[Hpetrella87]

About 6 months ago I bought 2 female Bettas from Petco (one red and one blue). I had them in a 1.5 Gallon tank (the link below is the exact same tank I have). I noticed that the Tetra filter it came with was not working anymore so I upgraded to the submersible Sting Ray filter (also linked below). The only additive I have used was the water conditioner for Bettas since I live in Chicago I use the city water supply which tends to be higher in chlorine content. I also had a couple silk plants, figurines, and the typical rocks for fish tanks in their tank. The temperature was also checked regularly and was always warm enough (upper 70s lower 80s). I fed them about 5 pellets every other day and skipped feed once in a while when noticed that had eaten enough. The girls got along great and didn't fight. However, Addison did have a tendency to bully Wrigley and eat the majority of the food which is why I'm not sure if she just over ate and died. Now you can imagine my distress when I went to do another water change and saw my red fish, Addison, sunk to the bottom of the tank dead. She was fine that morning and just died suddenly. I have read symptoms of Betta diseases and she did not show any signs of fin or scale problems or any type of goo or ick. The only thing I thought was strange was the fact that she sank (I thought fish float when they die and her bright red color was also faded, not sure if these things just happen when Bettas die.) I removed both Bettas from the tank, discarded Addison and cleaned the tank thoroughly. It has been a couple days now and I'm noticing that Wrigley (the blue female) is swimming around slower and just not as active in general. She is also not eating like she was before. I spoke with a friend who has owned Bettas before (these are my first) and he said that Wrigley could be depressed by the loss of Addison. Is this true? I would easily buy her a new friend but I'm concerned that she may not live either. Since she hasn't been eating I've noticed her fins seem to be weaker or thinner, for lack of a better description. I'm also concerned for her because the salesman at Petco did not tell me to only do partial water changes. For the first month or two I was doing full water changes about once a week. I began doing the partial water changes once I read it on a Betta Care website. I am a vegetarian and an animal rights supporter so a fish dying in my care if very troubling and I do not want it to happen again. Can anyone please help me? I don't want Wrigley to die but I'm not sure why Addison died to begin with. I'm not sure what could have caused her death; water changes, over feeding, too much ammonia/Nitrates in the water, or just a bad/old fish? Wrigley and I appreciate any advice you may have regarding Addison's death and a new friend for Wrigley. Thank you very much!

Heather
[email protected]


http://www.petco.com/product/102093...Gallon-Aquarium-Kit.aspx?CoreCat=FishFC_Tanks

http://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Stingray-Submersible-Filter-Gallon/dp/B0009YJ4GI

 

[Oldfishlady]

Sorry for your loss.....

IMO/E 1.5g is not big enough for 2 fish, with that set up you would need to make daily 50-100% water changes to keep the water quality at safe level for both fish, plus the added stress that it can cause with 2 fish in such a small polluted container.

I would not get another female and I would start by making daily 50% water changes for 4-5 days and then stay with 50% twice weekly thereafter and remove any uneaten food after feeding.

IME ammonia level can raise to unsafe level with one Betta in that size tank within 2-3 days depending on amount fed and if uneaten food is removed at the time or not.

Would love to see some pic of you Betta and set-up...again sorry for your loss...it can be distressing when we lose a pet

 

[Rain Drop]

I'm not sure what the cause of death could've of been, sorry :c
Maybe it was ammonia poisoning since you had 2 fish in a very small container and only did weekly changes. Now, with Wrigley, she'll be okay in that container by herself. I'd do one or two 50% change and another 100% change each one a week. Don't get her another "friend", the tank is just too small for two. Plus, to keep a proper sorority to eliminate fights and bullying, you need at least 4 females in a heavily planted 10G tank or higher. For the thinning of her fins, she might have fin rot, but it's hard to say for sure. Keep the water super clean and add about a half a teaspoon of aquarium salt to keep any infections away. She defiantly could be depressed from the lack of company, but still don't get her another tankmate(s) unless you get her a much larger aquarium.

 

[shmifty5]

from what i've read/heard the minimum tank for a single betta is 2.5 gallons and that females shouldn't be kept in groups of 2 as it causes bullying, im still not sure why your betta died but i could guess that she was more susceptible to the ammonia levels than your other betta and your current betta is just suffering from ammonia poisoning, alot of clean fresh water will help her recover.

just a question tho, how does one support animal rights yet still keep fish? especially in unfit conditions, im not judging or trying to be rude or anything, but it would seem odd for someone to preach that all life is fair and still be "unfair" to fish.

