Thread: Sick Betta
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Old July 7th, 2006, 04:37 PM
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Sneaky Sneaky is offline
Fish Guru - Formerly sneakypete79
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Ladysmith British Columbia
Posts: 536
Yes, bowls are not a good place for fish, not even
Bettas.
It sounds to me like one of the more common Betta experiences
has happened to you. Heres what causes it:

The fish store receives the betta from the shipper, usually they are
packed in small baggies with barely enough water to cover them.
Then the fish store puts them in small cups, and does not do regular water
changes, nor feed them. The ammonia in the cup rises to near lethal levels
in just a couple of days. The betta suffers from ammonia burns to the gills
and lungs.
You buy the betta, who looks fine in the store, and put him in a bowl,
with clean, clear water. The betta goes into shock after a couple days,
unable to process the clean water, and dies as a result of its previous
wounds in the pet store.
It was nothing you did, it was the pet stores inability to keep the fish in a suitable environment during its stay in the store.
Only 35% of all Pet store bettas make it to a year of age, due to this
harsh and cruel treatment of them.
Hence, this is why I would never buy a betta that has been in a small cup.
I only purchase Bettas from pet stores who keep them in the store
tanks, or in large containers, such as betta barracks, which float in a large tank.
The white skin tone and inability to swim, coupled with likely reddish gills (though hard to tell on a betta as the gills can be black), and maybe some
frayed or torn looking fins speaks entirely of Ammonia poisoning.

In a small bowl, 1g or less, the bettas water must be changed 100% daily.
I myself wouldnt keep a betta in less than 2g, with a filter, and a light,
and live plants, in a cycled tank.
They are capable of living at cooler temps, down to as much as 68F,
but its not the best option for them. They are tropical fish, who prefer
to be kept at temps around 80-82F.
A 10g tank makes a nice betta tank, you can even put a divider in and
divide it to 2 5g sections and have 2 male bettas.
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