First time fish, something went wrong

[rob1ooo1oo]

On 24th May we became the owners of a male "Super Delta Dumbo Ear Betta". We thought that we did everything correct but unfortunately by 10th Jun he had died. We blamed ourselves and clearly must have done something wrong. It wasn't until after when I started looking at betta's online that I realised ours didn't looked quite different. I regret that i didn't get any photos of him but i did managed to extract a shot from a video I took on the day we got him home, I've attached this below;

The ends of his fins were frayed and white with some bits loose almost falling off. It was a super delta and it had lots of fin going on, though it didn't really have a tail section, there was a gap between top fin and bottom fin.

I am now thinking we might have been sold a poorly fish and although we might still be to blame for something we missed I am convinced we were at a loss from the start. Thinking back to the purchase we were set on getting a couple of tettras. The sales guy pretty much did everything to disuade us from this, we had to buy this betta, it was a polite but forceful sale... but okay, we're new to this we'll take his advise.

In brief here are a few of the things we did do in trying to care for him;

• Had the tank filled and running for 2-3 weeks before hand.
• Tested ph / ammonia
• Kept temperature at a steady 25C, though we read conflicting information - where we purchased the fish he said keep at 22, but most sites I read on said more towards 24-28.
• Fed a small amount daily
• Slowly introduced into the tank, mixing our water with shop tank water
• Replaced a portion of the water weekly.
• Kept out of direct sunlight

Basically I should I avoid this aquarium centre, or do i need to learn more about the proper care of tropical fish? I am not looking for vindication, simply that we're put off from getting any more fish and having the same experience (dead fish, crying children).

Any advise appreciated.

Regards
Rob

 

[dmpfishlover]

Welcome to the Forum!

I am sorry to hear about the loss of your Betta.

It is hard to tell in the pictures if there were any signs of illness prior to the fish's passing, as the picture is blurry. At first I thought it looked like he might have had some white spots on him (Ich), but then I noticed these white spots in other area of the picture and think that they just might be bubbles. We/you may never know why the fish died. It may not have been anything you did wrong. The fish could have been diseased when you bought it.

First thing I want to say, is don't let this experience dissuade you from getting fish again. Keeping fish can be very rewarding. There is lots to learn, but that part can be fun.

A few questions for you:

1. Did you Cycle the tank before adding the fish to the tank? Do you know what the Nitrogen Cycle is and how it works? If not, you will want to check out a thread on this site that is VERY informative and helpful: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/
2. Do you know what the Hardness (GH) and pH of your Tapwater is? If not, you should check with your municipality/water provider to find this out, or check out their website if they have one. Make sure you find out the exact numbers/units (usually in degrees GH or ppm GH, but can sometimes be a different unit) of the Water Hardness.... Soft or Hard can be very "relative" terms and can be different for every water provider and different from what is considered hard or soft for the aquarium hobby. Certain fish can only live in different types of water with a specific hardness or pH range.
3. When you tested for Ammonia and pH, what were your readings?
4. Did you add a dechlorinator to your water before filling the tank?
5. What size is your tank? What are its dimensions?

Answers to these questions will help us to provide you with some recommendations moving forward.

As far as avoiding the aquarium center moving forward, I wouldn't say you need to avoid the center, I would just recommend that you do NOT take the advice of any Pet Store Staff member. Unfortunately, you have no way of knowing what training (if any) they received and how knowledgeable they are (if at all). A lot of the time Pet Store Staff do not provide sound advice. That is why you need to do your own research, so you have the information yourself before buying fish.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Sorry for your loss...

@dmpfishlover made an excellent post. The questions she asked needs to be answered before we can properly help you.

 

[FishGuest5123]

I agree that your tank wasn’t cycled. Please read the post given above to better understand the aquarium nitrogen cycle. Then, cycle your tank before purchasing any other fish. We’re here to help.

 

[aqua.land]

Hi.

@dmpfishlover Made really good points. Have you cycled your tank and added all the beneficial bacteria to it?
Also, sometimes the fish can die of stress. It is strange though because if I read correctly it died within 2 weeks, not a few days. However your fish doesn't have to die of stress immediately - it can take some time as it gradually gets weaker and weaker.