dead betta

[kansaschick08]

Well yall, my betta that i put in a vase tank type thing. and today i had to put him in the porcline casket.....if you catch my drift. he lost all of his color, and he was ALL read, dark red when i bought him, and today i changed his water like i did every two days. he wouldnt eat any of the foods that i put in the tank. i jsut dont understand why he lost all of his color, im starting to think it was lack of air now. any ideas would be appriciated!

-Shannon

 

[Menagerie]

He was heavily stressed being in that vase. What was the water temp? how often did you feed him? Was there access to the water's surface?

 

[kansaschick08]

he had acces to the waters surface, and the temp was i dont know....i know 40 lashes with a wet noodle, fed him everyday with 2 different types of food, cause he wouldnt eat the 1st one, how was he stressed in the vase???

 

[Menagerie]

how was he stressed in the vase???

It could have been many things: temp, ammonia and/or nitrite levels, he was ill to start with, he didn't like the vase....
Since he wouldn't eat his food, that's not a good sign, but then you added more food, which increases ammonia levels....
It's hard to pinpoint what went wrong with this betta.

 

[kansaschick08]

whats a nitrite level? and the temp was always room temp.

 

[QTOFFER]

whats a nitrite level?

If you want to have any success keeping fish:
1) you have to have at least a rudimentary understanding of the nitrogen cycle ( http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=21 )
2) you need to buy test kits for pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

 

[bugsy66]

Sorry to hear about your betta. I just love these fish and have two at the moment. I strongly believe they belong in a heated tank. I have kept bettas for years and the ones that just sat in cups, vases etc did not live that long. The water temp fluctuates so much in these little quarters for them.

If you get another betta, go and buy him/her a tank with filter, heater etc. Believe me you will notice a huge difference in how long they live.

As for food, I feed the Hikari Bio-Gold Betta Pellets, in my opinion the best. I also feed frozen brineshrimp, bloodworms as a treat once in a while.

I have not had these two bettas for long and they take the pellets out of my fingers when I feed them.

Good Luck...bugsy

 

[bugsy66]

Qtoffer, I just noticed you have 3 male bettas. Are all three in the same tank together or are they divided in there?

Just curious.....bugsy

 

[bugsy66]

Qtoffer, I just noticed you have 3 male bettas. Are all three in the same tank together or are they divided in there?

Just curious.....bugsy

 

[kansaschick08]

my bettas dont eat brime shrip, ive given it to em before, and he wouldnt eat it.....

 

[cheezysquirrelz]

Sorry about your loss. Next time you get a betta, learn about nitrites, nitrates, and ammonia. Then get him a nice 5 gal set up, with a sponge filter. (dont forget a thermometer)

 

[QTOFFER]

Qtoffer, I just noticed you have 3 male bettas. Are all three in the same tank together or are they divided in there?

Just curious.....bugsy

Yup, it's a divided 15 gal, so each betta has his own 5 gal compartment. There's a sponge filter in the two end compartments and a heater in the middle compartment. There's lots of java moss in there too, so they each have a place to retreat to when they don't feel like flaring at each other.

 

[bugsy66]

Did you ever try blood worms? Either the frozen or freeze dried?

I know that I had a betta that would not eat anything but the freeze dried bloodworms. That is what the LFS was feeding them and then they would not take anything else.

It just about killed me to feed this as for some reason I am very allergic to the frozen and freeze dried bloodworms. But I did it to keep Mr. Betta happy and fed.

My two new Bettas I have are hooked on the Hikari Bio-Gold Betta Bites, they just gulp them like little piggies. I can even feed them from my fingers. I have not tried the brineshrimp or bloodworms yet.

I am just in the midst of making a 5 gal split tank for them. So they are in bowls right now till the silicone sets for the next few days.

Don't get discouraged with betta's go and get another one when you are ready and you will have better luck

Good luck to you.....bugsy

 

[bugsy66]

Qtoffer,

I am just setting up a tank for my bettas too. But I was going to go undergravel filter, should I use sponge filters instead?

What temp do you keep your bettas at/


bugsy

 

[QTOFFER]

It's funny, my bettas show absolutely no interest in frozen or freeze-dried bloodworms. they love the frozen brineshrimp, but unfortunately, they have little nutritional value.

I've been feeding the Hikari Bio-Gold Betta Bites and my bettas love them too. They're good necause they're nutritionally balanced. My bettas also like crushed, partially cooked peas.

Bugsy66, I never had an UGF, but I heard that they can be a pain to clean and are no good with fish that like to dig. Neither of these should be a problem in a small betta tank, tho. If you got one of those plastic betta tank setups with the UGF filter included, I would just go ahead and use it - be sure to put in the amount of gravel they recommend. I've been very happy with my sponge filters - they're so easy to clean and they generate no current!

If you decide to go with a sponge filter, be sure to get a decent airpump - otherwise the humming noise will drive you nuts!