Why Do My Bettas Keep Dying In My 2.5g

[MegTheFish]

A PH of 7.8 is fine, bettas don't really prefer a certain Ph. Adding Ph adjusting chemicals do more harm then good, also.

 

[ral]

Yup, it is possible... let me check again... maybe it is nitrites first than nitrates. Sorry, always get mixed up between those two.

 

[ral]

Yup I got it wrong...

http/faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html

Substance:

Ammonia ---> Nitrites ---> Nitrates

Nuetralized by:

Bacteria ----> Plants ----> Partial Water change

 

[SRC]

A PH of 7.8 is fine, bettas don't really prefer a certain Ph. Adding Ph adjusting chemicals do more harm then good, also.

That is totally correct.

Adjusting your PH is risky business.

Any number of things can cause it to crash..and when PH crashes it can and will harm fish, because it happens so fast.

Sticking your hand in the tank to adjust the themometer or fix a turned over plant, adding food, adding a fish, adding dechlorinator, ect...anything going into water with chemically adjusted PH is at risk of crashing.

Just don't do it!!!!

If you have fish that prefer a lower PH then your Tap water...just try using bottled water.

 

[Karah's_Mommy]

As long as the pH remains constant, 7.8 isn't a problem. My tap water comes out around 8 - 8.2 and my fish do fine in it. I don't like to put any unnecessary chemicals in my tanks, and those like pH reducer/increaser can cause swings in pH which is far worse than having a higher constant pH.

 

[jollysue]

I use driftwood, almond leaf, and have now got some peat that I will eventually get around to. They condition the water and do lower ph but I don't believe they are considered a chemical ph adjuster. Since it becomes part of the tank community with drift wood and peat it seems different. I could be wrong. Some fish don't require certain water but they do like it. Many of my bettas were raised with some form of Almond leaf. So I use it.

 

[Durbkat]

Ok I'll try to answer your questions.
No I'm not kidding about the water changes thought that since they aren't big waste producers I could get away with once a month water changes. Don't have bleach so if I pour the water out and rinse the tank, gravel, and plants in hot water and let the tank sit in hot water for a day will that work? Sorry for making you all wait so long hadn't had time to get on.

 

[jollysue]

I really think if there is concern of a lingering infection in the tank, then a nuke job is best. Get some clorine bleach at the market or almost any store: drug, home improvement, grocer, market, gas short stop....

 

[Durbkat]

But I don't really want to use bleach because I'm afraid I won't get it all out and it will kill my next betta. So I'm just going to rinse everything with hot water and let it air dry for a day set it back up and hope I got it all out. Sorry.

 

[Andie]

If there's an infection lingering in your tank, then not using bleach to kill it will kill the next betta almost as surely as using bleach and not rinsing out entirely would. Better safe than sorry, don't you think?

 

[lljdma06]

But I don't really want to use bleach because I'm afraid I won't get it all out and it will kill my next betta. So I'm just going to rinse everything with hot water and let it air dry for a day set it back up and hope I got it all out. Sorry.

It's not scary at all. We've all done it. I'll have to nuke my filter from my goldfish tank since I lost both fish to Katrina so I can use it for a new tropical tank. They didn't die of disease, but I don't want goldfish cooties in my tropical tank . Power filters are not cheap, and nuking saves money and ensures that you're killing whatever's still lurking there. SRC gave some great directions, and if you follow them, you'll be alright. It's not like your full strength bleach, she said to dilute it. You can also rinse the tank with dechlorinated water to get extra chlorine out. It'll be tedious, but I cannot stress enough that this is the way to go if you want to be certain that nothing is left to fester in that tank. Hot water won't cut it IMHO, and I'm sticking to this. We just don't want you to have to deal with anymore fish loss. It's terrible thing to deal with, and if it can be prevented, we want to help.

 

[Durbkat]

I don't see how their could be an infection in the tank when one died of constipation and another was fine in the tank until he started biting his fins and I removed him and before the fish that was biting his fins and the one that died of constipation the previous fish was a paradise fish but he died because he jumped out of the tank and dried up before I found him and the one before that was a long finned rosy barb and he got stuck on the intake thing of the filter and died and the one before that was a betta that might of died of old age because he was in their for awhile.

 

[Naughtygirlrlw]

If you are scared of using bleach, (I would be a wee afraid too!) Just rinse it out with really hot water, scrub it down really good with something that hasn't been dryed with fabric softner, and rinse, rinse, rinse!

 

[Andie]

You may not have actually seen anything, but with such infrequent water changes they could also have been carrying a variety of secondary infections brought on by bacteria, parasites, etc.

I do understand your concern; I was worried about using bleach myself, but I really didn't have a choice since when you don't know what lived in a tank before you got it, you kind of have to, so I took the plunge and my Convicts are glad I did If you follow SRC's directions to the letter there shouldn't be anything to worry about. Once you can't smell the bleach anymore, it should be safe for your fish to live there

 

[Durbkat]

Ok thanks guys. I'll let you all know when I get a new betta and let you know how he is doing.