How much can poor care over time shorten the lifespan?

[Kytkattin]

I have a male betta I got from a roommate. This fish was kept in about 1/2 gallon, never heated (actually kept in front of a drafty window, so probably about 60-64 on average), overfed (I always saw food sitting on the water), and only changed once every two to four weeks (unless I sneaked a change in more frequently) for about 9 months. He is now in a little planted paradise, warmed, clean, etc. He has been with me for about 6-7 months. However, his health is failing. It might be a little pretentious for me to say this, but I don't think his health is failing because of anything I am doing. The water params are perfect, he is fed NLS pellets along with frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms infused with garlic juice and Vita-Chem, and he is a toasty 79-80 at all times. He just seems tired more and seems to spend more time sleeping. Idk how to describe it, it just feels like he is ready to sleep for a very long time, and this has come on gradually. Could this be caused by his previous abuse? Of course as I type this out I also realize that he is getting close to 2 years (factoring in growth before being shipped to the petstore, plus goodness knows how long he was there).

[Alanthebro]

Bettas being cared poorly dont live very long. Most that I see live up to maybe 2 years.Just be sure to keep him in a dark spot at night so it doesn't disturb his beauty sleep

[nel3]

ive seen a betta that lived in a vase smaller than a 1/2gal cold water, harsh procedure to change water. he lived 4yrs fed only FD BW as food and never had any water conditioner. im not saying this is a bench mark but you do get such oddities out there.

[Kytkattin]

He does sleep well. He has some lucky bamboo and just sets behind that and the glass at night. He still flares at my female in the tank next to him, but not as much. He used to build bubble nests like crazy in that little torture bowl when she first got him, but now he doesn't any more. So he certainly doesn't seem depressed. Just old.

[Kytkattin]

Originally Posted by nel3

ive seen a betta that lived in a vase smaller than a 1/2gal cold water, harsh procedure to change water. he lived 4yrs fed only FD BW as food and never had any water conditioner. im not saying this is a bench mark but you do get such oddities out there.

There is always that odd one. I honestly don't know how he survived as well as he did for as long as he did. Of course because there is that odd one that survives you will have the people that use that fish as an example as to why they can do the same with their fish.

[nel3]

Originally Posted by Kytkattin

There is always that odd one. I honestly don't know how he survived as well as he did for as long as he did. Of course because there is that odd one that survives you will have the people that use that fish as an example as to why they can do the same with their fish.

unfortunately the odd lucky one is really the unlucky one as inexperienced or ignorant owners take that single example to generalise. they then beleive "easy" care means they can put the fish in such bad conditions and expect it to survive.

[babystarz]

It sounds like he's just getting old, and having to work harder to live probably did shorten his life span considerably. Especially if he was malnourished when he was very young.

[OrangeAugust]

Originally Posted by nel3

ive seen a betta that lived in a vase smaller than a 1/2gal cold water, harsh procedure to change water. he lived 4yrs fed only FD BW as food and never had any water conditioner. im not saying this is a bench mark but you do get such oddities out there.

Yeah, before I knew how to properly care for a betta, I had one in about 0.5 - 0.75 gallons, no heater, and changed his water when it started to look dirty, which was like every 2 weeks (it was really stinky, too. ewww). He had a gross fungus thing twice which I treated with some stuff I found at the pet store. I had him for about 3.5 years before he died. I guess he was a particularly hardy betta... He probably could have been one of those ones who live 5 or 6 years if I had taken care of him properly.