# please help betta's keep dieing



## Lieslq (Mar 13, 2012)

hi everyone. i need some advice on how to properly care for betta fish. I really want to keep a male crown tail betta in my 5gal tank because they are so beautifull, i've tried twice but they both died the day after i bought them. I have a fully cycled 5gal tank with a small filter, airstone, plastic plant, a heater set at 82°F and some pebbles. My molly fry were in the tank for 2months i removed them the day before i bought my second betta. He was n beautifull healthy lively male, i did aclimatize him by floating the bag in the water and adding water from the tank every 10minutes and caught him out carefully and put him in the tank. he seemed fine the hole day and even ate that night the next evening i found him dead and it broke my heart because i know somehow its my fault he died. what am i doing wrong please help me i'm only gonna try once more i dont want to kill more of these beautifull creatures. any advice will be appreciated.


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## clep.berry (Mar 4, 2012)

I'm no expert on bettas but there are some general principles that apply to all fish.
It's likely that the 5 gal tank has not cycled fully. Did you measure ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and record those levels?
Next off, I hope you dechlorinated the water.
What pH are you running there? I think Pretoria has quite hard water although I may be mistaken this would be fine for the fish.
The filter may be too strong for the fish - especially in a 5g and may stress the fish unduly.
5g is a nice tank size for a betta. Congrats on not keeping him in a jar!
Drip acclimatization may be better for him - especially if he's been in a tank that's been neglected.
Bev I believe is our local expert - whatever she says goes!
cb


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## Lieslq (Mar 13, 2012)

thanx, is it possible that the tank isnt fully cycled after my molly fry lived there for 2 months? and if the filter wasnt to strong for the fry shouldnt it be fine for my betta? im not sure about the ph


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

How did you cycle the tank? I dont think it would have done him in that fast unless the ammonia was already really high in there. Could you get some test reading for us? The temp and acclimation sounds great but something was either amiss in your tank, or he could have been an old man. Some of the betta found in stores are retired breeders.


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## Lieslq (Mar 13, 2012)

thanx i'll get a test kit and post it tomorrow


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

Yes, death in the first 24 hours is rarely your work, but fish in distress to begin with.


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## Lieslq (Mar 13, 2012)

tested the water today ph is 7.4


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

that's a safe ph. More important test need to be done to know if the problem is in your water ;Ammonia ,nitrIte ,nitrAte these are the things that will kill your fish.


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## chipmunk1210 (Jul 3, 2012)

I totally believe that your tank is not cycled if you are having them die within 24 hours of putting them in the tank. Oh yeah it can definately be that way even if your molly fry lived there for two months. You are more likely lucky that your molly fry didn't die like the bettas in that instance. Having a 5 gallon up and running for a betta is a great idea and we will do all that we can to help you get it to where you can keep one of these gorgeous fish. The most important thing you need to check right now is the ammonia level in your tank(with the liquid tests since the strip tests are highly inaccurate) because that is going to tell you when your tank is cycled. Chances are you ended up with weak, stressed fish to begin with and that is why they passed so quickly. Alot of petstore fish are older and tend to have problems or parasites that are already sapping them of any ability they have to conquer new stresses on their system. When(cause we all know you have been bit by the "bug" and will get another LOL) you go to get another, make sure the fish is active, has no visible lumps/bumps/sores or parasites, has decent looking color/fins(sometimes this is hard since a lot of bettas loose color and bite fins in those small cups), and doesn't look too thin. That might give you a head start on keeping the fish alive since one that fits the above description more than likely will have a better chance of handling stress. One last thing(cause I know I made this response long) personally I wouldn't worry about your ph. Ph swings from tampering are more dangerous than a high or low ph and most of the time as long as it is constant, the fish will be fine with the ph of your water. Other than that....keep us informed and ask any questions you need answered cause there is always someone on here that can lend a hand.


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