Power outage causes too-cold tank

[JeninYosemite]

Our betta sustained living in very cold (below55 degree) cold tank for 4 days while power went out and family was on vacation! Neighbor heated tank by adding warm h2o ocassionally. Tank was very dirty upon returning home and fish was pale. Power came back on, filter and temperatures returned to normal. Even his color was back within hours. At first he was very active (yet out of balance and dis-oriented) when we got home and conditions were bad. Now conditions are normal and he seems very sick. He is mostly laying on his side and occasionally jerks in attemp to swim, but seems so traumatized. My son is traumatized too. We are all attched to this little fish and want to help him recover. Should we stop trying to interact w/ him so much? Does he need to make it to the top for air? His tank seems clean again, but have not yet changed out the h2o for fear of further trauma. Can we nurse the little guy back to health? Please help us. Thank you! -Jen
ps, how long can a betta "look" dead before you delcare it actually dead?

[turtle10]

Originally Posted by JeninYosemite

Our betta sustained living in very cold (below55 degree) cold tank for 4 days while power went out and family was on vacation! Neighbor heated tank by adding warm h2o ocassionally. Tank was very dirty upon returning home and fish was pale. Power came back on, filter and temperatures returned to normal. Even his color was back within hours. At first he was very active (yet out of balance and dis-oriented) when we got home and conditions were bad. Now conditions are normal and he seems very sick. He is mostly laying on his side and occasionally jerks in attemp to swim, but seems so traumatized. My son is traumatized too. We are all attched to this little fish and want to help him recover. Should we stop trying to interact w/ him so much? Does he need to make it to the top for air? His tank seems clean again, but have not yet changed out the h2o for fear of further trauma. Can we nurse the little guy back to health? Please help us. Thank you! -Jen
ps, how long can a betta "look" dead before you delcare it actually dead?

How big is the tank?
Does is have a filter?
Prior water change schedule?
Temp?

The temperature probably went up too fast and sent him into shock. He could also be suffering from bad water quality. Yes, he needs to make it to the top for air. If a betta can't access air it will drown.

He is worth saving, so don't give up! Just provide as much info as you possibly can so we can help you best.

[JeninYosemite]

We lost him a few hours after that post :( . I have never liked a fish so much! We lose power frequently here. Any suggestions for emergency care when the heat is gone and the filter won't work? We have a 2.5 gallon tank. Lots false plants for hiding. We are going to get another soon (but we have to be sad for a while first!) and I want to dodge this kind of disaster. I think he may have drowned because he just couldn't get to the top. I made an effort to "move" him up there with long plastic spoon, but he just seemed to struggle even more when I did that. Does this sound like shock too? Poor little guy. Thanks for your caring response! Glad I found this site so we can do a bit better next time.

[turtle10]

He may have also been suffering from swim bladder disorder.

I am so sorry for your loss. Just know that you did everything you could, but sometimes bad things happen beyond our control.

If you do decide to get a another betta, there is a lot of information on this site that can help you with that. There is a general betta care thread in the "Betta Care" section. Also check out "Your New Betta" :
http://www.aqueonproducts.com/produc...ble-heater.htm



Again, I am so sorry about your little guy. Losing a pet is hard, especially one that was so special to you :/