How long can a betta live without food?

Question

i just bought a betta and now-thanks to a hurricane- i have to leave town for i don't know how long. i purchased him a little over a week ago and he does not have a filter to his tank.He's in a little tank, maybe 2 or 3 gallons. i have no idea how long i will be gone and no one else can feed him. Should i try those betta feeders?

Answer 1

if you feed it tight before you leave then it might survive for 5 days to a week. if your driving out of town you can always take it with you if its not to much of an inconvenience.  

Answer 2

Slow dissolving feeders will foul your water and likely kill your fish, so don't try them.  Bettas can go about a month without food, although normally you'd never want to do that.

I'm sorry to hear about your situation with the hurricane.  If you absolutely have to leave your fish behind, I'd suggest putting him in as large a container you can find, such as a tupperware tub.  In a 2-3 gallon tank, the water quality will deteriorate quickly, but in a larger volume of water it will take more time.  So if you are forced to leave for a long time, he won't suffer as much from lack of water changes.

Answer 3

You can try those yes! Some are up to seven days.

If not, throw just two or 3 pellets in their and he should be good for a couple of days - your not supposed to feed them everyday anyways!

Answer 4

They can live for quite awhile.

Underfeeding is preferable to overfeeding.  I'm somewhat embarassed to admit this, but ... I've got a Betta in a bowl ... he's well over 2 years old ... and I think I changed his water ... ummm ... last ... January?

They are really hardy fish.  Don't worry too much about underfeeding ... if necessary, your fish will clean up his tank when he gets hungry.  That is actually a good thing.

Don't add more food ... just allow him to feed himself from the nutrients that are already present in his tank.  He will be fine!

Most likely, you will return to find a fish in fine shape, and a tank that is cleaner than what you're used to seeing.  Left on their own, most fish can get along just fine.

ADDED:  Yeah ... I knew I'd get thumbs-down on that ... but it's  true!  Everytime I answer a question here, I get a thumbs-down ... hmm.