Scrambles the Death Dealer

[kinbari]

-Also lovingly referred to as Scramble-man. If you don't get the reference, it's from Metalocalypse when Nathan Explosion was asked to name a hurricane. He called it Scrambles the Death Dealer, and this name just stuck to my betta! The last picture is a picture taken right before he died.

I'm sure there's another thread to post this in (this is my first post) but I'd like to figure out the most likely cause of his death so I can avoid the same mistake in the future. He started acting a little off and I didn't think to do anything about it until it was probably too late. He seemed weak and tired during his last few weeks, hanging out at the bottom of the tank, but would have sudden outbursts where he would almost skip across the surface of his tank. Possibly lack of oxygen? But, I keep the surface of the water accessible. Anyway, he stopped noticing when I put food in the tank and I had to start removing old food (which I have never had to do with him). As it got worse, his tail/body would curl up towards the surface of the water with his head pointed towards the bottom. I added Bettafix to his water and he died the next day. :(

[Syriiven]

Its a possibility that he was getting old...though the sudden skipping across the surface sounds like darting to me...

What size tank? Heated? Filtered? Any plants or tankmates? What foods were you giving him?

[kinbari]

I had him for eleven months. Do you by any chance know the age in which bettas are typically sold?

For the first 7 months he was kept in a fish bowl (about 1.5 gal?) with weekly full water changes (never had a problem) and right before I moved into my dorm I bought him a 3 gal eclipse tank with a whisper filter. Neither environment was heated :( I just realized from being on this site that betta fish require a heater.

Anyway, to answer the other questions- no other fish in the environment, I fed him blood worms because he never took to the pellet food, and no plants.

[Syriiven]

Then I think it was probably age. I don't really know if any pet stores even keep track of the age of their betta before selling them. I ahd one that lived 3 years. I now have one that is darkening in color (apparently they change color as they age) and is a stress-case, so I don't have a clue how long he'll last.

Did he look like he was covered with a red or coppery dust at all?

The temperature could be a factor - did you check PHs before moving him to the dorm?

[kinbari]

I hope it was old age! But he changed his personality so dramatically all of a sudden. He used to react to me approaching the tank and wiggling my finger in front of the glass, but he became unresponsive. The area below the head appeared slightly swollen... It was apparent with his breathing and was deep red. His color definitely faded over time, but I wouldn't say it was a "dust". And no, I did not check pH. :(

[Syriiven]

pH differences are a big thing fish don't tolerate well. Eventually they can get used to a pH, but that's after being acclimated. So if the pH was vastly different, probably shocked. The swelling...like around the gills? There may have been something wrong with the water, I'm sorry I'm nto much more help...

But testing the pH of your water, testing for ammonia and nitrites and nitrates, temperature....all important things to know, as well as to figure out what exactly would affect your fish. (I've recently learned lots on this site) So Master Water Testing Kit would do wonders, which I think includes everything you need to know bout your water.

[kinbari]

Thank you. Yeah, I looked for a master test kit at two pet stores and neither had them so I'm going to have to order one online.

[rubinthebetta]

Poor little guy. Someday you will meet under the Rainbow Bridge and get a chance to spend more time together. He was lucky to have you taking care of him and standing by him until his last. Wait...did you say BettaFix?!?!?!? Oh please, no. BettaFix=tea tree oil. Tea tree oil=toxic to bettas. It's not your fault though. I did the same once.

[Syriiven]

I didn't know Bettafix was bad (not that I've had access to any). Good to know for the future.

[rubinthebetta]

Yeah, I learned the hard way.