I used to be able to keep them alive no problem in not so great tanks (I didn't know how much there was to fish keeping) and they THRIVED for years like they were super healthy. I have since fixed my tanks (taken out plastic decor, softened the harsh flow, started feeding quality food, ect.), but my last three bettas I've noticed a pattern. They do good for a few weeks but then they start getting fin tears for no reason, nothing is mechanically tearing them they just split. then they die of dropsy not too long after no matter what I do. My ammonia: 0 Nitrates: 0.5, nitrites: 0, pH: around 7.2, Total alkalinity: about 80 ppm, hardness: 25-50 ppm, I use prime for every water change. Temperature of 79 degrees. It's a 15 gallon that only fits 12 with all my plants and driftwood, I have some fake rock hides but theyre Aquarium safe I bought them in the fish section, and tons of plants. I also add Indian almond leaves and add an extra one when I notice their fins splitting but it does no good. I do weekly 25% water changes and gravel vacuum lightly. Is it possible my fake rock hides are leeching toxins? Or are betta genetics just so horrible that they are impossible to keep healthy now? I buy them at J& M aquatics. My most recent death I actually had been treating him with kanaplex because I noticed a little bit of fin rot on his ventral fins, kanaplex wasn't doing anything and then the day after I finished treatment he very suddenly developed dropsy and died like in the span of one day. I just don't understand because it seems like my tanks are perfect. My current betta, my last one that I've had for about a month, his fins just started splitting and I just don't know what to do, should I re-home him to someone who has good luck with them?
https://i.redd.it/bsu8t7ed4org1.jpeg
Posted by Acceptable_Pilot_749
7 Comments
I’ve been doing some research, and the one thing we can’t test for is bacteria. And apparently a lot of decaying, organic matter can be a breeding ground for bacteria in a tank. I have shrimp in one of my tanks and there is not much mulm, because they eat all of it. I don’t have shrimp in my other tank though and there’s usually a lot of mulm. Especially because of catappa leaves – they fall apart after some time creating a lot of mulm. Maybe that’s somethings to consider. Your tank is heavily planted, so probably it’s not easy to clean up all of the debris.
Purtroppo non so come aiutarti. L’ unica cosa i nitriti dovrebbero essere 0. Che l’acquario sia mal ciclato?
Io cercherei di salvarlo al meglio. Ma eviterei di prenderli per un po’ e cercare di capire il motivo
Do you mind if you specify on what quality food your feeding your bettas ??
Are you getting all your fish from the same place? It may be an issue with where they’re ordering from. Also may be harboring bacteria in your tank causing dropsy if you haven’t deep cleaned it.
Oh also let me just add that any fish other than bettas thrives in my tanks, I have several kinds of tetras in one of my bettas old tanks, and a baby guppy and baby sparkling gourami in the other tank (baby guppy showed up after I put new plants in I didn’t purposely get it and I’ll be putting it in my mom’s guppy tank once he’s a bit bigger)
I’m so sorry for your losses ☹️💕
I have two rescue bettas that we came upon by chance. After having spent a lot of time in betta groups here and on Facebook, I am certain I will never actually PURCHASE one of my own for the myriad of health issues commercial bettas seem to have, even though I’ve absolutely fallen in love with them 😔
I think they have just been soooo incredibly overbred (and for the wrong reasons – like obnoxiously long fins that they struggle to even physically carry around, and color morphs that inherently come with associated genetic disorders).
I have found true honey gourami (t. chuna) to be a fun fish that have a similar “puppy dog” kind of personality, if you’re looking for an alternative 💕
As much as people say “you can never have too many plants”, You really can have too many plants. They can take away oxygen from the water during the night and leave your fish with less oxygen. And as another person mentioned, plant decay.
There are cons to very heavily planted tanks.
Keep your tank lightly planted. I only have 2 small pathos & 2 bamboo that I trimmed off my main plant. That’s it. They’re all thriving and growing so rapidly, and my betta (who was recently injured), is healing surprisingly fast.