Why is my betta fish not eating and not moving?

Betta fish have acquired great popularity among hobbyists who love fish and own an aquarium at home. The cause is its beautiful color and fan-shaped fins. These fish are very sensitive and require very specific care which is they are not paid attention, the consequences could be reflected in their diet and in the long run in their health. There are a number of things that could indicate that something is wrong with our fish and one of these, apart from the loss of appetite, is the lack of activity.

If you own this species of fish, and you think it suffers from this type of problem, in fishlists TO WE bring you everything you need to know about in response to your question about“why does my betta fish not eat and does not move?“.

Your betta fish does not eat or move because of stress

Contents hide

1 Your betta fish does not eat or move because of stress

2 Not hungry

3 Improper aquarium temperature

4 Doesn’t like food

5 Betta fish does not eat and does not move because it is sick

5.1 Related posts:

It is very common for betta fish to become stressed due to changes in their environment. Maybe because we have added some element or changed your aquarium for a smaller or larger one. Any change in its habitat, no matter how small, is going to cause our fish to become thy.

It is best to avoid these changes as fish get mostly sick from stress. When we take our betta fish home for the first time, we will put it in its habitat and not change its fish tank or add elements to its environment. If you are reading this and have already made any changes to your environment, you can only wait until you get used to your new home.

The fish are also stressed to see movement near their environment, it is best to place our betta in a quiet place in the house where we know that it will not be stressed by seeing a lot of movement. We can cover the aquarium with a towel to bring a little darkness, but we will not cover it all day, since the fish need light to activate and eat and in doing so we would imply that it is night all the time what is not convenient. We will also provide you with a hiding place, so you can feel safe inside it. It is important not to hit the aquarium glass, as the vibrations cause our fish to go into a state of anxiety as well.

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Another aspect to keep in mind that can cause stress to any fish is that we put it in a round or curved fish tank of some kind, because it makes them dizzy. The best are aquariums with straight walls.

When a fish is stressed it presents a sad attitude and is one of the causes why a betta fish does not eat and does not move.

Not hungry

The stomach of a betta fish is very small, and maybe you are giving it too much food, and it just doesn’t fit and that’s why your betta fish doesn’t eat. The key for our fish not to stop eating is to give it little amount of food and good quality.

In addition, as we have said before, our fish can be fished if you are in front of it, especially if you are moving, waiting for it to eat and while you are there it will not eat or will do so in very small quantities. Therefore, you will give him his privacy so that he can eat more at ease.

Regarding that in such a case it does not move, it must be borne in mind that betta fish usually swim very slowly and move just enough and that, if you really have a full stomach and are not hungry, you will be doing digestion, and it will cost you more to move.

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Improper aquarium temperature

Betta fish are cold water and need a temperature of between 22ºC and 28ºC for their metabolism to work properly. When this temperature is below the indicated minimum or if it increases a lot, their metabolism slows down, and they can stop moving because they enter a state of hibernation and the need to eat will be less, so you will have to put it in a place in the house where the temperature can be adequate. If you live in a town where the temperatures are very cold you can buy a thermostat and an air conditioner.

Doesn’t like food

The betta fish is omnivorous and in its wild feeds mostly on small insects. Maybe you’re not eating simply because the food you provide doesn’t like or isn’t the right one, especially if you only give it flakes or pellets. In such a case, it is clear that he will not eat and that because of this he will gradually move less.

So, to solve it, keep in mind that in addition to the scales and pellets that are food prepared for cold-water fish, it will be important to give you small crustaceans, such as prawns or krill, or insects and provide algae in your aquarium so that you can have a balanced diet and your life expectancy increases.

Betta fish does not eat and does not move because it is sick

If you have tried to correct the errors that there were on all the aspects that we have explained above and your fish still does not eat, and you also observe in it that it does not move, it is essential to pay attention to it and observe signs that it may be sick. For example, some symptoms of a sick betta fish are loss of color, closed fins, scratches or lumps on the body, blood on the fins, little activity, swimming sideways, and so on. See more about How to Tell If My Fish Is Sick in this other article.

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Before any of these symptoms or before any change of behavior and appearance, we have to go quickly to a veterinarian specialized in exotic animals, since the health and life of our betta can be in danger. In addition, we advise you to follow the advice of the professional in aquarium who will assist you in the fish store where you usually acquire food for your betta fish.