Why Is My Halfmoon Betta Not Eating?

Who doesn’t get panicked when their pet Halfmoon betta stops eating all of a sudden? Loss of appetite is a prominent sign of any inconvenience of the captivity life of your Halfmoon betta. That’s why the beginners seek help on the betta forum by asking why is my Halfmoon betta not eating.

Several environmental factors can cause appetite loss in your Halfmoon betta fish. Such as improper water quality, sudden changes in temperature, poor diet, stress, etc. Besides, your Halfmoon betta may stop eating when they feel sick.

In this article, I’ve listed down 10 reasons why your Halfmoon betta may not eat. If your Halfmoon betta has a lacking of appetite, you can look for the following probable reasons. So, let’s find out the actual cause of this article without any further ado.

10 Reasons Why Your Halfmoon Betta Is Not Eating

1. Poor Water Quality

Since Halfmoon betta thrives in water, the water quality affects the overall health of your betta. People often believe in the myth that Halfmoon betta can survive in foul water due to being low-maintenance pets. 

Although these betta fish are used to living in the stagnant water of the wild, the captived Halfmoon betta can not withstand poor water quality.

The ideal water parameters for Halfmoon betta fish are listed below.

Categories	Features
Temperature	75-80 degrees Fahrenheit
pH	6.5-7.5
Ammonia	0 ppm
Nitrite	0 ppm
Nitrate	Less than 20 ppm
GH	3-5
KH	1-15
TDS	200-400

Firstly, Halfmoon bettas are sensitive to the presence of ammonia and nitrite. The leftovers, decaying plants, and dead fish can increase the ammonia level of the water. 

Such an ammonia spike can make your Halfmoon betta stressed. As a result, your Halfmoon betta fish may stop eating.

Besides, Halfmoon betta fish prefer slightly acidic water. If the pH level becomes too high or low, the digestive system of your Halfmoon betta will start malfunctioning. Hence, your Halfmoon betta will show a loss of appetite.

If you add untreated water to your betta tank, it may include heavy metals and other toxic chemicals for your Halfmoon betta fish. 

Like other fish, Halfmoon betta also prefers a stable condition for tank water. When the water parameters fluctuate, these bettas become stressed. As a result, your Halfmoon betta may not eat food.

When you do not clean the tank for a long time, the water may get dirty. Not to mention, no Halfmoon betta would like to eat their daily foods in poor water quality.

2. Poor Diet 

A poor diet can be another reason for the appetite loss of your Halfmoon betta fish. Your Halfmoon betta may not eat anything when their diet doesn’t hit the basic nutritional value. Low-quality food can cause the weak immune system of your pet Halfmoon betta.

As a result, your betta may stop eating due to stress. However, old food can be responsible for the poor diet of your Halfmoon betta. 

Sometimes, the betta owners do not recognize the stale or old food. Generally, the betta fish food becomes expired after six months of being opened. Your Halfmoon betta will not show interest in eating stale foods. 

After all, these old foods do not smell good. Thus, your Halfmoon betta fails to locate the foods, by using their sense. 

If you feed expired food for a long time, your Halfmoon betta will suffer from malnutrition. After six months of opening the container, the fish food loses its nutrition and vitamin contents that are water-soluble. 

Besides, Halfmoon betta may not eat quickly when you offer them dried or freeze-dried foods. These foods take some time to get edible for Halfmoon bettas.

3. Introducing New Foods

Feeding a similar diet isn’t ideal for the health of Halfmoon betta. That’s why the experts suggest feeding varieties of foods to your betta fish. 

After offering any new food, you might notice that your Halfmoon betta is not accepting the newly introduced food. Sometimes, these betta fish need some time to switch to new food. You can keep some backup foods not to let your Halfmoon betta be unfed for over 3 days.

If you search for more options about live foods, you can check out this article for the 13 healthiest options for your Halfmoon betta.

4. Cold Temperature

You might notice your Halfmoon betta fish acting normal but not eating anything. In such a case, you should check the temperature of the water. 

