[Laserflair62]

Ok, I am kinda new to bettas and the fish I have now in currently in a filtered, heated, planted 2.6 and doing very well in it, but I have not been able to keep a betta alive for more than 8 months. But the thing is, I remember my mom having a betta as an office pet (it was given to her by coworkers) and she kept him in a vase with a plant on top and that fish lived for 3.5 years. No heater, no water conditioner and he only had a partial water change once a week. He never had finrot or ich either... So I'm wondering how is it that I keep killing my fish and I'm trying the "very best" to take care of them and my mom took care of her fish with little knowledge and that fish out lived all my betta by what seems like eons :frustrated: I really feel like I should take my tank back and call it a day.

I also remember having bettas in 1 gallon bowls as a kid and they all lived longer than any of the ones I've had now...... I just don't get it :-(

By the way all the stuff about my mom's betta happened like 10-15 years ago.

 

[Laserflair62]

Yeah, and I will admit my boy is so much happier in the 2.6 than in the 1 gallon quarantine I have. I took him out of the larger tank to put him in quarantine to asses his split fin but he just clamped his fins up and sat at the bottom. When I returned to his large home he was zooming around fins spread wide like normal. And I've noticed that any damage he's had heals much faster than in a non filtered tank.

 

[Laserflair62]

My tank is running fine now... actually its running excellently, cycle and all. But I guess I just get discouraged sometimes and wonder why this happens and how people with so little knowledge have fish surviving for years. Through the fish that have passed away, I've learned more and more about my rookie mistakes.

 

[Laserflair62]

That is the story of my life right now lol. I've only had my VT for 2 months now, and I pray that I will at least celebrate his one year birthday. Anything else is extra.

 

[Laserflair62]

Thanks for the encouragement and tips everyone . I like to get people's opinion and personal experience with owning bettas. And I've always wondered with the new tail types how close knit the gene pool is to get those trait and are they become more frail because of the genetics now?... but that's a debate for a different day I guess lol.

 

[Laserflair62]

I love New Life Spectrum, I've always used it! I did think about the science about the slower metabolism = a longer life, I also read in a book that bettas don't necessarily die of cool (say 65'F) temperatures, its the secondary infections that normally kill them because their immune system is compromised. Then again a high concentration of waste in a small volume doesn't help the situation either.

It makes me sad how some breeders just want fast money. And then there are people who just want the experience of breeding bettas and end up with hundreds of eggs that they don't know what to do with.

 

[Laserflair62]

I absolutely agree!