Debbie N

Well, I never got a chance to try the Epsom salt bath. Thursday night he was eating and looked good, except for the bloating, and I planned on trying the Epsom salt bath Friday morning but when I got up and went to look at him, he had died. It's odd because I was up around 1am and saw him and he was still alive. I hope that means he went quickly.

I think what may caused the dropsy is his water got too cold. I was in my little local hole in the wall fish store one day and they had an aquarium that was labelled a 2.5 gallon Betta tank. It turned out that it was called that because it had 2 dividers so one could keep 3 Bettas in it. That would have made it awfully small I thought so I asked my husband if he could cut another notch in the middle so I could just keep two, which he did. I got 2 Bettas and kept them at work where the temperature is pretty steady. Then I took vacation over Thanksgiving and there was no one around to feed them so I took them home. I was also taking vacation over Christmas so kept them at home. We had some cold nights and I think the one mini Hydor heater just wasn't enough. My other Betta Turk was fine, but Flame got sick. I got another heater after that and they both work for the really cold nights.

So I buried Flame next to my favorite plant, my Holly bush, and I went out as soon as the pet stores were open and bought 2 more Bettas, one for the 2.5 gallon and 1 for the acrylic tank I used as a hospital tank. I always feel like I'm rescuing them because they will get such nice homes compared to what they are in. When I go back to work, I'll take the 2.5 gallon, but leave the acrylic tank at home. With the air stone and heater, the temp stays pretty constant. So these sales people who tell you they will be fine in a little bowl with nothing and temp shouldn't be a problem, don't know what they're talking about!

Post Script: I have a Betta, Streak, in my 55 gallon community aquarium. He's been there for several months. A few months ago, he got his head stuck in one of those plastic cave ornaments. He was really stuck! I had my husband douse him with Stress Coat and then I pushed his head out. But he was injured and I put him in a jar for a week while I treated him. He was one unhappy camper! And so glad to be put back in the big tank. Today I got him a girlfriend. I hear they don't always get along in close quarters but was thinking a 55 gallon tank should be big enough. Any input will be greatly appreciated.

Tazmiche

Oh Debbie, poor you and Flame. My Honey died suddenly after swimming and eating with dropsy. I won't dwell on that as it was recent and i am still gutted!

Good news on the rescues and good luck with them!!

LZ Floyd

Sorry to hear about Flame. Hope the end came quickly with little suffering.

As for keeping more than one Betta in a tank, I see here that most have had no luck with it. Don't know if a 55 gal tank would change those odds. -Mike

LuvaBetta

Oh, Debbie, I'm so sorry you lost Flame. I only had Tai a month before he died and I'm still sick about it. You cared about him though, and gave him a good home. I'm really upset by the "it's just a fish" people - especially the ones in my own family!

Off topic, I'm not happy with Hydor heaters; I got a 50 watt heater for my 10g and it couldn't bring the temp over 75 degrees! I had to add a 25 watt heater I'd had for my 5g to help it along. I initially had my at-work fishie Bo in a 1.5g bowl with a Hydor mini; I moved him to a 5g partly because bettas need consistency and I didn't feel he was getting that with a heater with no thermostat.

0morrokh

I'm very sorry to hear you lost him.

The dropsy could have been from lower temps, or it's possible he was already carrying an infection when you got him. Many pet store Bettas are sickly.

I wouldn't put 2 Bettas together ever, no matter what size the tank. They will likely end up hunting each other down and one could be injured or killed.

So you had Flame and Turk both in a divided 2.5? Did you separate them when Flame got sick? Keep a close eye on Turk to make sure he doesn't catch the infection. Also, 2.5 is a very small tank for a single Betta, and half that does not give them very much room to swim. I would consider 5gals minimum for permanent housing for a Betta, though some people keep them (as in a single one) in 2.5s. It's also best not to keep 2 males in a divided tank of any size because seeing each other can be stressful. If you like divided tanks with multiple Bettas, a nice set up is a 10gal with a male & a female or 2 females, or a 15 with 3 Bettas, or a 20long with 4, just make sure there's never 2 males next to each other.

Debbie N

Perhaps you are right, I should just keep one Betta in the 2.5 gallon. Since it was designed for 3, I thought it would be plenty big enough for 2, but it might be just too small. Right now they are fine because they can't really see each other. They know something is on the other side which makes life interesting but they don't seem stressed out about it.

To LZ Floyd (Mike)-As for my 55 gallon community tank, it's a male and female I have in the tank, they should be fine, don't you think?

0morrokh

Well I'm not Mike but I would say no...maybe they'll be fine but I think it's too risky...I've heard too many stories of bettas getting along for a month and then one killing the other.

