teaching a betta to eat...

[twoluvcats]

so my betta that was in my community tank no longer takes food from the surface...he's become a bottom feeder. He's now in his own 5 gallon tank. Does anyone have any tips for gettting him to look for food at the surface again?

 

[method]

get like a frozen bloodworm, already thawed of course, and hold it in your finger and dip it in his tank. once he smells it he'll come up to the top.. then just wiggle the worm around and move it around the surface of the tank making him chase after it.

i don't know, it's worth a shot.

 

[twoluvcats]

good idea method...i'll try that

 

[Iggy]

Yup, even freeze-dried worms outta get him going!

 

[kikuchiyo]

You might want to try moving the food around with a chop stick or in the filter current or something. Fish hunt primarily by scent (as such), but some movement helps clue predators into that "This = food."

 

[twoluvcats]

it didn't take long...I wasn't able to get my hands on any frozen bloodworms....but all i had to do was shove his food under the water and let it go right near him a few times and it finally dawned on him that when I open the cover good things are coming so he's been eating off the top for the last few days with no problems

 

[method]

that's good to hear *celebrate