R.I.P. Maxi
 |
Well I’m very sad today. Last night Maxi wasn’t acting his usual self. He wasn’t zipping and darting around the water or begging to be fed. I looked him over carefully but there didn’t seem to be any problems. The water had just been changed on Friday and was clear. I tested the water and everything was normal. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Well as soon as I woke up this morning I just knew something went wrong. And I was right. Maxi was not alive this morning. I just wish I knew what got to him. He was young and I’ve only had him 4 months.
I’m a bit scared to purchase another fish because this is the second one thats died in 8 months. Maybe when we return form our trip I’ll try again. If any of you have suggestions on how to keep the new one alive, I’m all ears. 
April 18th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
I have an idea first make shore the tank is at lest 84 degrees F. when maxi died did he have any whit spots on him if he did he died of ick. Did you feed hem the day before he died. remember when you said He wasn’t zipping and darting around the water or begging to be fed. thats a sine of a unhealthy betta. so your betta died
April 18th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
in my last comment I antecedently said so your betta died
I meant to say I’m so sorry maxi died
April 19th, 2008 at 6:22 am
Stress can make fish stop eating sometimes. If you have another stop eating, you can try varying their diet. The main source of stress I’ve had has been harassment from tankmates, though. By the sounds of it, Maxi was alone?
Anyway, it might be a good idea to familiarize yourself with fish disorders. Here’s a good quick guide: http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/Diseases1.htm
Also, this link has pictures of many of the diseases you might encounter with fish, complete with pictures showing the symptoms. NOTE: This link is NOT FOR THE WEAK HEARTED. Some of the pictures are very severe cases.
http://www.jbl.de/onlinehospitaluk/perpicture/index.php?Step=2&GalleryId=2
April 19th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
sooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry
April 19th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Hevach, My fish ate up to the morning of his sudden mood change. I do vary the foods my Betta’s eat between 3 different types of food. I checked Maxi out and he had non of the signs of any disorders other than not behaving like himself.
April 19th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Sam, Its ok, I understand. I keep my Betta’s very warm around 82-84 degrees. He showed no signs of disease other than not acting like himself. His scales were normal and had nothing on them, nor was he grayish in color. Between the time I figured out he was acting weird and he dies was only a matter of hours, so I’m not sure what I could have done to change the outcome unfortunately.
April 20th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Hey Leah,
I have had a few Beta’s before and they never seemed to live very long, but now I have a beautiful blue Half-moon Beta named Tucker. I have had him for about 2 years now and the only differences between him and my others is that I only put distilled water in his tank (its about $1.15 for 4L) and every few weeks I change up his scenery, like plants. I bought a variety of plants in different colours and sizes, he likes to swim through them or sometimes even rest on them (its quite cute actually). So either I’ve just been very lucky or the changes really helped.
It’s just a fun tip that might make a difference. Take care!!
April 21st, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Thanks for the tips. I only use bottled water for my fish. I worry about those drops that get rid of chlorine from tap water. I never thought about changing the scenery, I’ll have to try that.
April 23rd, 2008 at 6:38 am
I use Dechlor, from Weco with no problem. It works very quickly, is safe to overuse (In high amounts, it can also neutralize bleach residue in an unclean bucket).
Bottled water alone isn’t a good idea due to gH and kH of 0:
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/purewatr.htm
Considering the new information, you could have a nitrite problem. Low kH exacerbates nitrite poisoning, as nitrite lowers pH, is more toxic at low pH, and at a pH of 6.5 (which is low, but inside a betta’s range) will dissolve into nitrous acid, which is highly toxic and won’t show up on test kits. Symptoms vary, but can include listlessness, gasping for air (not helpful for betas, as it’s a normal behavior for anabantoids), and discolored gills.
April 27th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
i feel bad 4 u that ur betta died
April 29th, 2008 at 2:23 am
I had betta fish when i was 9 and for some reason i didnt even give them that much food (3-6)days or excellent care for water changes (2-3 weeks)but they still lived for a good 4-5 years.. and i still have the first betta fish i ever bought on my counter right now. I think maybe yours died because.. to much stress or something if the water is to clean i think it might mess with the fish because in the wild betta fish live in murky dirty water anyway and they live good lives.
May 1st, 2008 at 12:23 am
So sorry your friend passed on. I know the feeling all to well. My Charlie passed 10 daqys ago. I missed my Charlie so much I had to get another. Fred is his name and now I want to breed. They are the sweetest fish in the world and look forward to seeing you as much as you look forward in seeing them. Hope you get another. Don’t give up. I have a friend that has had his male 8 years and female for 6 years now.