Jan

I have had a Beta for about 4 months and he seems to be going into slow mode. He stays mainly in the corner of the tank (10 gallon) at the very top with his face stuck right into the glass. He was eating but today he doesn't even seem interested in that. I did the tests and here they are:
nitrate - 5
nitrite - 0
ammonia - 0

I don't want to lose my Beta does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you

Gunnie

Jan,
I hope your fish is doing okay! Do you know how old your betta is? It could just be age. I'm not sure what the life expectancy is for a betta though. Your parameters look great, so that's not an issue. Is he the only fish in the tank?

0morrokh

Well, your water sounds perfect, and that's so great he gets a 10 gallon! Are there any other fish in there?
Bettas usually live only a short time. A 2 year old Betta is very old, some o ly live a year. And they are often fairly old already by the time they make it to your LFS. So it is possible that your Betta is dying of old age.
One more thing, what is he being fed? And are there any other things wrong with him besides just slowing down?

Jan

There are no other signs at all, sometimes I find him at the very bottom other times he is at the very top stuck in the corner. I feed him blood worms once a week and pellets the rest of the time. He is the only one in the tank, maybe he is lonely?

I am not sure at all how old he was when we got him. I think that today is his last day with us.....

0morrokh

I doubt he would be lonely. Most Bettas will only TOLERATE a few other fish, let alone like them. I'm sorry to hear about him. But it sounds like you gave him excellent care.

Jan

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement but whenever a fish dies I wonder what I did wrong. How can you tell the age of the fish? Do the Petstore people know this?

0morrokh

I think that is something that happens to all fishkeepers--they get paranoid about keeping their fish healthy and when they die they try to blame it on themselves, forgetting that most fish if well cared for will simply die of old age. Unfortunately I know of know way of telling a fish's age, and I doubt people at a pet store would be of any help--but ask if you want to--but I'd bet your Betta has simply lived a long and happy life and is getting old now.

Jan

Thank you again for your encouragement. Last night our Betta died . The hardest part is disposing of the body

Neen

I'm sooooooooooo sorry. That is the hardest part! And then seeing the empty tank. I lost my Betta two weeks ago & my tank is still sitting there. It sounds like you took good care of him. Again I'm sorry for your lose.
Gina

chickadee

Jan, I am so sorry. My deepest sympathies go to you and your family and anyone else who loved him. It is so hard to lose a fish.

It is true that the fish (especially Bettas) bought at the LFS, including Petco and Petsmart and Walmart are generally older than those bought through private dealers. They dealers keep the fish and breed the ones that show promise or sell the ones they can privately before selling them off to the LFS and so they are kept until they don't feel they have a prayer to sell them themselves.

You can only do all you have done for them and provide them with a good and loving home for as long as you have them and care for them as much as your heart will let you. Then when they go you will know that you have given them a piece of you and they had a much better home than they would have had if you had not come into their life.

Bless you for caring and giving your Betta a place in your life and a place in your heart.

Rose

0morrokh

I'm sorry to hear about your betta.
It is so sad to lose a pet. But your betta had a very happy life, much better than if someone had put him in a bowl.

Jan

Thank you everyone so much for your kind words. ITA with you Neen, my fish tank is sitting here empty and it is sooooo hard to see it!! I am not too sure if I want to get another one now as it seems silly but it is too hard to watch them die first off and then when they die that is the worst!

It was so cute though when he first went into the 10 gallon tank, he did not know what to do with himself! He just kind of sat in the corner but when he realized the space that he had.... there was no stopping him!!

I miss him...

chickadee

You may not be ready yet, and of course you miss him. They become just like our family members. It is a grieving process you go through when you lose anything you love. But one day it will be better and you will remember the great part of having him with you and perhaps that will make you want to try again. Only you can decide this. Just don't get rid of your things in haste just yet. Give yourself a while and see how you feel even next month.

I lost my first Betta and it was hard, but I would not give up Noel, Marty or now little Misty for anything and if I had quit when Azul died I would never have known the joy these three have given me. Just give yourself some time and keep reading the forums when you can, it does help.

Rose