Betta Is Dying! Need Help 911

Soaking the fish dried foods in garlic juice can stimulate appetite, give the immune system a boost. Stress can cause the immune system to become weak.

Squeeze, or press, some juice out of garlic cloves.
Get a small container and add the juice, add pellets, let them soak the garlic juice up. Feed to fish.

asilisa2000 said:

I use Kordon Amquel Plus in this tank every day. I use 3-4 drops which is about the ratio of 1 tsp per 10 gals. I did the drop count for 1 tsp and it was about 35 drops. Divided it by 10 to get the dose for 1 gal. Then I was changing the water once every 5 days. His bubbler is under gravel and creates an under gravel type filter. When I change his water, I use the gravel vacuum and clean the top waste. I've used a little of the bio sludge from my 20 gallon tank in his tank to help age the water. I don't change all the water,just about 3/4th of it. I feed him one pellet at a time and give him a few minutes between pellets. When he starts to play with his food is when I stop. Usually about 3 to 5 pellets. He is very skinny and I feel like I am not feeding him enough but the pet store people told me not to feed him too much. Am I doing something really bad?

By the way, yes I changed his water just before seeking help. While he was waiting I had him in the aquarium. same ph as his tank. More filtration systems and aged water.

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Hope the fish recovers. But just to make sure, changing 3/4th of the water in 5 days is just asking for an inevitable disease or death if there's no filter. You definately need to do that every day for a 1G tank. And if you have been doing the same maintenance on the rest of the bettas, they'll start dying one by one early or later, depending on how strong their immune system is, but they'll give in eventually. This one is just the weakest of them so he's gone downhill first. The fish produces ammonia not through poop only, but through the gills/skin and there's no ammount of vaccumming that will stop the water from becoming toxic with ammonia, unless you install a filter and cycle the tank. If you have so many fish, invest in a liquid test kit like API brand for example. Test for ammonia and nitrItes in all tanks, if any of them are not 0, then fish are being slowly poisoned. For fish living in these conditions, it's like breathing their own pea, with that difference that the pea is burning them outside in and will eventually cause irreversible damage, disease and slow and painful premature death.

I know this is of topic, and I apologise in advance for that, but it's really not a good idea to keep goldfish in bowls; they grow too big. Do you know someone who has a pond that could take it for you?

I hope your betta gets better; you've been given great advice by the other members here

OK, I just tried the "squeeze" garlic thing. No such luck. There is no juice from my garlic, just mushy garlic. Have you actually tried this? Do you need to add water to the pulp to get the garlic juice? Have you ever actually tried the garlic soak for your bettas or are you yanking my chain for kicks and giggles?

If you are having problems extracting the juice I suggest buying garlic juice in a bottle, garlic capsules.

Do a search on how to extract garlic juice.
Adding garlic juice to fish food, As I am not yanking your chain.

I never have kept betta fish.
Yes I have soaked my fish food in garlic when I kept fish. But I used garlic capsules.

fluttermoth said:

I know this is of topic, and I apologise in advance for that, but it's really not a good idea to keep goldfish in bowls; they grow too big. Do you know someone who has a pond that could take it for you?

I hope your betta gets better; you've been given great advice by the other members here

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Thank you for the concern. Klaus was actually supposed to be a feeder ghost shrimp. S/He was very small and undeveloped and did not look any different than the other ghost shrimp I buy as treats for the aquarium fish. I noticed that there were carapices around the bottom of the aquarium and thought that s/he had finally met its fate. Since I have all kinds of stones and caves and ornaments in the aquarium I did not notice that s/he was using these as shelter as s/he grew. Then after 7 or 8 months, I noticed some of my fish were disappearing and then floating around in parts. I thought this was unfortunate that the fish were fighting and not getting along. After about a year, I noticed a rather large claw sticking out of the cave ornament and that is when I found Klaus. I then removed Klaus from the aquarium so that I could save the rest of the community. I realized that Klaus was accustomed to eating fish, so I bought some feeders for it. The gold fish is a feeder fish for the crayfish, Klaus. Klaus has just decided not to eat Goldie......yet. They swim and sleep together now. Klaus (prounounced Claws)grooms and caresses Goldie. I often find Goldie hanging out under Klaus. Sometimes I see Klaus holding Goldie with his many legs. In the picture, Goldie is nuzzled up under Klaus and Klaus is scratching her back. She seems to like this. I change their water everyday. Klaus is a very messy eater and Goldie picks up the scraps. Goldie has only been around for a month so when she gets too big, my neighbor has a pond and I give the oversized fish to them. Neither one of these two were ever supposed to become pets. They were both meant to feed the other fish in the tank. But I have grown fond of them both and will take the necessary steps then the time comes.

Thank you to everyone who has offered help and advice. I really appreciate it very much. It has also made me realize that I must not be a very good fish keeper. I've had my larger tank for over 20 years and didn't know I was mistreating my fish pets so badly. I will do my best to try to find a better owner for them. As for the bettas, I never owned one, mush less than the five I have now, before a month ago. I just thought I could give them a better home than a cup at the pet shop. I must have been crazy to think I could do this. Here is a picture of my aquarium just for reference. I know everyone who looks at this will have an opinion and I welcome them. I hope everyone has a really nice day.

asilisa2000 said:

Goldie has only been around for a month so when she gets too big, my neighbor has a pond and I give the oversized fish to them. Neither one of these two were ever supposed to become pets. They were both meant to feed the other fish in the tank. But I have grown fond of them both and will take the necessary steps then the time comes.

