Comments on: R.I.P. Maxi

By: sam

sam — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:22:02 +0000

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

By: sam

sam — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:23:57 +0000

in my last comment I antecedently said so your betta died I meant to say I’m so sorry maxi died

By: Hevach

Hevach — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 06:22:13 +0000

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

By: sam

sam — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:48:45 +0000

sooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry

By: Leah Brown

Leah Brown — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 17:43:28 +0000

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.

By: Leah Brown

Leah Brown — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 17:46:10 +0000

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.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:42:53 +0000

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!!

By: Leah Brown

Leah Brown — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:37:20 +0000

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.

By: Hevach

Hevach — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:38:55 +0000

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.

By: Emily

Emily — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:46:01 +0000

i feel bad 4 u that ur betta died

By: Tri

Tri — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:23:32 +0000

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.

By: Denise Brooks

Denise Brooks — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:23:33 +0000

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.