LZ Floyd

Hi Debbie -

We've not had more than one Betta at a time, so we've not had the experience of housing multiple Bettas in a single tank. There have been a number of related topics and posts here, though; regarding keeping multiple Bettas unseparated in a single tank, regardless of sex, is not advised. Though a 55-gallon tank would seem to provide adequate room for non-Alphas to disappear into, it's still a finite, bounded area unlike that found in nature.

Those who seem to have had success keeping multiple Bettas in a single tank have done so by dividing the tank so as to provide absolute physical separation (though some Bettas may exhaust themselves flaring at each other).

Separating a tank with dividers has its problems, though. Dividing a tank in half reduces the surface area in half; surface area is a dimension one wants to keep as large as possible for Bettas. Dividing a tank can also mitigate water flow, which negatively influences temperature control and filtering. So, you would want to use the right material as a separator.

You might want to search the posts here for more info, there are quite a few. -Mike

COBettaCouple

we're sorry that you lost Flame. It sounds like he did go quickly though and you did all that you could for him.

As far as a male & female betta in the same tank goes - it might work in a 55g but I'd probably be too worried about them to try it. If you do try it, have a backup plan that would let you take both of them out and each go into seperate tanks for treatment.

Tazmiche

Hi again Debbie, here in the UK they are common in community tanks HOWEVER the attitude i have come across is they ' are just a fish'. These people haven't given these bettas the chance to show HOW THEY REALLY ARE!! I have met many now that say they are different from other fish as they interact. SO i guess YOU have to decide what bond you want to have with your bettas. Personally i'd love to fill my empty 3ft tank with 1 betta, M/F, don't care and other community fish, infact a whole tank of m/f bettas in harmony would be a true dream!! At the same time I ADORE having one on one times with each boy i have in single tanks ( smallest 19ltr tank...he's the delta baby that is growing rapidly, betta with poor sight in a 25ltr and other, Flame, in a 54ltr) all so special and each fish is different. My Honey was a true dream of a fish, flitted and flipped when i sang to her, swam into the palm of my hand to just rest, liked her head stroked now and then and had her own version of chase game as in.... stare at me, dart away when i looked to hide and zoom out once i shouted peekaboo!! Only had her a few months but such a priceless time!! MISS HER VERY VERY MUCH......

So i guess what i am saying after my waffle is chose where you want a dream tank with risks or a real bond with these blighters!!

COBettaCouple

michelle is right. we've observed that our Betta show their fullest character when they're in their own tank and get regular interaction with us. They're unbelievably curious (which can get them into trouble, as you've seen yourself) and very intelligent fish. We've seen ours show sulking (our female Angel is the drama queen and sulks when her tank is cleaned or if she doesn't get talked to), jealousy (when 2 tanks are beside each other and we talk to one, the other gets jealous) and excitement (they often swim to the front of the tank to be talked to and Teddy Bear wiggles around like crazy when it's his turn for attention).

Debbie N

Dear Tazmiche-What an incredible fish Honey was! You must have been devastated to lose her. You should count yourself lucky to have known her. What a special experience. I think I am just now realizing just how much they can interact with you; I've only had my 2 at work a couple of months and since they each know the other is there on the other side, they spend most of their time trying to see each other better. I am going to get a plastic divider that is opaque, then maybe they will think the other is not there anymore.

My new female Betta I named Belle. She seems very happy in the 55 gallon, exploring everywhere. She and Streak, my male Betta, have seen each other but without any result. They don't react to each other at all yet.

I hope you find another special Betta.

Tazmiche

Debbie, the loss of Honey was awful!! I would never have guessed that a fish could break my heart!! I miss her !!

I'm glad your bettas are doing well. My newby is looking fine, bought it as a girl but i DEF have a boy. I'll post pics from my new camera ( xmas pressie ) as soon as software ready!

Debbie N

If you don't mind me asking, what happened to Honey? It seemed she didn't live long. My Belle is still doing fine in the 55 gallon, and seems fascinated with the gravel more than anything. She and my male Betta Streak don't give each other the time of day.

janoue

Ok I don't use epson salt, I just use freshwater aquarium salt. Is it the same thing?

Tazmiche

Of course i don't mind you asking. I'm not sure what happened, she was eating, water tested ok,very alert until the last few hours of her life. She had a puffy tummy so i figured constipation so fed pea meals, then she pineconed only slightly though, in fact if i hadn't had so much interaction with her i may not have noticed.

One guy at a not so nice LARGE fish store near me told me that they lose lots of female bettas to dropsy! They are kept in tanks not cups here and he said from his years of experience it seems coomon to females. Don't know if that is true?!?!

0morrokh

Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate while salt is sodium chloride. Very different things and used for different purposes. What are you using salt for though? Salt and epsom really should only be used for medicinal purposes with fw fish.

0morrokh

Could be the females are getting egg bound. I think that can cause similar symptoms to dropsy?