Sick Betta

[Staciewells1]

We bought a Betta on Tuesday afternoon. We brought him home and did everything the woman at the shop told us to do. While he was in the bowl he came in, we washed the gravel, filled the bowl about 2/3 full, used about 6 drops of the water conditioner and stirred it all up. Then we transferred the fish to a zipper baggie (Stil in his own water) and placed the baggie in the bowl for about an hour. And then put him in the bowl. We didn't feed him any on Tuesday. Yesterday, we fed him 2-3 pellets in the morning and in the evening. This morning, we gave him 2 pellets and I gave him 1 early this afternoon. The whole 48 hours or so, he's been swimming around and being active and eating like a horse. Until about an hour or so ago. All of the sudden, he turned all white and started sinking to the bottom of the bowl. It's like he wants to swim to the top but can't. I checked the Internet, and I thought maybe he had bad water. So I did a quick water change. His color seems a little brighter but he still keeps sinking. If I hadn't added enough water conditioner on Tuesday (which I don't think I did- the package says to add 5 drops per quart and I only put 6 for the whole gallon), would it have taken this long to take effect?
The water feels cold to me, but the thermometer reads 73*. Please help. I know nothing about fish, but I've really come to like this little guy.

[Staciewells1]

Well, I still don't know what I did wrong, but we lost our little guy sometime in the middle of the night.

[phoenix]

Sorry you lost your fish.
IMO no fish belongs in a tiny bowl. They can survive, but it's no life. You have to do daily water changes, be careful not to overfeed, and also, bettas are tropical fish. Mine lives in a roomy 10g with a heater and light.

[Sneaky]

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.

[Staciewells1]

Thanks for the responses. I feel a little better. I wanted to report that we were given a new betta as a gift. (I really didn't think I was ready for another one after the first time, but that's another story...) So, we bought a slightly larger (3 gallon- that's really all we have space for) tank with a cave and filled it with bottled spring water. He's been with us for almost two weeks now, and he seems very happy. He loves playing in his cave and greets me when I come home from work.
I do want to ask one quick question, though. His tank never gets dirty. I haven't cleaned it in over a week, and it's perfect. It looks like I clean it every day. Does that mean anything? Am I underfeeding him? I've been feeding him 2-3 pellets and 1 bloodworm everyday. Should I clean the tank even if it's clean?

[phoenix]

Hi Stacey!
I'm sure he's really happy in his home! Sounds nice.

You can't see the "dirt" that makes cleaning a tank necessary. Nitrites and nitrates aren't visible, and that is why you have to do water changes.

Also if you have gravel in there, the waste that is visible sinks to the bottom and you don't see it there too.

Remember that fish have to live in their toilet... so even if you can't see waste, water changes are important!

[Nevada77]

Originally Posted by phoenix

Sorry you lost your fish.
IMO no fish belongs in a tiny bowl. They can survive, but it's no life. You have to do daily water changes, be careful not to overfeed, and also, bettas are tropical fish. Mine lives in a roomy 10g with a heater and light.

I heard much different from the pet store I went to. She told me that I should only top up the water that evapoartes during the summer months. In the winter I should remove about 25 percent and replace with fresh. Only should I give the entire tank a clean when it gets really bad. Does your betta live with other fish?

Nevada

[phoenix]

Hi Nevada,
You can't believe what you hear always in a pet store. Most of them are just trying to sell you more and more, and if the fish die quick, well then you'll end up buying more, won't you?

My 2 male bettas live in a 10 gallon divided tank. One on each side of the divider, planted, heated and filtered. They live alone in each half. My 3 females live in a 46 gallon community tank with other fish.

They don't need huge homes (2g is probably a minimum...). BUT... imagine you living in your toilet bowl with occasional top ups of fresh water. It just isn't right. When you think about it that way, regular water changes OFTEN is obviously the right thing to do.

[Nevada77]

I just want to say that I have been basically following the advice of the petstore and my betta is doing great! I change the water abot every 3 weeks. As long as I feed him the pellets (not flakes) and only a few at a time 4 or 5 times a day the water stays very clear. I was also told that bettas live in rice patties and the water there is not very clean and clear.

Does anyone else here have other fish living in the same tank (not divided) with bettas?

Nevada

[RVT092481]

I have a 10g tank with a female beta (Bertha) and five zebra danios living as a happy family. They all get along great and play tag all the time (with no injuries as of yet)

[jiorji]

awww sorry you lost him

it's very tricky to keep a beta alive. They sit there in their "tanks" at the pet shop for who knows how long and there's a big chance you get him on his last energy. And they don't live long either. It's difficult to keep them happy. My Beta lived for a year and a bit until he turned pink and died. He was blue.

I think keeping a beta alive for more than a month is a record.

I bought mine from walmart. Yes impulse buy. And well Walmart employees are SO helpful...not, so i just bought a bowl and food and he managed to stay alive.

