Re: I think my betta is dying and i don't know what to do!!!

More | Report Post

On 7/06/10, Emily wrote:
> HELP!!! I think my betta fiah is dying and i have no idea
> what to do! He was fine when we first got him but now he
> just sinks to the bottom of the bowl and lays on the rocks.
> I looked it up on the web and i found that it said to use
> tap water in their bowls but i didn't know that is had to
> be treated until recently. so i changed the water to tap
> water (untreated) and thats when he stsrted sinking. I also
> found that i could put him into bottled water so i switched
> but he still lays at the bottom of his bowl. I don't know
> how much longer he is going to survive! What do i do!
> Help!!!

In a twenty-gallon, HEATED aquarium with a filter and several
other species of fish. The lone betta swam happily back and
forth at the top of the tank, sometimes hiding in the floating
plants, sometimes fanning out his gorgeous colors.

A lot of people try to keep bettas in stagnant, unaerated pools
of frigid water, and that's where the problems arise. No, they
are not happy in little goldfish bowls...they need room to swim
around. No, they don't like chlorine, but you can let new
water stand before adding it to the tank, or put in a couple
drops of anti-chlor (available at any pet store). Do NOT use
bottled water! It has less oxygen (which is why your tank
should have an aerating filter, btw), and bottled water can
have more fish-harmful additives than tap water, as well as
chemicals from the plastic bottle. And they don't do well in
cold water--if you want your betta to thrive, get a heater and
keep the temperature in the 72-76 F range.

Get him a bigger, nicer home, preferably with some friends
(just not another male betta. They will fight with each other,
but they absolutely won't bother anybody else in the tank.)  

Posts on this thread, including this one