This is getting frustrating....

[wallywestisthebest333]

I don't own any fish yet but I REALLY want to use a Kritter Keeper so I thought I'd give my theory about what might be going on because if I'm right then I can go ahead and get a Kritter Keeper! =]

I think it's the tank itself and I don't think cleaning it will help if you've done it several times before.

I don't know anything about arcrylic but I know that waterbottles leach chemicals into the water when they get hot. It might be leaching chemicals. =/

Plastic is made using petrolium products which probably aren't safe for fish....

I'd get another Kritter Keeper after Shiro-chan is completely better and put him in that and put the heater in the exact same spot. If he gets sick again let him heal again and move his heater. Try sandwhiching it between a 2 layers of gavel. the problem might be the constant contact with a heat source on your tank.

After all... my experience with any kind of plastic has been hot+plastic BAAAAAAD!

So once you've cleaned your tank and moved the heater change the water a few times even though a fish isn't in there. (I'd do this while the fish is healing if shirochan got sick again from the new Kritter Keeper) Then when Shiro's healed again you can put him in the tank when the heater is sandwhiched between 2 layers of gravel.

If he doesn't get sick again then the tanks constant direct contact with the heater was the problem.

If he gets sick again then it might have been the plant or the cave and I'd just replace them.=P

And of course if he gets sick yet again I'd just ditch Kritter Keepers all-together. =[

I hope this helps but you don't have to take it because once again: I don't own a fish.... so I could be COMPLETELY wrong. =/

I REALLY hope shiro-chan gets better!!! He's just too cute to go to the rice paddies in the sky! =[

[vaygirl]

I think Mako might have the right idea. It really does sound like a problem with the keepers themselves. I'd be interested to know if anyone else had any similar experiences, ie fish that died inexplicably while being kept in a kritter keeper and if any have lived longer then a few months?

[DragonFish]

Ahh, I'd always been worried about that with the keepers actually, but never once have I ever heard of anyone having issues with them. I know there are several users who have them and DQ uses them for all her fish without any issues at all. And I'd only cleaned with hot water before, nothing more. Maybe there was something there that hot water and leaving it sitting dry isn't killing? I don't know what though...

The heater I have in there is a Hydor mini...it really doesn't get that hot at all. The tank is bare bottom for easier cleaning, and I'd rather not put gravel in there....thats a real pain to clean :/ And on top of all that, I don't know if I would be aloud another keeper...and I certainly don't want to get another one if this is all due to the plastic, that'd just be a huge waste of money, my parents will be mad enough when I tell them that I'm going to probably need a new tank 'cause I can't use these. I don't want to experiment around like that either, I couldn't bare to put Shiro-chan through any more stress......

But heres something to puzzle over.....the tank Max is in is approximately 2 gallons, its a really old tank from a few years back that I dug up, and its plastic. Hes been in there for 6 months with the same heater and water change schedule and hes healthy as a horse.....why is that? Is it just the way the critter keepers are made since they're not exactly made for fish....?

Gah, maybe I'll just talk with my parents and look into another 5 gallon to split with Shiro-chan and Ed......

[dramaqueen]

I've had some of mine in critter keepers for over a year and I've never had any problems. In fact, all of my bettas are in acrylic containers.

[Scienceluvr8]

Yeah, I recently dug up an old kritter keeper that I used to have, and I could tell the difference between them and acrylic tanks. They're not exactly the same as tanks, I guess because they label them as having many uses...anyways, this may be something contributing to the problem....but then again dramaqueen has had many fish in them and nothing like this has happened to her. Well, you might have just been unfortunate and got one that wasn't manufactured well...I'm glad your boy is getting better.

[DragonFish]

Yeah, perhaps I just got unlucky and picked up a couple that were just....bad :/ I picked them up in the rodent section(before I discovered cooler ones in the reptile section >_>)perhaps that had something to do with it...? Ugh, I don't know....

Well, I've removed Ed as well from his keeper after I noticed some REALLY odd behavior and both he and Shiro-chan are now each in a half gallon bowl doing alright. Hopefully I'll be able to find some sort of 2 gallon+ glass containers somewhere......anyone know how many gallons those bigger bowls with the two flat sides are(if anyone gets what I'm taking about )?

I'm talking with my dad though and we're thinking about getting another 10 gallon or something...dunno yet, we'll see...

Alright, and another question for you all....I really don't want those keepers to go to waste, but I'm far too scared to put fish in there again...does any one know of anything that might be small enough to live in there comfortably? I highly doubt it, but I thought I might ask anyway, just in case. ;)

[dramaqueen]

I'm sorry you are having trouble with your fish. Maybe those critter keepers somehow got contaminated with something in the store.

[vaygirl]

Yeah, that's a possibility. Or maybe because times are so tough, they're using different stuff in them to make them cheaper. Every other product I buy is downsized in some way, I wouldn't be surprised if they were using something hinkey to make them nowadays.

[DragonFish]

Eh, I suppose you never know....there are so many possibilities :/ I think I might go the bleach rout anyway though so I KNOW that they're totally clean and then try again and if its still not working out then I'll just have to get something else...

[wallywestisthebest333]

Good luck! =] I hope that everything works out ok! =] Oh! and I found some 2 gallon jars at Walmart! =] They're made of glass and cylyndrical but I think that they have potential! =] they're $12 each. I really hope you get the 10 gallon though! =]