So if you get another one be prepared that they don't have a long lifespan. Good luck

also, it's best to ask the pet shop employees to tell you which day they get new shipments of betas that way you get a fresh one and you have better chances with it. I got mine right on the day they brought them in.

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by Nevada77

I just want to say that I have been basically following the advice of the petstore and my betta is doing great! I change the water abot every 3 weeks. As long as I feed him the pellets (not flakes) and only a few at a time 4 or 5 times a day the water stays very clear. I was also told that bettas live in rice patties and the water there is not very clean and clear.

well you haven't had him very long have you.

did they give you the logic behind how water is different in the winter than it is in the summer??

Rice patties are huge. They grow RICE in them (go figure). They are not very deep but they are like fields. You should do some research. Bettas do tolerate less oxygen in the water than other fish, but just because you COULD survive in a vented closet, doesn't mean you'd enjoy life in there. These fish have supplementary air breathing as an evolutionary adaptation for drought... and drought doesn't happen all of the time (there is also a flood season where there is PLENTY of water.) Anyway, you don't really seem too open to my advice, and there are millions of bettas out there living short, unhappy little lives, so what can I do?

[MyBirdIsEvil]

Just because rice paddies have low oxygen doesn't mean the bettas are living in their own waste like they would be in a small bowl.

Also, a small bowl is still going to have less oxygen than most rice paddies because rice paddies are exposed to the open air, have a breeze blowing over them, etc.. There's actually oxygen in the ground too.

I don't have any fish at the moment, but I don't see why anyone would want a fish in a bowl anyway, how boring is that? Boring for the fish AND the owner IMO.

http://www.bettatalk.com/ for anyone that's interested, I found the "betta care" section on this site very informative.

[Nevada77]

Originally Posted by phoenix

well you haven't had him very long have you.

did they give you the logic behind how water is different in the winter than it is in the summer??

Rice patties are huge. They grow RICE in them (go figure). They are not very deep but they are like fields. You should do some research. Bettas do tolerate less oxygen in the water than other fish, but just because you COULD survive in a vented closet, doesn't mean you'd enjoy life in there. These fish have supplementary air breathing as an evolutionary adaptation for drought... and drought doesn't happen all of the time (there is also a flood season where there is PLENTY of water.) Anyway, you don't really seem too open to my advice, and there are millions of bettas out there living short, unhappy little lives, so what can I do?

I was just saying what I heard, and never said that I wasn't open to advice.

No I have not had mine for long and as time goes on and possible problems occur I may very well be seeking help from you or others here. I would love to get a bigger tank later on down the road with a proper filtration system and more fish.

Nevada

[ChyronB]

Originally Posted by jiorji

My Beta lived for a year and a bit until he turned pink and died. He was blue.

I've had my Betta for about 11mo. & he now has the red from blue look going on. Does anyone know how to fix the problem. I fear it might be ammonia burn. Currently the fish is not swimming around either resting on the bottom of the bowl or sitting nose up on the bottom. I do keep it in a smaller sized bowl(And I know that's not the greatest size but it's all that fits in the room) feed it periodically, & try to change the bowl once a week etc.

Can someone Identify the redness issue?

[Sneaky]

Originally Posted by Nevada77

Does anyone else here have other fish living in the same tank (not divided) with bettas?

Nevada

Hi Nevada,
I have kept many bettas over the years, all of them in undivided tanks with other fish. The only bad setup I had was the betta with marbled hatchetfish. I dont know why but he attacked them. I suspect it is because from below, hatchetfish kind of look like a big bug, and bettas eat bugs that fall on the water surface. Ive kept them with many other kinds of fish, and with no problems whatsoever. I often kept a betta in my large 75g tank with all the other fish. My bettas on average live 2-3 years.

[want4rain]

same here, i think it depends on the betta and what else is in the tank with him. ive kept them with Poecilia sp., but one kept in a tank with 4 Botia kubotai, a Serpae Tetra (rescue) and a true SAE, and against all odds he left the Serpae alone and the Botia ate a few bites of his fins.

typically you want to go with fish as partners with bettas that are less flashy than other bettas.

you may possibly be able to keep two males in a very very large system with tons of floating plants but expect them to rip into each other on occasion. no less than 3 females in anything less than 20g and even then make sure its a long with lots of plants and decor.

also, the only way to help with ammonia burn is to do water changes. routinely you want to do at least 40% every 2 weeks on even lightly overstocked tanks but if your tank is not done cycling or you did soemthign to disrupt the cycle then you shoudl be doing as much as daily water changes to keep it under .50ppm.

Sneakey, ive kept my bettas (that i havent lost to genetic issues) for an average of 4 years. i feed live black worms, pellets, mosquito larva when its in season and gnats when i have the honor of having them in my kitchen. typically i feed every other day. of course those are all ones ive kept in dedicated tanks with at least a filter and live plants (yes, im a geek. i know i have a problem!!) you know what, i think im just going to send you a PM. i dont want my fish geekyness getting out!!

-ash