P.S. i support animal rights as well, not PETA (i don't support that they euthanize animals).

 

[dramaqueen]

She also could have died from stress. With only 2 females, one will often bully the other one to death.

 

[Hpetrella87]

Oldfishlady & Raindrop- Thank you very much for your advice! I had no idea that the tank was too small. When I bought the bettas the "fish expert" assured me that the tank was large enough and even convinced me to buy two so they wouldn't be lonely. I guess I shouldn't have taken advice from a salesman, he was probably trying to unload the females since most people only want a male. I checked the ammonia level again yesterday and today and it read 0.02 which is "safe" on the chart. I also went to an aquarium store yesterday and explained to the worker what happened. He said it did sound like Wrigley could be developing fin rot. I bought additives to cure fin rot and heal his skin. I also bought the aquarium salt, ammonia controller, and water conditioner. I'm also looking into bigger tanks now too. Wrigley has already been doing much better now. I did a 50% water change yesterday and will do the same today. Thank you again for all your help.

Shmifty5- I was concerned and asking for advice. If you have nothing better to do than to surf message boards and mock people looking for help then please don't bother replying to questions. If you MUST know... I saw the racks of female bettas at Petco and they were sitting there in tiny tupperware containers so I felt terrible for them. And I was lied to by the "fish expert" there so I was not even aware of some of the specific care for bettas until I looked it up on my own. He had told me "Bettas are just like goldfish you can just toss them in a bowl and they will be happy". So I do apologize for not looking into Betta care prior to buying them but it was spur of the moment when I saw how all the fish in Petco looked as if they would die in cereal bowl sized containers but your sarcasm and judgement is not needed I was looking for help.

Dramaqueen- Thanks for your input! I was told that females would never fight and it was safe to keep them together in the tank. The strange part was though that it couldn't have been the bullying that caused Addison to die, you see she was the bully. Addison was the one that died and she was the bully, Wrigley is alive and shes the one that was picked on. She does look like shes doing much better now though and I will continue to monitor everything closely and keep up the frequent water changes until I can tell she is 100% ok again.

Thank you again everyone for all of you help!

 

[Oldfishlady]

So true you need to watch out for the pet shops as they only want to sell you something and make money, most don't care if the fish dies and some want them to die so they can sell you another one...sad.....

As far as the death even though the one that died was the bully she may have died due to stress because she was the bully....she had to work hard to defend her territory and that is very stressful on a fish

When checking water prams be aware that ammonia and nitrite of readings 0.25ppm and greater are harmful to fish and the best treatment is at least 50% water change.
Nitrate though safer, (5-10ppm) at levels greater than 30ppm can start to affect the immune response of the fish and again water change is the best treatment.
IMO/E-the only chemical additive that you need is a good dechlorinator if on city water supply, the best treatment for fish is fresh clean dechlorinated water, chemicals just cover up a problem that can be fixed with a water change.......
Pet shops like to recommend and sell people all these chemical and medication that are not needed......so sad IMO

Also, this species is a non-social fish and really doesn't need a companion.....that is a human view, however, it is still nice to have something else in a tank that is large enough to house more that just a Betta like shrimp, snails, and frogs.......

I need to welcome you to this wonderful hobby and to warn you....it can be addictive.....lol.....

 

[shmifty5]

Shmifty5- I was concerned and asking for advice. If you have nothing better to do than to surf message boards and mock people looking for help then please don't bother replying to questions. If you MUST know... I saw the racks of female bettas at Petco and they were sitting there in tiny tupperware containers so I felt terrible for them. And I was lied to by the "fish expert" there so I was not even aware of some of the specific care for bettas until I looked it up on my own. He had told me "Bettas are just like goldfish you can just toss them in a bowl and they will be happy". So I do apologize for not looking into Betta care prior to buying them but it was spur of the moment when I saw how all the fish in Petco looked as if they would die in cereal bowl sized containers but your sarcasm and judgement is not needed I was looking for help.

i never intended for my message to sound as if it contained sarcasm or judgement, i was merely curious as to your reasoning, definately no offense intended, i'am sincerely sorry if my message has offended you in anyway shape or form.