So yet another beautiful fish has died. My lovely Bluey, who was just beginning to really relax into a “Lord of the Manor” lifestyle, was nowhere to be seen this morning, and as he always swims up to me as soon as I get out of bed, I knew something was wrong. Horrible tank search looking for a sick/injured fish, but I found him with his tail fin caught somehow behind and inside the filter – obviously he’d not been able to get to the surface and drowned poor thing. I honestly don’t know how to feel about Bettas. Mostly they’re terribly inbred. Then those fins, I’ve lost 3 over 20 years from getting fins stuck in things.
I think if I ever get another Betta it’ll have to be a Plakat – or a wild Betta, I have 4 and they’re so sturdy compared with the overbred pet shop fish.😢
https://v.redd.it/bxny3tabswgg1
Posted by Next-Wishbone2474
12 Comments
female bettas are just as pretty and don’t get enough love because they have smaller fins
You need to change your filter type then I have a better in a Fluval spec 5 and I have the special attachments on Amazon that has a waterfall and filter covers and his fins are longer than the ones in this video just but your pump to low flow and use said attachments and he’ll be fine
What type of filter do you use?
I have had great success with sponge filters, I have one just like that and he is living his best life
Try switching to sponge filters. No danger there. Also, the flow on your tank looks pretty high. Your betta might be struggling to come up for air with those long fins.
Sorry to hear about this. 😢 SIP Bluey. 🐟
Looks like the current is too strong. Bettas like calm waters anyways. Slow your flow way down. If you’re worried about not having enough surface agitation/oxygenation, add a small bubbler.
Get this off AliExpress, i have an eheim ecco pro with quite strong suction. This reduces the suction to almost nothing, fits perfect.
2pcs Inflow Inlet Filter Stainless Steel Mesh Net Guard Fish Tank Aquariums Accessories Intake Prefilter Cover Brine Shrimp
Stop buying betta in big stores.
Get a sponge filter and hide it behind wood/rocks/plants. If you really despise sponge filters that much, keep your current filter style and put a betta proof barrier around it so they can’t get to the actual inflow. Alternatively, if you have experience in aquarium keeping, why not try a low tech, non filter set up? Betta do well in them and if you put in plants, they’ll filter the water for you.
I’m so sorry to hear about Bluey may he SIP. He was such an elegant lil guy.
It looks like he’s fighting the current and can’t rest. I saw another video you posted of him where it was the same situation except he’s on the bottom of the tank by some corys. In the video he gets pushed around and try’s to hide under some wood to get some rest. I think he could have potentially wedged himself in the spot you found him trying to escape the current and rest. Obviously this is all speculation but I’m just trying to offer a different perspective. I can’t see the whole set up so I could be totally wrong but maybe something to consider for the future.
The great thing about the aquarium hobby is if you’re disheartened or burned out on one type of fish or setup, you can move on to something else for a while.