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ok, yesterday I brough home two new bettas, Cain went into the five G

1. in plastic bag, floating 20 mins

2. added some water to bag, 20 mins.

3.let him go free. noticed some veins around the start of his tail.

The tank was set up yesterday morning.

water with water conditioner, new gravel, one crypt, fluval one filter, with media from an established tank. added cycle, added melafix,

tested water before I went to LFS, no Ammonia, no NO2, 40pmm NO3. That is what is like out of the tap.

I took a sample to the LFS who tested and said it was ok, they also let me test their water and the NO3 was a lot higher, have been planning my new tank for a while - although not to have bettas, and really didn't want to mess it up.

the heater was tested when I used it heat up Wc water, I ran it for 24 hours and it stayed at 80'

when I got home today, the temp read 86????

so I can see two problems, the NO3 level and the temp. his fins and tail looked as though they were breaking down very shredded.

there is a picture below, his gills are very puffy. he was out of the two very much quieter.

so do you think he died through temp (chucked heater either way,) or was he ill?
I guess I want to have some idea of why he died.
thanks for any suggestions
GFG

goldfishgeek attached this image:


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Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

From the description of the condition the fish was in, it doesnt sound like something that happened once he was in your care. Fin rot and fungus takes longer than just a few hours to kill (usually). There are some forms of fin rot that will melt fins down as quickly as overnight. Had you noticed any damage or wear to the fins while picking him out?

If the LFS's water had high NO3 readings like you said it's quite likely that he was acustomed to the poor water quality and that the combined issues of being sick from poor water quality at the LFS with the stress of transport and being moved into his new home was a bit too much . I'm not sure there was much you could have done differently besides picking a healthier fish and of course reducing stress during transit as much as possible if it was a rescue.

The fact that the heater is fluctuating temperatures is a bit of a worry. Have you noticed that heater varying in temps before? If the tank is lighted it could be that the lights caused that much of a rise in temperature if the air was warm enough.

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I have binned the heater, was so angry when I got home to find him, but when I posted in the betta forum Sneaky suggested it could be some thing else,

I didn't notice anything in the shop, although the other white betta looked dreadful, in a different tank(but probably the same shipment). the guy said that white one had been in a fight, they jump out of those divider holder thingies.

the white one I actually bought wasn't as impressive as Horatio, I guess he could have been sick. the other white one was so bad that my choice looked ALOT better if you see what I mean.

Thanks for you reply Babel, made me feel like a bit less of a disaster.

cheers

GFG



_______________________________________
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

hi GFG,

First, my condolences

Second, I wouldn't put too much blame on the heater situation. All things considered, 86 degrees isnt really that high, certainly nothing that would kill your betta. Bettas are hardy, and you did a decent amount of acclimating. IMO they don't exactly require the drip method of acclimation.

It must've been something he brought in with him, because IMO you didn't do anything wrong.

There were no other fish in with him, right? I'm just thinking about whether there's a risk to other fish, or to any other fish that may enter the same water/ set-up....

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Back in the saddle!

Most probably he was ill before you got it. Freak occurrence.

Now you have to think about getting a new fish, and whether the disease that killed it is still in the water of your tank.

-- Gomer

Good points raised,
Unless the temp went from 80 to 86 within a matter of minutes I have a feeling the fish would have been able to acclimate, then again a quick rise in temp is a stressor as well.

Gomers point is very valid. Since it's a 5G I'd suggest a tear down and sanitization of the tank. Bake or boil the gravel if you wish to keep it, otherwise you can use it in flower pots or other creative ways (or trash it).

Decor and filters should be cleaned as well. Filter can run on a bucket with a very mild (1:10 bleach:water) solution, follow up with rinsing in fresh water for an hour or so then a heavy dose of dechlor. If you've got some sun, let it run in the sunlight or even just set in the sunlight for a day or two. UV breaks down bleach.

Any live plants you may wish to toss.

What a mess but at least no other fish have been effected...I hope *crosses fingers*

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Take the fish back, the raised veins are indicative of infection, and nothing you could have caused him in that short space of time. Bettas can be quite tough environmentally, and he shouldnt have just upped and kicked the bucket.Go and have a moan at them, Having to strip down a tank is no small inconvenience.Get your money back while youre at it. I also wouldnt buy any more fish from them anytime soon.

Actually it amazes me that america is such a letigious culture yet nobody has sued a pet supplier for infecting their fish yet...

Last edited by longhairedgit at 29-Nov-2005 06:33

Actually it amazes me that america is such a letigious culture yet nobody has sued a pet supplier for infecting their fish yet...

If I could I'd sue every pet store, fair, school, and the *TW which produces a show for children X that features a goldfish crammed into a bowl, then again I'd also have to sue another show that also features a goldfish in a bowl. Not only do we have stores here that quite like selling infected fish (I could take you to a number just 5 minutes outside of the district) but entire chains and companies that love selling "goldfish bowls" like they're something that'd ever work.

*grumble mutter*

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