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Mystery Death of Betta!! Solve Please? PLEASE! THANK YOU!

1K views 18 replies 7 participants last post by  SolomonFinch 
#1 ·
HELP!

I'm quite in a rush. My betta fish I got yesterday night was soon GOING to be put into a new filtered 5-10 gallon tank. I put in the tap water conditioner and beneficial bacteria inside the water for betta fish. Now, I couldn't put the betta fish in the tank once it got used to the temperature of the water in the cup. The cup is kind of fat, and some tall decorations did make putting the fish into the water. Me and my dad had no net to put in the fish, plus it was getting late so we couldn't drive a 25 minute trip to the pet store especially when the fish is still in the cup.

My idea for putting the betta fish in the tank: Putting the cup in the water, then gently turning it so the betta fish could swim out once it got used to the temperature.

My dad's idea for putting the betta fish in the tank: Dump the water in with the betta fish, without letting the fish get used to the water.

I told my dad NO WAY, to not do it. I guess he didn't care, so since he was in charge, he did it his way. I couldn't do it my way much because the cup couldn't fit into the tank because of tall decorations.
When my dad did this, I cried to myself and argued that the fish could die of this.
A few minutes later I checked the betta fish, only finding it on the side and breathing hard with its gills.

The next day... My betta fish was found sticking to the top decorations. I could tell he wasn't alive because no tiny movements were done, and he wasn't resting either.
I told my dad about this, so he got a spoon and poked the fish. No reaction. Took out the fish. No reaction. So, the fish was dead :cry:
I cried once more, then telling my dad that he shouldn't have dumped the fish to the water.

So he blamed me, saying that the water was bad, and the conditioner didn't work, and I didn't set the filter right. I did set the filter right, and I even heard the clicking sound when closing the filter door (I have a square boxed filter). And, I put in the right measurements as well. But my dad saying this... It did make me go unsettled and uneven. I wasn't sure.
My dad said there was no such thing as of dumping a betta fish in the tank, and then he just dies the next day.

Question: Who's right (It doesn't matter who's side you're on, I just need to know the answer so that way that mistake won't happen again) and why.

Thank you!!! :love:
 
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#4 ·
It does sound as though your fish went into shock because he was not allowed time to acclimate to the new temperature and water.

Sorry for your loss. Your way would have worked fine and probably would have resulted in you still having a fish.

Other possibilities could be poisoning from something leeching into the water (such as something from a decoration), or not enough or too much water conditioner (though this is highly unlikely). However, because of the obvious stress the fish seemed to be in immediately after being put into the tank leads me to believe his cause of death was entirely because he was simply dumped in.
 
#8 ·
Well I hope your fish is still okay... I do advise you to use a net or something more gentle. Anyways, my beneficial bacteria is NutraFin Cycle, Biological Aquarium Supplement. My conditioner is NutraFin Aqua Plus, Tap Water Conditioner. My temperature is 77 degrees F. Decorations are tall smooth rocks that form a cave (the decor was like that) and a fake plant.
 
#11 ·
I disagree with both of you. The proper method of introducing new fish is to float their bag/cup for 15 minutes and then add a tiny bit of water every five minutes for about an hour. Then dump them in. I never, ever use nets with my bettas because they have delicate scales, and nets scratch them and make them susceptible to velvet.
 
#16 ·
I agree about the no nets thing. The only time I use nets is the unfortunate time I have to scoop out a dead betta. Obviously harming the scales isn't going to be an issue.

Bettas, unlike most fish that do not have a labyrinth lung, are really served well by this slow acclimation process. You don't have to rush to get them into a tank so they will be able to breathe properly.
 
#18 ·
@bettafishforever22 - there are a lot of variations that can be used to introduce a fish to its new home. Here is one variation:

  1. Leave him in the cup that he came in. Float the cup in the tank for about 20 min.
  2. Add a SMALL amount of NEW water to the cup. (Several tablespoons, or about 1.5 ounces.)
  3. Let his cup float for at least 15 min.
  4. Remove a SMALL amount of water from the cup. Discard it.
  5. Repeat steps 2-4, until at LEAST an hour has passed. More time is fine! Going slower is never a problem.
  6. Gently release him into the tank.


Use a similar process whenever you change the water in his tank:
  1. Note the temperature of the water.
  2. Using a plastic cup, scoop him, along with some of his water, into the cup.
  3. Clean out the tank. Refill with water at the SAME temp. Be sure to add the correct amount of water conditioner.
  4. Float his cup in the tank for about 15 min.
  5. Add a SMALL amount of NEW water to the cup. (Several tablespoons, or about 1.5 ounces.)
  6. Let his cup float for about 10 min.
  7. Remove a SMALL amount of water from the cup. Discard it.
  8. Repeat steps 5-7, until about an hour has passed.
  9. Gently release him into the tank.
 
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