Beta fish. What am I doing wrong?

[Jennifer S]

Some of you may have read my post that DS5 got a Beta for Christmas well it died within 24 hours so we got a replacement - Noah #2- well today he died. My son is upset. I said we'd get another but I want to figure out what I am doing wrong.

We filled the bowl with spring water that was room temp.
Put in the drops- stress coat
Fed him three pellets every other day

I thought having a Beta was supposed to be easy. We didn't even have him long enough to change the water

 

[Lisa L from MI]

I wish I could help....I have went through many Beta's and just gave up....so, I am curious to the "secret".....

 

[KarenAylwood]

I've had a betta for... a year and a half now. Well, I was given two by DBF, but we like to say that "Red" got his life force sucked out by "Blue". (Blue developed a small red tint shortly after Red died ).

Oh and no, we didn't have them in the same bowl

Anyway, Blue has been alive and well since June of 2004. I'm the worst pet owner ever (haven't even had a plant that could live through my wrath) and this sucker is still alive! Through vacations, two weeks without food, etc.

I would like to believe your little betta may have been sick before you got him Let's hope. [oops, reread the post and it said you got two... ]

Here's what I do: I have a small fish bowl, and I drop in three drops of Ammonia Chloramine Eliminator, and fill it with tap water (not warm, not cold- try to get as close to room temp as possible). I let it sit for a minute before dropping old Blue in (we keep him in an old Taco Bell cup during the cleaning). I usually feed him about 8 pellets of Aqua Culture brand Betta pellet food once a day (although the bottle says twice a day). And sometimes I forget too. He's not too picky.

I change the water whenever it looks gross.

A woman I met who sold Bettas at a flea market once told me that if they are near a draft in the winter they can get pneumonia. They have lungs and breath at the top of the water, so if the air is too cold, they can die.

Goodluck if you get another one.

 

[Jennifer S]

hmmm- we kept him in my son's room so it wasn't cold or drafty. I was only feeding him 3 pellets every other day. Should you feed them every day?

 

[pumba]

we had Otis for over three years ....I did have a few casualties but they were my fault....

I put water in a container that is just for the fish.....let it sit for 24 hours or more and then use that water.....I didn't use plants or rocks or nothing that was there for the fish .......they lived and I loved them ...

let them sit in a place where there is alot of activity.....no heating units or cold inducing units either......

make sure that they came from a store with a good return policy.....cause fish should stay with them for two weeks before being sold to the public...if it is cold outdoors......get the car running and warm it up before you take the fish outside and into a cold vehicle......

try again these fish are really hearty

 

[NHAnn]

Wow...that's sucha bummer for you and your son
We gave my DD (19) a really handsome blue beta for her 18th birthday (16 months ago). So Napoleon is in his second year of college

She "ages" the water....leaving it in an open container for at least 48 hours...it lets chlorine and other "stuff" evaporate out. Have never used drops or conditioner in the water. He eats a few food pellets every day (Bio-gold or something? these are teeny tiny little pellets) The water is usually changed gradually by adding a little when it looks low from evaporation oralso by scooping out a cup or so and adding a cup of fresh "aged" water. When it gets too cloudy looking she changes it all and cleans the rocks at teh bottom but keeps him in a cup or two of the old so as not to "shock" him with all new water.
He's in a smallish goldfish-type bowl but it's not filled all the way up, and he likes hiding down around his plastic seaweed-tree thing. He's actually pretty social, flarng up when you go talk to him and stuff. Maybe we've just been lucky, I don't know

 

[nwdisgal]

I wish I could tell you. I have had betas in the past and never had good luck with them either. The hardiest fish I ever had was a goldfish that DD won at a carnival. That guy lived for years and grew carp sized. We did all sorts of short cuts with the water and never had a problem with him. Go figure!

 

[maciec]

This may sound cruel, but dd has had Nemo for over a year now and I wish that he would bite the dust. We have a 2 gallon tank that has a filter and pump. We got the tank from Walmart. He has colored pebbles in the bottom and a little rock formation that he can hide in. We feed him 5 pellets a day of Beta food. We don't change his water very often because it's a royal pain. When we do, we use distilled water, check the pH, use stress coat. We keep his water at around 74-76 degrees. He has been sick (we think) for the past 2 months and has finally come out of it. He actually looked like he was going to lose his eye. It got really funky looking and his scales looked like they were turning white on his one side (he's a dark purple Beta). If you do a searh on the Community Board and just search the word Beta and then narrow it down to only search the titles then you will probably find my posts from last year when we got him. Some of the DIS'ers gave me some really good advice.

Good Luck!

 

[KarenAylwood]

Your bottle of fish food should say how much to feed them. Mine says 6-8 pellets twice a day but I only feed him about 8 once a day (and that's if I remember).

I've left Blue alone for a week before when I was on vacation with no food at all and he's been fine...

So I don't think it's the food... very confusing. Maybe the spring water? If you get another, try using tap water and then the drops. Did you ask the guy at the pet store how to take care of him? DBF did when he bought mine and he told him what to do.

I'm still in shock that Blue is still alive... I wonder how long they are supposed to live.

 

[pumba]

oh almost forgot.....I used a turkey baster......to suck up leftover droppings and food leftovers......so only had to change the water once a week

 

[tiggerlover]

One of my co-workers has one and he put a plant in the top of his, just a little bit of a thing with some roots, this was a year ago. The plant is thriving and so is the fish. To the best of my knowledge he only cleans the bowl when it looks murky (he uses tap water), he only feeds him a couple of time a week and never on the weekends (as we don't work) and he keeps him in a climate that is never too hot or too cold. (Don't know if it matters, but his is blue too).

