Betta Fish Dying

[keesmom]

I've imported bettas before. I've used aquabid though. Fish go first to a transshipper in the states, then they send them to you.

Oh, I'd probably also change the water more frequently than once a week.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

Bettas need to be able to go to the surface to breathe. Get rid of the cute little fish/plant idea, unless you want to have to keep replacing the poor fish every couple of weeks. I kept a female Betta from Walmart alive for over 4 years, so it is possible!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

OK, the photo is not MINE. I have a piece of bamboo stuck in there. The fish has plenty of room to get air as the bamboo is only 1" wide. The opening is 5" around. He comes to the top to breathe often. The previous fish preferred to hang out at the top. This fish prefers to hang out at the bottom and burrow in the "root" system of the bamboo.


I am using bottled water. Spring water that's been dechlorinated. That's what I don't understand Robin, I've kept Betta in this setup for about 2 years before. Got him from Wal-Mart. The only difference is that I had him on top of a mirror instead of right next to it.

 

[patandchickens]

If you think it is the mirror, and don't want to move the fish away from the mirror, 'whitewash' the back half of the vase so the fish can't SEE the mirror, that would solve your problem (if it is the problem)

(e.t.a. - the *outside* of the vase, of course

)

Frankly to me a much more appropriate solution would be to also replace the tank with at least a 3 or 5-gallon thing with some sort of filtration -- just because you can keep a betta alive in those conditions doesn't make it a good idea, IMHO -- but, oh well.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[silkiechicken]

A common gold fish should really have about 10 gallons each to live a good 25 year long life as they can grow to be about a foot long as healthy adults. So that probably shouldn't go in a vase if you don't want to replace it all the time. As for a beta, I have one in a 2.5 gallon tank that goes though water changes once a week without filtration and usually live about 2 years before they die. I don't really think vases are the best for betas, even though they often come in them and look cute and can survive. Might want to make sure the vase is cycled too, so that nitrates and such aren't building up and just killing the fish. Perhaps the first one got lucky and after a vase cleaning all the beneficial bacteria in the vase died off leaving a more hostile environment for the new fish?

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Cycled, do you mean washing in the dishwasher? I put the fish in it's original container to clean the vase, but it's perfectly plausible that something is building up. I usually don't wash in the dishwasher, but see no reason not to...I'd just need to wrap the bottom of the bamboo in a damp towel.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

It wouldn't be a "common" goldfish, but a miniature. Something like a black moor, or a tiny fancy goldfish.

 

[Chickenmaven]

I use distilled water for my Betta. I don't even drink spring water, because I was told that it is just tap water. I just put the fish in another container and clean the jar by rinsing several times and wiping the inside with a cloth.

I wish you well figuring this out.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

Quote:
Oh, sorry, my mistake... I thought that pic was yours (what I get for reading too fast.) Those plant/fish things were so popular a while back, but deadly to the fish. If you've successfully kept them alive with the bamboo for 2 years before, I have no idea... just unhealthy fish? Maybe the first one contaminated the container and the second one got what the first one had?

 

[patandchickens]

No no, DO NOT put the vase in the dishwasher!!!! "Cycled" means letting it sit for some weeks/months to allow nitrogen-cycling bacteria to colonize and proliferate, so that there gets to be a big enough population of nitrifying bacteria in the tank to convert the fish's ammonia output into nitrite and then into nitrate, the latter being far less toxic to fish than ammonia or nitrite.

However this is not really an issue in a container where the water is changed frequently, as it sounds like you are probably doing with this vase setup (?). If you are *not* changing the water at least weekly, preferably a couple times a week, then it could in principle be part of the problem, although by now the vase *would* be cycled-in reasonably well so it would not be your *current* problem.

Really though, get a tank, you can still grow bamboo stickin' out the top if you want, and the betta will be much happier and healthier.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat