We are pretty new to this hobby, but love how pretty these fish are. Is it common that fish coming from Petco / PetsMart are not healthy, or am I missing something that is killing them. We are on well water, that is slighly acidic, so I have been making sure the ph levels are right before adding a new fish. I have been told that having the minerals from well water is good for the fish. I had the water tested several times, and was told it is a little on the soft side, but other than that, it's fine.
I have tested that a fish will eat by dropping a pellet of betta food is his bowl before making a decision on bringing one home. After setting them up
about 8 of the last 10 stopped eating & died. We have a total of 4 that are doing well.
I'm using filterless tanks, because I heard the current they produce is bad for the bettas. I'm boiling the rocks, and rinsing the rest of the decorations with hot water, and not using any soap on anything.
We are avid animal lovers, and it breaks our hearts when even a fish passes, I ended up giving up because so many of them weren't making it.
1) How do you acclimate (introduce) the new fish when you bring him home?
(They need to be introduced to new water slowly, so it doesn't cause a shock to their system. )
2) How long do they survive? Do they have any common problems or symptoms?
3) What size are the tanks? What's the water temperature? How often do you do water changes (and what amount gets changed)?
Hey Don, I would try doing 2x 100% wc per week with a 2.5 and make sure to use a good water conditioner. Also your fish may have brought a problem with them from the store which is not uncommon.
Probably depends on the petstore. None of my 5 betta from Petsmart/Petco have died and are always improving. I actually work at Petsmart and some of the bettas do get a fungal infection and die shortly after. It's possible you're unlucky and buying these sort of bettas.
However, I wouldn't place all hope on that. It's great that you're looking for the cause of the unfortunate deaths! The best thing is to learn from mistakes and make improvements so you can enjoy these wonderful fish companions!
You can also add a drop or two of conditioner to the cup when you get home or ask the pet store to do it before you leave. At least that will help neutralize the ammonia.
In my experience it has been that they are not sick with a disease but in poor health due to high ammonia levels in their cups. Besides water tempature shock, if the ammonia/water chemistry in their cup is vastly different from your tap water which should be ammonia free (although not always) - that can also cause them to go into shock.
Out of 50 plus bettas I have had over the years, only about 4 or so have died withn a few days of purchase..minus the first 5 I ever had. I killed them b/c I didnt know about water conditioner or that I had to change their water weekly
Prime and amquel plus will neturalize ammonia but not all conditioners do. Prime is pretty popular but I won't use it. It has a horrible stench and I have one male that seems to have a reaction to it (sulfer based). I use Stress coat instead
I take most of an evening to acclimate to new water. I first check the water temp of the cup and make up new clean water add Prime. I let the condition water sit for one hour. The I pour a just little water out of the cup and I add about a tablespoon. I let the fish sit 30-45 minutes and add another tablespoon. I wait. The next time I come back I pour just a little more dirty water out and add couple more tablespoons of clean and so on. I just watch TV and come back. At the end of the evening they have mostly clean water. You can use an eye dropper or turkey baster to get any poop if you have one. I have a one gallon hospital tank ready I first put them in there for a week or so and let them get used to the water at smaller volume and I watch for any disease signs. I think it's less overwhelming for them to go from cup to a smaller tank. I do water changes as suggested for that size and keep the tank clean. It's also easier to treat for disease if you see it in a hospital tank.
You could consider pretreating your fish with a dip in something like methylene blue. It can be used a pretreatment to eliminate and prevent many diseases. I can send more info on it if you like.
You also want to be sure to disinfect your tank and decor if one fish passes away and I'd suggest starting with fresh gravel.
Russ, I have all my bettas in filtered tanks, and I absolutely think they're happier and healthier for it. Plus, it makes it less stressful on them because you're not having to do 100% water changes--just about 25% a week, unless you have troubles with cycling. (You should test the water in the tank about once a week, too, with a test kit or at least strips, to make sure you don't have bad water parameters for them. Bettas are pretty tough, but they can be fragile just coming home from the petstore.)
My kids each have two PetCo bettas in divided, filtered, heated, 10-gallon tanks from PetCo that were a great deal. With the Pals card, you get the tank, filter, heater, everything for $50. I was at our PetCo yesterday and saw the deal still on. I highly recommend a filtered tank! The flow on most filters is adjustable and won't bother your betta at all. My kids have had their bettas for over a month now, and the fish seem very happy and healthy. My spoiled PetCo betta is in a 12-gallon Edge filtered tank and makes bubble nests galore.
If your water is testing slight acidic you need to set some water aside for 48 hours and test it again, there can be dissolved gas in the water which effects the ph test and fools it
Most water conditioners don't remove ammonia, Russ. If you're on well water, you may not even need to use water conditioner, since you shouldn't have chlorine. Are you using warm water when you do your water changes? It should be as close to the temperature they were at as possible.
Bettas actually like soft water, so that's in your favor.
Thank all of you for your replies. I have not been using any water conditioner, I thought that was only needed when using city supplied tap water that would have chlorine in it. We are on well water. When I do 100% water changes I clean tank & deorations with hot tap water, and boil the rocks.
Then I fiddle with the temperature, & ph levels until they are right. But I had not been gradually acclimating the fish back into the tank.
Do I need to start treating the water with conditioner everytime I change the water? the only thing I have been adding everytime is aquarium salt.
I obviously don't need a chlorine remover. Please recommend a general conditioner, health maintainer ( Fishy Multivitamins if there is such a thing ). I started this hobby because I was told they were so easy to keep....so far I'm not convinced. I don't want to have to add 10 things to the water everytime I
change it. Is there 1 product that should help improve the general health of the fish's environment. Along with the advice about how to transition that has already been provided.
Russ, I think you're actually trying too hard. You absolutely don't need to do all that when you do a water change. Whatever beneficial bacteria you've built up are being destroyed. You might want to look at the thread on the Nitrogen Cycle: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=111960
Also, from the sticky on "Water Chemistry Basics":
What happens if I use Well Water?
The two main differences between well water and tap water is the fact that well water would contain no chlorine or chloramine, as well as the pH will be different. As a nifty tidbit of information I learned from my classes, water that is stored in wells or groundwater also have higher amounts of dissolved Carbon Dioxide gas in them. This causes the pH of the water to decrease, making it more acidic. What can I do to fix my well water pH? Leave well water for a little while in a bucket to allow the carbon dioxide gas to escape, and returning the pH to normal. You could probably aerate it by stirring it around from time to time or put a bubbler in it.
I honestly think, with well water, you probably don't need to add anything to the water. I don't.
It sounds, too, like maybe you don't have a heater, since you say you "fiddle with the temperature" until it's right. Bettas NEED a heater. They really need one. The water will not stay a constant warm temperature all on its own.
Wait.... why are you adding aquarium salt? Bettas are sensitive to this. Using too much, or for too long, can cause kidney damage, fluid retention, bloating, etc.
I would not adjust the pH. Soft, slightly acidic water is perfect for bettas. This is what you already have.
I believe that we often over complicate things. My opinion:
A 2.5 gal unfiltered tank is fine.
Do one 100% and one partial (about 50%) water change per week. You don't need to boil the rocks, just rinse them off. (Be sure to acclimate when doing the 100% water change.)
Even if you're using well water, I would add a water conditioner. Many of them have additives that protect the slime coat. If you opt not to use conditioner, let the water sit overnight before using it.
If you live in a climate or home where the temperature isn't "tropical," use a heater and a thermometer. (Walmart has floating glass thermometers for less than $2. The Marina Betta heater is $12 at Petsmart.)
Feed a quality pellet food. (Pellets are easy to count out, and don't make a mess like flakes do.) New Life Spectrum betta pellets and Omega One Betta Buffer pellets are the two most frequently recommended pellets on this forum.
Enjoy watching him.
I feel that if you keep them in warm, clean water and feed them good food, then they generally do pretty well.
If you want to add a vitamin supplement, look into something like Vitachem, but personally, I don't feel that additional vitamins are needed, as long as you're feeding a good pellet food.
Years ago on our acreage we used well water. Our water was tested for heavy metals and contaminants twice a year. The results from the first tests were quite alarming and we had to use chlorine bleach and and filters to rehab the well even though it smelled and tasted ok.
Now Im not saying this is the problem here only that its a possibility and your water could need treatment. City supplies are monitored and treated constantly often well water can go years between tests. You may want to have it tested for heavy metals and bacteria. There are water conditioners available that do work on metals but knowing the concentration level and which metals could be active via testing would be helpful.
From Seachem
* Prime® detoxifies nitrite and nitrate, allowing the biofilter to more efficiently remove them. It will also detoxify any heavy metals found in the tap water at typical concentration levels. Prime® also promotes the production and regeneration of the natural slime coat. Prime® is non-acidic and will not impact pH*
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