Bought a Betta fish on Thursday and Betta food for it. Set him up in a bowl with a couple fakey plants and sprinkled a bit of food on top and waited for him to go for it. He just sat there and ignored it. It’s been several days now and I even went out and got some tropical fish flakes to try but he doesn’t seem to have any interest in those either. He’s now starting to appear sluggish and sickly. Is he blind and can’t find the food? Is he anorexic and starving himself on purpose? Does he need live plants or something? Or did I just get a dud fish? His fins are a bit scraggly looking and I’m wondering if I just made a bad choice at the pet store. Did I use the wrong kind of water? When I first got him I used bottled drinking water, and when I changed the water this morning I used tap water that I let sit for a day or so so the chlorine would evaporate. Any ideas?
Well first of all I suggest you use HIKARI Betta Bio Gold it is not a flake, it is a pellet. And they don’t eat very oftern. Twice a week or so. I’ve had mine with a peace lilly growing in it for 2 years. I feed Archimedes twice a week and he loves it. It’s just shock with your fish, don’t worry. 
You shouldn’t use unfiltered tap water, ever. Either be prepared to buy distilled water, or get a Brita filter or something to give your fish acceptable water.
Water temperature is also a factor. An abrupt shift in temp can put a fish in shock when you transfer it to your tank.
Since your fish is newly bought, you should be able to return it to the store and ask for help or your money back. Do you see any mold on the fish, and is it shedding any scales? Is its color changing or fading?
Hope your betta is soon feeling better!
I started out with Topfin Betta Bits, which are a pellet and then switched to the flakes. And twice a week seems more normal for what I know about fish. Both food canisters said to feed several times a day though (?!?!) so I think that’s what was throwing me off. I’ll switch back to using bottled water next time I clean the bowl.
He doesn’t look moldy or like he’s losing scales, but his fins don’t look all fluid and light like the pictures I see; they look sort of like when you don’t get all the conditioner rinsed out of your hair – sorta clumped together and heavy.
BTW, his name is Wiggum. 
Perhaps some bugs need to be worked out for future versions…
::runs out giggling, dodging various objects thrown at him::
Sorry.
Twice a week? My “Betta bites” says 3-4 pellets daily.
Aaaahhh, Beta fish. They’re finicky little bastards…
I’ve had about ten beta fish over the years, and during that time, I’ve learned quite a few things about them. For starters, they’re probably the most finicky fish ever. When you’re shopping for a beta fish, there are a couple of things that you should look for: they should be brightly colored and when you tap the side of the aquarium, they should be somewhat active. If they don’t move, they may be old or sick. As for the color: if there is any white on the fish, don’t buy it. The white color (especially around the mouth and fins) is a sign that the fish has “ick”. “Ick” is short for a really long scientific word that basically means that your fish is being attacked by fungus. I’m willing to bet a lot of money on the fact that your fish has this. Why do I think so? The first sympton: laziness and not eating food. Then they begin to turn white. If this is true for your fish, then you can ask your local pet store for some medicine - a slime coat - that protects your fish from ick. Read the directions carefully and be sure not to use too much of it.
The other alternatives are: your fish is used to eating one kind of food and you’re feeding him something else. Find out what your pet store fed him, and try that. The other alternative, your house is too cold, or you change the temperature too often. This drives beta fish crazy and makes them sluggish.
Well, I’m done playing amature vet ;j . I hope this helps, but if none of these work, its best to bring your fish to a respectable fish store and have them look at it. If you have any other questions, let me know, and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Bettas are tropical fish, and do best in water around 80F. They can be more susceptible to velvet (a disease) than other fish too.
When fish turn white in patches, that’s not ick - you can tell ick easily because it looks like little white grains of salt on the fins and skin, and it’s usually brought on by sudden temperature shifts. The full name of the disease is ichthyophthiriasis, and it’s actually a parasite that devellops in the skin of the fish, and when mature leaves and settles down into the substrate. The medication for this disease can only kill the adults after they have left the host and are out in the water or substrate… so once the fish is infected you have to cross your fingers and hope you can kill the adult parasites in the water with chemicals (malachite green and salt as well as a temp increase to speed up parasite maturation cycle I belive) before they can reinfect your fish.
I think the source of your problem is temperature… from the book “Bettas” by Marshall E. Ostrow, “…now it becomes obvious why it is so difficult to keep bettas in showy condition in small unheated bowls or brandy snifters. At a room temperature of 70F a betta will just lie on the bottom of an aquarium or hide behind the filter. At that temperature it will be very lethargic and will not feed very enthusiastically. In fact, bettas often starve to death at 70F no matter what kind or how much food is offered. However, gradually raise the water temperature to 80F and a remarkable transformation takes place. That drab dark blob from the bottom of the tank suddenly comes to life - it begins to swim actively with it’s fins open… it’s colors lighten and brighten to a spectacular brilliance (especially in a male)… it becomes alert, responding to all stimuli around it… it feeds almost gluttonously. The difference between a cool betta and a warm betta is so marked that once you’ve seen the difference you’ll never again keep a betta in unheated water”.
They come from rice paddies and similar places in southeast asia, where you don’t see room temperature very often. Also, unless your water isn’t fit for human consumption, you shouldn’t need distilled or brita filtered water. Tropical fish often live in sloughs and ditches full of very nasty water, although that’s no reason to let your water quality slide. Just give them a 10-20% water change every week or so with clean aged or dechlorinated tap water, and warm them up some