Sometimes, the temperature range becomes too low and makes the water cold for Halfmoon betta. Since Halfmoon bettas are tropical fish, these fish require around  75-80 degrees Fahrenheit temperature. 

If the temperature gets too low, the cold water can make your Halfmoon betta fish stressed. In addition, the digestive system of Halfmoon betta becomes slower at low temperatures. 

As a result, your Halfmoon betta will show zero interest in eating. Your pet betta will become lethargic and not go after the food.

If you’re a beginner, you should check out this write-up: Proper Temperature Guide For New Betta Owners!

5. Overfeeding 

It’s pretty normal not to eat anything when you’re full. Similarly, your Halfmoon betta may not be eating when they’re overfed. Overfeeding makes the digestive process slower. 

Since the metabolism rate of Halfmoon betta does not keep up, your pet betta will not eat any new foods. Moreover, your Halfmoon betta may get bloated due to overfeeding.

This situation may make your Halfmoon betta stressed. For this reason, your Halfmoon betta will lack the appetite for food. 

When you see your Halfmoon betta is protruding and not eating, you should be concerned about the feeding schedule and amount for your Halfmoon betta.

6. Stress

Stress is a common factor affecting Halfmoon betta not eating any foods. There are various stress factors for Halfmoon betta fish. Such as poor water quality, bright lighting, strong filter current, sudden change of scenery, fluctuations in temperature, bully of tank mates, etc.

Sometimes, lacking hiding spaces can make your Halfmoon betta stressed. If you have newly arrived Halfmoon betta, your betta fish may require some time to acclimate to the new tank. Due to stressful transport, your Halfmoon betta may not show interest in taking food.

7. Your Halfmoon Betta Is Pregnant Or Ready To Breed

Sometimes, gravid Halfmoon betta fish stop eating for a few days. You should look for signs of a large abdomen, a dark spot on the belly area, white stripes, and other behavioral changes in your female Halfmoon betta fish. 

Also, you can notice a loss of appetite in your Halfmoon betta when she is ready to breed. The prime focus of your Halfmoon betta will be bubble nesting. 

Besides, Halfmoon betta may spend their energies on their baby care when these bettas remain in the breeding period. For this reason, your Halfmoon betta may not eat foods during their breeding period.

8. Illness 

If your Halfmoon betta is sick, it’ll have less appetite for food. These sick bettas do not have enough energy to digest the foods. 

So, losing appetite for foods can be a prominent sign of illness for your Halfmoon betta fish. You can look for other symptoms of diseases in your Halfmoon betta. Such as pine-coning scales, cloudy eyes, lethargy, discoloration, unusual swimming patter, etc. 

9. Your Halfmoon Betta Has Parasites

If your Halfmoon betta suffers from the parasital disease, it’ll show unusual behavior. Sometimes, Halfmoon betta may face difficulty breathing when parasites attack their gills. In such a condition, your Halfmoon betta remains too stressed to eat anything. 

10. Your Halfmoon Bettas Are Picky Eaters 

Like human beings, your Halfmoon bettas can be choosy over food. Some bettas act so peakily in case of choosing one type of food item over another food item. So, you shouldn’t worry about the health of your Halfmoon betta when they are not eating. The reason can be your Halfmoon bettas are being picky eaters. 

How Long Does A Halfmoon Betta Go Without Feeding?

Halfmoon betta does not require lots of food for survival. Since their stomachs are as small as the size of their eyes, these betta fish can go a long time without eating food.

Generally,  a Halfmoon betta can go 10-15 days without feeding. But, hunger can cause stress to your Halfmoon betta. If your Halfmoon betta stops eating suddenly, you should try to search for the potential reason and take proper measurements.

Before You Go

From this article, I hope you got a detailed idea of the probable reasons for the loss of appetite of Halfmoon betta. Make sure that the reason behind not eating anything should not cost the life of your Halfmoon betta fish. 

If you wonder about the lifespan of your Halfmoon betta, you should take a look at the following article.

How Long Do Halfmoon Bettas Live?