

Note however that the treatment and heating of water will not solve the problem completely, it is necessary to observe rules of maintenance and care of cocks.

For the treatment of diseased fish (you need to treat them all at once, even if the rash only one) is deposited in a quarantine tank, but mostly warmed the temperature to destroy all active parasites. For the treatment of betta fish, it is possible to use Sera omnipur, Sera oodinopur, Oodinol JBL, Tetra General Tonic Medika, Itiator, Formated or Antipar.