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I'm a bit bummed out today... My new Beta fish died this afternoon...
I REALLY wish I would have come here first, before buying it... But here is what happened.
My newly wed husband and I got our new apartment, and we have 2 baby turtles. But we also wanted to get a small fish in a separate tank.
So we went to Petco and got a Betta fish. We named him Nemo (even though he looked nothing like Nemo). We never had a fish before, but the guy at the pet store said that a betta would be best because they are very resilient. He said they don't need a filter, but we should get a water heater and some gravel, and some decorations for the fish to hide in. And of course some beta food.
So we did. And here was the total:
Tub/tank: $16.00
Fake plants (2): $7
Gravel: $5
Heater: $9
Betta fish: $7
Thermometer: $1
Total: $45.00
We already had water conditioners at home (anti-algae and dechlorinator for the turtles).
Well, we brought the fish home. I rinsed out the tank, rinsed off the gravel/decorations, filled the tank up with water (about room temperature), put the heater in, with all the decorations. Pre-treated the water... Then we slowly introduced our betta fish to the tank, very gradually letting his container water mix with the tank water. After a while, he swam out into the tank.
Later on, I tried feeding him, and he wouldn't eat. So I figured maybe he just wasn't used to this new place yet (turtles won't eat for a few days in a new place either...
I watched the temperature in the tank, it was staying at around 72... ish. The heater the store clerk showed us to didn't have controls (like the one for my turtles), it was just a flat one that sat in the gravel.
So "Nemo" was always looming around the bottom, or lingering in the plants. Again, he didn't eat, even once. We only had him 2 days. About 3 hours ago I went to check on him, and he was dead. I texted my husband and told him.
So I'm wondering if the store clerk told us everything? Or if there was something else we could have done? Is the temperature wrong? I'm reading online now that some betta food pellets are too big for a beta's mouth, so I'm worried maybe it was that? Because he never did eat...
We do want to get another beta, but I want to make sure everything is right this time. We thought the pet store clerk filled us in pretty good, but it seems there was something wrong with his living conditions. The water he came in, in that little tub was pretty cold, compared to the room temp. water in his tank. Was it shock? Am I supposed to crush the food pellets when I feed him? I'll try to include some pictures of the fish, the tank, the food, etc.
This was Nemo
:
This is the 5 gallon tank:
This is the food we got:
My newly wed husband and I got our new apartment, and we have 2 baby turtles. But we also wanted to get a small fish in a separate tank.
So we went to Petco and got a Betta fish. We named him Nemo (even though he looked nothing like Nemo). We never had a fish before, but the guy at the pet store said that a betta would be best because they are very resilient. He said they don't need a filter, but we should get a water heater and some gravel, and some decorations for the fish to hide in. And of course some beta food.
So we did. And here was the total:
Tub/tank: $16.00
Fake plants (2): $7
Gravel: $5
Heater: $9
Betta fish: $7
Thermometer: $1
Total: $45.00
We already had water conditioners at home (anti-algae and dechlorinator for the turtles).
Well, we brought the fish home. I rinsed out the tank, rinsed off the gravel/decorations, filled the tank up with water (about room temperature), put the heater in, with all the decorations. Pre-treated the water... Then we slowly introduced our betta fish to the tank, very gradually letting his container water mix with the tank water. After a while, he swam out into the tank.
Later on, I tried feeding him, and he wouldn't eat. So I figured maybe he just wasn't used to this new place yet (turtles won't eat for a few days in a new place either...
I watched the temperature in the tank, it was staying at around 72... ish. The heater the store clerk showed us to didn't have controls (like the one for my turtles), it was just a flat one that sat in the gravel.
So "Nemo" was always looming around the bottom, or lingering in the plants. Again, he didn't eat, even once. We only had him 2 days. About 3 hours ago I went to check on him, and he was dead. I texted my husband and told him.
So I'm wondering if the store clerk told us everything? Or if there was something else we could have done? Is the temperature wrong? I'm reading online now that some betta food pellets are too big for a beta's mouth, so I'm worried maybe it was that? Because he never did eat...
We do want to get another beta, but I want to make sure everything is right this time. We thought the pet store clerk filled us in pretty good, but it seems there was something wrong with his living conditions. The water he came in, in that little tub was pretty cold, compared to the room temp. water in his tank. Was it shock? Am I supposed to crush the food pellets when I feed him? I'll try to include some pictures of the fish, the tank, the food, etc.
This was Nemo

This is the 5 gallon tank:

This is the food we got:

