My Betta Died And I Need Help With Why....

[sharkydog]

My betta died today... He's been having issues that I THOUGHT I had been controlling well but apparently not...

He seemed to have mild fin rot about a month or two ago and I used that 'cure all' tablet you put in for five days without water change. I don't remember what it's called but it treats all various types of stuff. It seemed to work, even though there was very very slight 'clumping' or blackness at the ends of his fins that was so thin it was hardly noticeable. Overall he seemed to have gotten over it because he stopped keeping his top fin clamped and it was always spread out.

Then he started to get bloated, and would stay at the top of the water, sometimes on his side. So I fed him less and gave him the inside of a pea. That seemed to work. But he still would get those symptoms often, aside from the floating on his side; he'd still stay at the top of the water a lot of the time and seemed bloated almost constantly. Sometimes he would have trouble swimming down to the bottom of the tank, sometimes not. Lately though, he didn't seem to have trouble he just seemed to prefer to stay towards the top. Either way I would feed him about 5 times a week and each time it was only about 5-8 betta flakes or 1 freeze dried bloodworm.

Last night the ends of his fins seemed to have gotten worse, which they had stayed pretty much the same for a long time - which I assumed to just be how he had recovered. And he was also very bloated. Also about a week ago he seemed to have passed a rather large 'red ball' which I have no idea what that was.... Today I found him dead at the bottom of his tank... I'm really upset because he was such a peaceful betta and he was so inquisitive and goofy and just a wonderful individual who I feel like I failed him with my incompetence. :'(

Any other information that might help: He lived with a blue mystery snail in a 3 gallon tank (I am... or was in the works of setting up his 10 gallon...) with a bubble stone. The temperature of his tank would range from 74-78. I would do weekly or bi-weekly water changes and I would do only half water changes using a gravel vacuum to pick up debri and every other time I cleaned it I would actually clean the gravel. The times that I changed the gravel I would add just a drop or two of bacteria enzyme starter stuff (a little less than suggested) and each time I changed it I would add the appropriate amount of water conditioner.

My mom used to care for the betta's we had and this was the first time I took care of them myself. When she did it, she managed to have them live for years with just changing the water every month or so and only adding water conditioner each time in the same type of tank (without a mystery snail, though). She also never paid attention to temperature and fed them once or twice every day. To be honest, I don't know how she managed to have them be so incredibly healthy with such little care. I feel like I tried too hard, and that's what killed him. I am really really hesitant to continue to work on my new tank, because this betta didn't even last a full year. I don't want to have fish and then kill them with my idiocy...
 
Is this my fault? What exactly killed him?

 

[argoma]

It could have been so many things.. From your information, one thing that caught my attention was how many flakes you fed the fish. You souldnt feed him that much each time. I used to feed my betta flakes until i found pellets, and i would give him only 2 or 3 flakes tops. Also flakes have a high percentage of air in them, and when inside of the betta, the flakes increase in size and sometimes lead to bloating. Same with bloodworms. That's the only thing i see that could be wrong.
I'm sorry he died..

 

[tunagirll]

I'm very sorry your lost your betta - rip betta!
 
In regards to how you might be a bit more agressive with your betta care?
 
3 gallons = ~ 12 litres and this is large enough for a Betta, however if you didn't have a filter and were doing 50% changes once or twice a week, it's highy likely that your tank was attempting to cycle. Weekly or half weekly changes would have left the water long enough to develop a reasonable amount of nitrite, and a nitrite build up may have contributed to stressing your fish.
 
One of the reasons why this might have been an issue is if you added water conditioner AFTER putting the water in the tank - if you have chlorinated water it would have killed the bacteria each time you changed the water and restarted the cycle (although the nitrite would have remained).
 
One of the symptoms that suggests this is the fin rot. Fin rot usually results as a consequence of dirty tank water. I don't know what tablet you added, but leaving the water for 5 days without a change would have offset its benefits.
 
Bettas are tropical fish and at 23 degrees C (your lower end of 74 degrees F) would have been in survival mode. At 25.5 degrees C (78 degrees F) he would have been just at the lower range of a comfortable temperature for him. This may have contributed to his demise by stressing him due to the cold.
 
Lastly feeding flakes to a betta is generally not preferable as the last poster mentioned, they are dry and air is ingested, and when they saturate the betta can bloat as well as become constipated if the flakes are not adequately rehydrated. Betta pellets are a preferred option because they reduce this risk, although they are still at risk of overfeeding. Try feeding no more than what would make up the volume of your betta's eye or a smidge more.
 
So in summary, I think it was just an unfortunate combination of possible issues that alone might have been fine, but together was just a bit too much for your fella. If you are more agressive with your water changes (I'd probably do a 100% change twice a week, minimum) or add a filter and cycle your tank first, add a heater to the tank (for a small tank get a small heater with a thermostat), you obviously already have a thermometer so you're good there. New water should be similar in temperature to the old water before adding. Continue to keep the water clean even if you have to medicate, just reapply the medication.
 
I hope this helps - you're obviously keen to make your pets happy and healthy so kudos for you, you're already far ahead of your mum

 

[Wildbetta]

There are a couple of things I see wrong with your previous set up.  Number one is what you fed him.  Bettas do not do well with flakes and freeze dried foods.  Both of these are known to cause bloating/constipation in bettas.  If left like that long enough,it causes issues with their swim bladder and eventually can cause internal organ issues.  Pellet food made for bettas and frozen foods (bloodworms, brine shrimp) are better for them.  It is very easy to over feed bettas. They are little beggers and their stomach is about the size of their eye.  Second issue -- if you do not have a filter, you need to be changing 100% of the water every other day.  Otherwise your water is never completely clear of all the harmful stuff in your water. (ammonia mainly but possibly nitrIte as well).  Adding the bacteria starter was not really doing you an good at all unfortunately.  The fin rot would have been from bad water quality and should have cleared up without medication.  All you would have needed was really clean warm water.  Third major issue is water temperature.  Your betta requires a steady stable temperature of at least 78F but 82F is better. When temperatures are too low or constantly fluctuating, the betta's immune system becomes impaired which makes it much easier for the betta to get sick and harder for it to get better.  Combine low water temp with too much food and you get a betta that can not digest all his food properly which causes extended bloating and constipation.  I also would not add a mystery snail to the tank if it is less than 5 gallons and especially with no filter.  Those snails are extremely messy and normally are going to need extra filtration.  All of this combined is why your betta did not make it.
When you decide to get another one -- I suggest reading this first.  It will probably clear up any questions or concerns you may have.  http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/423362-betta-splendens-caresheet/

 

[RCA]

Betta
 
So sorry to hear about your Betta, but good on you for reaching out and wanting to do what is best for your future fish.  The above is all good advice, so if you get your next set up fully cycled your Betta should live for a few years.

 

[BettaBarbara]

So sorry to hear about your fish passing....you got some really good advice above...

 

[sharkydog]

Thank you everyone... I tried to do what I could to keep his tank at a steady 78 degrees but his tank was not large enough for the heater that I have. I am in the process of setting up a 10 gallon, that was going to be for him that has a filter and a heater but it's no where near ready for fish to be added to it... And the flakes that I were feeding were the really small betta flakes - I don't think that I was over feeding with them because the pieces were smaller than his eye, but I think it was just the fact that they are flakes, like said above... I knew flakes weren't ideal but I didn't know they could cause bloating from the 'air' in them and not just from over feeding.

I wish I could have done more for him, and to be honest I am hesitant to get more fish. But I can tell you one thing, if I do get more it will be in my 10 gallon tank with filter, heater, and constant checks on the nitrite and ammonia levels. I had a connection to the vibrant personality of my Betta, and I acknowledge how each fish is an individual and I don't want to force any of them through a painful death simply because of my own 'trial and error'. That might be how other people learn, which is totally fine... But I want to make sure I am doing absolutely everything right and that I have exactly what I need and in case anything goes wrong - that I have the correct resources to fix it to the best of my abilities. Knowing now how stupid and easy all of these factors are that contributed to his death, I feel like I really failed him. It is probably going to take me a very long while before I get more fish, because this tank needs to be ready first - which isn't even cycling yet.

I think maybe I'll start with just buying plants for it (once it is cycled) and once the plants are flourishing, I will start to think about getting fish.

Anyways.... Thank you guys again. Even though the circumstances are horrible, at least now I know why he died without sitting here thinking, "what went wrong?!?!?!"

I sent him down the river last night so he finally has all the space he's ever wanted