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Oh, I know these things happen! That's really good about the pond, but I would get Goldie in there sooner, rather than later; I just thought I'd better mention it, as not everyone is given the right information on goldfish

Sorry to go off topic; I'll let the other members get back to helping you with your betta

snazy said:

asilisa2000 said:

I use Kordon Amquel Plus in this tank every day. I use 3-4 drops which is about the ratio of 1 tsp per 10 gals. I did the drop count for 1 tsp and it was about 35 drops. Divided it by 10 to get the dose for 1 gal. Then I was changing the water once every 5 days. His bubbler is under gravel and creates an under gravel type filter. When I change his water, I use the gravel vacuum and clean the top waste. I've used a little of the bio sludge from my 20 gallon tank in his tank to help age the water. I don't change all the water,just about 3/4th of it. I feed him one pellet at a time and give him a few minutes between pellets. When he starts to play with his food is when I stop. Usually about 3 to 5 pellets. He is very skinny and I feel like I am not feeding him enough but the pet store people told me not to feed him too much. Am I doing something really bad?

By the way, yes I changed his water just before seeking help. While he was waiting I had him in the aquarium. same ph as his tank. More filtration systems and aged water.

Click to expand...

Hope the fish recovers. But just to make sure, changing 3/4th of the water in 5 days is just asking for an inevitable disease or death if there's no filter. You definately need to do that every day for a 1G tank. And if you have been doing the same maintenance on the rest of the bettas, they'll start dying one by one early or later, depending on how strong their immune system is, but they'll give in eventually. This one is just the weakest of them so he's gone downhill first. The fish produces ammonia not through poop only, but through the gills/skin and there's no ammount of vaccumming that will stop the water from becoming toxic with ammonia, unless you install a filter and cycle the tank. If you have so many fish, invest in a liquid test kit like API brand for example. Test for ammonia and nitrItes in all tanks, if any of them are not 0, then fish are being slowly poisoned. For fish living in these conditions, it's like breathing their own pea, with that difference that the pea is burning them outside in and will eventually cause irreversible damage, disease and slow and painful premature death.

Click to expand...

I can't change it all if I want to start culturing the bacteria in the undergravel filters. Some of my aquariums (3 of 4) have undergravel filters. This one tank has the undergravel bubbler and sponge that are recent starts. I stated that I had taken some of the sludge (what I call it) some call it culture from the larger aquarium and placed it in the gravel next to and under the bubbler. I will do what I can to find them other homes. I evidently will kill them all sooner or later since I don't know what I am doing. Oh, and yes, I do have API test kits. I test for ph, hardness (GH and KH), ammonia, nitrates, nitrites. I have a masters in education and teach chemistry. Just never had a Betta fish before.

Well, then I presume you've tested water from the bowl with the betta. What is the ammonia and nitrIte level in the problem tank? It's good that you are educated in chemistry as you should know better than the rest of us about nitrogen cycle and that there's no better remedy than tank water free of toxic substances.
I am not sure what you mean by an undergravel bubbler and a new sponge together. Normally it's either a sponge filter driven by an air pump, but this uses an undergravel plate, alternatively sponge filter driven by an air pump. Some people use power heads instead of air pumps for better circulation.
Regardless, if you are using an undergravel filter, than your best bet is adding gravel from one of your other established tanks with undergravel filters because that's where the bacteria gets established in undergravel filters. If you are using a sponge filter, there isn't much you can do to seed it because you need to put the bacteria on and in the sponge itself and since the bacteria "glues" itself to surfaces in established tanks, it's almost impossible to transfer it to the sponge via a decoration, or gravel, or water and put it on the sponge to jump start the cycle. So it will take longer time with a sponge filter. In order for the water to get filtered/cycled, it needs to go THROUGH the media itself, which is either the gravel in undergravel filtered tanks, or the sponge in tanks with sponge filters. Only water in immediate contact with established bacteria gets filtered. Water that passes by close to it doesn't and the bacteria dies off or in best scenarios moves to better places in the tank, because it doesn't get constant supply of oxygen, ammonia or nitrItes where it was. But it takes time.

Phlame (flame) maybe I should change his name to Phoenix because he's looking great. Thanks to everyone for their ideas and help.

Glad to hear he looks a lot better.

He's back from ashes of death. He is now named Phoenix. He's gotten better thanks to everyone's help.

WILDER said:

Glad to hear he looks a lot better.

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Yes, he's now perking his tail up. He's no longer that horrible brown color and he's very attentive when I come near the tank with the little yellow jar (he knows it's food). He's more active and doesn't lay on the bottom anymore.
I got a better under gravel filter system with carbon cartridge. Some bacterial culture starter for his tank. A better gang valve to better regulate the air flow. He gets his water changed every day now instead of every four or five days. I've included an aloe gel slime coat care treatment. And some electrolite treatment for his gill care. I think the other bettas are jealous.

Lovely news. Now we are going to wait for his first bubble nest