[Melissa569]

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:

 

[beautiful Betta]

It doesn't sound like you did anything wrong, it sounds like you just got unlucky, the temperature could have been a bit warmer, but I don't think it was cold enough to kill him, I have attached a link to basic info on this site about caring for a betta.
Also the wardly pellets are not the best you want NLS or Omega they are the best pellets, and they should be pre soaked in a little tank water for a few minutes before feeding this helps soften them up for the betta. Some frozen food is also another great additional food option (I always use a frozen tropical mix and NLS pellets), frozen from the actual freezer not freeze dried that is awful stuff. Just check you used the right amounts on the water conditioner, that's all I can really think, but otherwise I think you were just unlucky. Do give another betta ago, they are amazing little fish with such personality.

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=232570

 

[Melissa569]

Thank you for the link, I'm probably gonna get another betta pretty soon, maybe today. I saw on one website how to look for healthy one, and it said pick one with more vivid colors, that is more actively swimming and responds to you.

Mine may very well have already been sick, as even from day one, he wasn't very active in his little store tub... I assumed he was just mellow but now I know that could have been lethargy. I'm gonna be a lot more selective this time. Hopefully all will go well.

 

[PoissonsMom]

It sounds like he was probably sick in the first place. Many bettas sold in pet shops r not properly cared for, and sickly from the start. As a general precaution, I automatically treat all my new fish, and I do use aquarium salt in my tanks. Salt is so beneficial to all fish, tho many ppl think freshwater fish don't need it. It heals disease, infection, and provides necessary minerals the fish need to stay healthy. We don't have a petco here, but we do have walmart & petsmart. Walmart fish are almost always sick, in my experience.... They have all those tanks on one large filter system, so... If one tank is suffering from fin rot, SBD, or ich, chances are all of them are. The only exception are the cup bettas, who seem to be just thrown on a shelf & forgotten about. I went there yesterday to see if they had any females, and found 3 CTs belly up in filthy blue water. When I pointed it out to the clerk, he told me they don't even carry bettas!!! I was like "Whaaaat?", thinking 2 myself how they can have merchandise their employees don't even know they carry! No wonder the 3 boys were dead, and I'm shocked it was just them!! Wow....
Being selective WHERE u buy fish is a better idea. Even sick fish can be cured, and live long, healthy, happy lives Good luck!!

 

[beautiful Betta]

Just going through your original info, you mentioned the de-chlorinator for the turtles, if it is a turtle specific one maybe there was something in it that didn't agree with the Betta, if so maybe look at getting a different de-chlorinator, a lot in the US recommend Prime by API. I personally wouldn't add salts to the water straight away unless I thought there was a issue.

 

[Melissa569]

Hmmmm, I was kind of thinking maybe turtle dechlorinator could be different too. So yesterday at Walmart, I picked up some "betta safe" its a conditioner/dechlorinator for bettas. I'm hoping I can use that with the next water change and perhaps my fish will perk up....

 

[PoissonsMom]

Did u do water change? Did he perk up? Plz update

 

[mawriealert]

We already had water conditioners at home (anti-algae and dechlorinator for the turtles).

I am going to highlight the issue here. Also, you have to make sure your water is not too hard for the betta fish because even though bettafishes are hardy fish, water hardness/softness can still affect the betta. Test your water out because different areas have different softness/hardness of water. Also, check other issues of water such as PH levels and ammonia levels.

What I normally used for my betta is Betta Splendid water conditioner because it lowers ph levels, dechlorinates, add-in stress coat, and lowers ammonia levels. I recently had a betta fish that floated a lot and he couldnt even sink to the bottom. So, he had swim bladder disease due to being in Petco and having issues with being either overfed or having water issues.. So.. to strengthen most of the bettas is usually to keep them in around 75-82 degrees to boost their immune system and treat their specific sickness.

 

[beautiful Betta]

I personally don't agree with PH buffers, in my opinion it creates a unstable environment and Betta's adapt to PH anyway, so best to go with what your tap is anyway, its more stable, but each to their own.

How are you getting on?