Lethargic after water change

[serenityroyal]

I think it's a water problem. I had two fish when I moved into school, Roxas (male), Gypsy (female). When I put Gypsy back in her tank she died that next morning, then I bought another fish, that one died the nest day, then bought a another one and that one died in less then 6 hours. Cleaned by last first, Roxas' tank yesterday. Do what I always do and that never seemed to bother him, and he died. I have multiple fish tanks and my first two fish were just fine over the summer in their tanks. Roxas had fin rot the whole summer but pretty much recovered from that and he was in the same 2 gallon tank since april. I don't have cycled tanks because that's never been an issue, and I don't know how to do that.

[Oldfishlady]

What kind of water conditioner are you using?

Sorry you are having so many problems with your Bettas

You say others at school with the same source water have not been having problems...right? if so, talk with them and find out what dechlorinator they are using
If you just moved your fish from home to school-was the water in their tank from home or school? or how long from the time they died to the change in source water
Or, have I miss-understood...just trying to help you figure out why you are having so much trouble......

[serenityroyal]

I'm using Aqueon Betta Bowl Plus dechlorinator. Been using it for a couple of months now with no problems. My first two first, Roxas and Gypsy were in water from home, then I put water from school in their tanks, Gypsy died that same day, Roxas was fine. I bough two more fish, they both died after I put them in their tanks with school water. Roxas, I've had since March and he was in school water till I brought him home for the summer so he was used to it I'm guessing? I have a supposition that it's the school water, but my room mate has fish in the same water and they are fine. I had a suggestion to use bottled water instead of the school's tap water for the fish tanks, but I don't know :/

[Oldfishlady]

It does make you think that it is the school water......and I wonder if there is a big pH difference in home and school water......that pH shock can be deadly especially if there is a big difference...and small slow change would be okay...but big changes could be deadly
Your roommate fish has always been in the water and so they would not have the pH shock...if that is what is going on.......just a thought.......
Or if the school water had high nitrate levels that would do it too...just like the pH shock issue.....

Can you test both school and home water for pH and ammonia, nitrite, nitrate...pH needs to gas out for 24h but the other 3 don't.....got a science lab at school? that would be awesome to use lab quality test/reagents......even meter and get really accurate readings.....some city have their water prams posted on-line on the public water supply.......just ideas......

Hope you get this figured out so you can keep Bettas without such a mess.....takes the fun out of it.....

[serenityroyal]

I think petsmart tests your water for you here. I'll try that before I get any more fish. Though does bottled water have any negative affects on fish?

[Oldfishlady]

The problem with bottled water is that it is not regulated and can be filtered tap water that can still contain chlorine and chloramines and then the filtering process can also remove the needed minerals that the fish needs...it just changes one ion for different ones
You can do a 50/50 mix with tap water or buy an additive to replace the minerals that are filtered out...like for RO/DI water you can buy at fish store (usually for saltwater tanks) Seachem has a product called Equalibrium that will work for this too.

Distilled water is the worse.....

[serenityroyal]

Alright, ugg this is frustrating. Whoever said fish were easy to take care of was an idiot