BETTA SHOCK. help!!

[flame_fish]

Okay, so yesterday I had gotten a 2.5 aqueon betta tank; I set it up to make sure it worked and what not and it did so I put all my betta's gravel and plants in and turned on the filter & the heater that I had on like 75 because sometimes it stops working. I heard different things about cycling the tank but I thought using old gravel would help the process & I just cycled it all night and my betta that would be going in there was in a 1 gallon fish carrier for the night. So this morning, I put him in a bag and let him sit in there for about 20 minutes and then I put him in the tank and he looked a little like he was in shock and I thought the filter was too strong but he was swimming fine. Then I came home tonight around 10 p.m to look for him and we was floating sideways at the top of the tank with his gills pumping fast like he couldn't breathe :/ so I freaked out and put him back in that 1 gallon for the night. I'm thinking it could have been temperature shock because I wasn't really paying attention to it since it turns on itself when its too warm in one spot or I should have let it cycled for a week I DON'T KNOW i'm soo worried can anyone help me?

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

Okay, so yesterday I had gotten a 2.5 aqueon betta tank; I set it up to make sure it worked and what not and it did so I put all my betta's gravel and plants in and turned on the filter & the heater that I had on like 75 because sometimes it stops working. I heard different things about cycling the tank but I thought using old gravel would help the process & I just cycled it all night and my betta that would be going in there was in a 1 gallon fish carrier for the night. So this morning, I put him in a bag and let him sit in there for about 20 minutes and then I put him in the tank and he looked a little like he was in shock and I thought the filter was too strong but he was swimming fine. Then I came home tonight around 10 p.m to look for him and we was floating sideways at the top of the tank with his gills pumping fast like he couldn't breathe :/ so I freaked out and put him back in that 1 gallon for the night. I'm thinking it could have been temperature shock because I wasn't really paying attention to it since it turns on itself when its too warm in one spot or I should have let it cycled for a week I DON'T KNOW i'm soo worried can anyone help me?

Wait so you did the cycle for only one night? Also, i imagine its not very good to keep transfering the fish back and forth from one tank to another

 

[flame_fish]

Yeah I thought it would work kind of but idk hes still alive but I put him in this small tank in the dark but if he makes it I don't know what I should do!

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

Ya i think i would have cycled it longer, even though it is a small tank. I dont know what you should do either.. Sorry

 

[flame_fish]

Yeah :'/

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

Well good luck! Hopefully he makes it!

 

[flame_fish]

I doubt it but thanks tho.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Hi I remember talking to you on another thread. Did you read the links I gave you??? I'm not sure if you understand what cycling really is. How is your betta now? What are your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH readings? How often did/do you do water changes on the 1 gallon bowl? Did you remember to add dechlorinator to the new tank?

 

[siva]

Letting it sit overnight isn't actually cycling it. If you transferred over used substrate, that should bring over some beneficial bacteria but if you could transfer some filter media from another tank to the new filter, that would be much better. Then you would add the betta right away, no need to wait. The bacteria needs a source of ammonia (the fish waste) to stay alive.

If you floated the fish first, it shouldn't go through any temperature shock. Though it is possible if the fish was in a container with a lot of water, that floating for 20 mins wasn't long enough.

75 is not warm enough for a betta IME. They thrive at 80 degrees.

I too am wondering if you added dechlorinator..though if you had forgotten that I wouldn't expect such an instant and severe reaction..though I suppose it's possible.

Do you have a test kit? Are you able to test the pH of the water he was in originally and the pH of the water in the new tank? Even when transferring from one tank to another in my home, I do a slower acclimation, removing some of the bag water and adding some of the tank water every 10 mins or so, until the fish has slowly gotten used to the new water.

Did you use any cleaning agents like soap on anything in that new tank?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Letting it sit overnight isn't actually cycling it. If you transferred over used substrate, that should bring over some beneficial bacteria but if you could transfer some filter media from another tank to the new filter, that would be much better. Then you would add the betta right away, no need to wait. The bacteria needs a source of ammonia (the fish waste) to stay alive.

If you floated the fish first, it shouldn't go through any temperature shock. Though it is possible if the fish was in a container with a lot of water, that floating for 20 mins wasn't long enough.

75 is not warm enough for a betta IME. They thrive at 80 degrees.

I too am wondering if you added dechlorinator..though if you had forgotten that I wouldn't expect such an instant and severe reaction..though I suppose it's possible.

Do you have a test kit? Are you able to test the pH of the water he was in originally and the pH of the water in the new tank? Even when transferring from one tank to another in my home, I do a slower acclimation, removing some of the bag water and adding some of the tank water every 10 mins or so, until the fish has slowly gotten used to the new water.

Did you use any cleaning agents like soap on anything in that new tank?

Siva, is it possible that maybe a shock occurred if the water in the bowl was dirty or high in ammonia and the new tank water was clean? I don't think there was a filter on the bowl but I could be wrong.