Perhaps the place where you bought them can give you some more advice.

Sorry about you two Noah's.

 

[Jennifer S]

Noah #1 we used tap water and had a plant so with Noah #2 we switched to spring water and got rid of the plant - was told by the pet store. Uhh - just very frustrating.

My son is so sad. He was crying while peeing he said "The water reminded him of Noah" I just don't want another one to die.

Thanks for all the help. It is appreciated

 

[tiggerlover]

Noah #1 we used tap water and had a plant so with Noah #2 we switched to spring water and got rid of the plant - was told by the pet store. Uhh - just very frustrating.

My son is so sad. He was crying while peeing he said "The water reminded him of Noah" I just don't want another one to die.

Thanks for all the help. It is appreciated

{{{{HUGS}}}} to DS.

Have you tried doing an online search to see if you can get some more information? I did a quick search and found the following...not sure if it will help or not, but thought I would pass it along.

http://www.aquariumpharm.com/bettas/allaboutbettas.html

 

[FionaLovesShrek]

Our first Beta, also named Blue (we're not very imaginative Disers are we? LOL), lived for 3 years. We have had our second Beta (Lucky) for a year now. They really are hardy fish and darn, you get attached to them! We use a goldfish bowl. I have an old milk jug that the day before I change the water, I fill up with tap water so that it gets to room temperature. I move the fish into a smaller bowl by pouring him into it. Then I keep rinsing out the bowl until it is clean. We have goldfish rocks in the bottom...may an inch, and also a rock plant thingy that the fish loves to hide in when he is sleeping. When the bowl is ready, I fill it up leaving at least an inch from the top. Then I add one Bowl Buddies fizz tablet to prepare the water for our little fishy. When its done fizzing, I take a coffee cup, pick up Lucky Boy and drop him into his bowl. He gives me an attitude for a while, kind of mopes. But he loves activity. We have him sitting in an area away from drafts, but where the family are always moving by so that he feels he is always getting attention. He eats twice a day, no more than 5 pellets. When we are at work, I cover the bowl with a plate, because one day Lucky took a flying leap out of the water and we figured we'd better take some precautions so that he doesn't end his life in a miserable way. One thing that is very important, the Beta's breathe air and will drown if they cannot rise to the surface for air. They also can get sick and need an antibiotic. But while it sounds like they take a lot, they really don't. Stress is what causes them to get sick. Keep em happy, they'll give you a few years of enjoyment.

 

[pfishgirl]

DS has had a Betta (red) that has been alive for several years.. DS feeds it 3 pellets per day, however, it has had a day or even two without any food at all.. We go away on a Thursday so no food Fri or Sat then son gives only 3 pellets still on Sun... and it is fine..

Do you know for sure it is eatting the pellets?? I ask because, We recently got a 2nd Betta (blue) it was left at my stand at the boardwalk over the summer and my boss said take it home and give it to DS.. Well, blue does not eat pellets.. It actually eats gold fish flakes..

DS also has 2 bowls, both with a little bit of rocks on the bottom and no way to tell the temp.. He changes the bowls when they look dirty or I nag at him enuff to change them..

ETA: We also use tap water and the stress coat drops.. Could it be the spring water ???? Oh and we can probably all thank Dr. Seuss for the 1 Fish 2 Fish Red Fish Blue Fish Book for all of or poor Bettas with the same original names..

 

[Jennifer S]

Thanks for the internet info. I had read some of it before but this was new:

Loss of appetite
· Loss of color
· White, cottony growth on scales
· Ragged or torn fins
· Slimy patches on body or eyes

These may be signs of a bacterial or fungal infection, and can be treated with Splendid Betta® BettaFix® Remedy, an all-natural medication developed specifically for Bettas. BettaFix also heals open wounds and tissue damaged by handling, netting and fighting.

This is exactly what happened to Noah - the white stuff and slime. I guess I will buy the BettaFix Remedy when I get Noah #3.

Thanks alot for that tiggerlover!!

 

[tiggerlover]

Thanks for the internet info. I had read some of it before but this was new:

Loss of appetite
· Loss of color
· White, cottony growth on scales
· Ragged or torn fins
· Slimy patches on body or eyes

These may be signs of a bacterial or fungal infection, and can be treated with Splendid Betta® BettaFix® Remedy, an all-natural medication developed specifically for Bettas. BettaFix also heals open wounds and tissue damaged by handling, netting and fighting.

This is exactly what happened to Noah - the white stuff and slime. I guess I will buy the BettaFix Remedy when I get Noah #3.

Thanks alot for that tiggerlover!!

You are welcome. Good luck with Noah #3...hey, isn't 3 times the charm?

 

[Jennifer S]

You are welcome. Good luck with Noah #3...hey, isn't 3 times the charm?

Let's hope so

 

[KarenAylwood]

Our first Beta, also named Blue (we're not very imaginative Disers are we? LOL)

Shoot. I thought I was the only one.


When his water gets real gross, DBF and I tend to call out "My boy Blue!"


(If you haven't seen Old School, I'm sorry )

 

[canwegosoon]

I have a BRUCE...what I do is put the water out over night(to release the clorine, I use the water purifier solution in a emergency). I also give mine flakes. I think they can live an avg of 3 years...I would start with a new container.