 

[flame_fish]

Mumma of two - I read the link you gave me and I'm gonna check the ammonia and nitrites when my dad gets home! I did the water changes to the 1g almost every week, sometimes twice a week and i added the dechlorinator to the new tank and my betta was perfect in it.

Siva - I know :/ I wasn't thinking at all but I used the old gravel and the only plants and even some of the old water, I let it sit overnight than I had my betta sit in a bag in the water and about 20 minutes later i put him in and he was happy and swimming all over the place & my dad told me to never use soap and i didn't I put dechlorinator in it and everything.

btw my fish is still alive and moving but hes still on his side cripple :/ I don't want him to live like that but I don't think I can kill him myself.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Mumma of two - I read the link you gave me and I'm gonna check the ammonia and nitrites when my dad gets home! I did the water changes to the 1g almost every week, sometimes twice a week and i added the dechlorinator to the new tank and my betta was perfect in it.

Siva - I know :/ I wasn't thinking at all but I used the old gravel and the only plants and even some of the old water, I let it sit overnight than I had my betta sit in a bag in the water and about 20 minutes later i put him in and he was happy and swimming all over the place & my dad told me to never use soap and i didn't I put dechlorinator in it and everything.

btw my fish is still alive and moving but hes still on his side cripple :/ I don't want him to live like that but I don't think I can kill him myself.

I'm sorry I didn't want to offend you. Just trying to help figure it out. How is he doing? Still not well?

 

[siva]

Siva, is it possible that maybe a shock occurred if the water in the bowl was dirty or high in ammonia and the new tank water was clean? I don't think there was a filter on the bowl but I could be wrong.

I really don't know. I've done large water changes on tanks with bad water, and I've never had a problem with it.

 

[flame_fish]

Thanks guys but no need, i had to humanely freeze him just mow ;,( he was alive but he couldn't swim down or eat at all so I just had to do it. I have two other bettas in unheated or unfiltered bowls & they love it. I don't wanna do any big changes to them besides weekly water changes.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Thanks guys but no need, i had to humanely freeze him just mow ;,( he was alive but he couldn't swim down or eat at all so I just had to do it. I have two other bettas in unheated or unfiltered bowls & they love it. I don't wanna do any big changes to them besides weekly water changes.

I'm sorry to hear that.
If they are living in unheated, unfiltered bowls they need more frequent PWC like every 1-2 days to keep their water clean.

 

[flame_fish]

Idk, My fish that died was in a 2.5 heated & filtered tank & I was gonna get two ither tanks for my other bettas because I hate having them in bowls so idk what you really mean.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Idk, My fish that died was in a 2.5 heated & filtered tank & I was gonna get two ither tanks for my other bettas because I hate having them in bowls so idk what you really mean.

If they are living in a bowl/tank without a filter the beneficial bacteria only have the substrate to live in. IMO there would not be enough water flow or enough BB in the substrate to consume the ammonia the Betta is producing. So, more frequent water changes would be needed to remove the ammonia and stop it from building up. That is why filters are a must. They give the BB a place to colonize and the high water flow brings them plentiful food (ammonia), therefor allowing less water changes (weekly not every day or two).

Just because you had a bad experience with one Betta in a tank don't let it stop you from giving your remaining two better living conditions. I think you'll find a filtered 2.5g tank is a lot easier to maintain than an unfiltered 1g bowl. The more water the easier to maintain.

Huge temperature fluctuations are not the best things for bettas. A nice warm tank (80 degrees) will make them more active, eat more, have more color and live longer.

 

[tarpon]

Thats why you need to cycle the new tank.
Also water wont help a cycle, and could have ammonia or nitrite in it. And old gravel doesnt really make a significant difference, and can add nitrate to the water

 

[flame_fish]

I know, I'm not gonna let my other fish die just because I was too careless but what do you think I should do, my new tank is running still even tho theres nothing in it, I could always get another tank for my other betta but if my 2.5 cyles for about 1 week should I put another betta in there? I'm worried about doing that tho.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I know, I'm not gonna let my other fish die just because I was too careless but what do you think I should do, my new tank is running still even tho theres nothing in it, I could always get another tank for my other betta but if my 2.5 cyles for about 1 week should I put another betta in there? I'm worried about doing that tho.

Oh I know your not going to let your fish die Just pointing out a couple of things that a lot of people aren't aware of.

Just running the tank for a week isn't going to cycle it. There is no ammonia source so no BB with grow in the filter.
You have two options.
Put your Betta in the tank and do a fish in cycle or
Do a fishless with pure ammonia.
I have already linked the write ups on both in your other thread. Choose which one you want to do, do some reading and then cycle your tank per instructions. Both fish I'm and fishless can take 4-8 weeks to complete.

If your worried there was something in the 2.5g tank tear it down and clean everything with hot water (no soap) and start again. Still not sure what made your other Betta sick but let's try to make it right for the other two.