Why did my new Betta die & should I disinfect tank?

Help me solve this mystery, please! I bought this Betta 1 week ago.

Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrites - 0ppm
Nitrates - 5ppm
ph - 7.8
Temperature 81F
Cycled 10g aquarium with live plants, smooth driftwood, guava leaves, and safe river rocks.

There was a lot of ammonia in the cup I bought him in. He also looked a little swollen at times under his front fins, as seen in this photo. Unless that is normal.

What do I do? Rinsed out the tank and start again? How do I clean live plants? This is so sad. He was such a friendly fish.

 

Help me solve this mystery, please! I bought this Betta 1 week ago.

Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrites - 0ppm
Nitrates - 5ppm
ph - 7.8
Temperature 81F
Cycled 10g aquarium with live plants, smooth driftwood, guava leaves, and safe river rocks.

There was a lot of ammonia in the cup I bought him in. He also looked a little swollen at times under his front fins, as seen in this photo. Unless that is normal.

What do I do? Rinsed out the tank and start again? How do I clean live plants? This is so sad. He was such a friendly fish.

From what I have heard, it probably is bad genetics or bad breeder.

 

Yeah... All fish from Petco/PetSmart are from breeders who ONLY care about looks and not genetics. It's a miracle if you are able to get a sick one to survive long enough. I would recommend buying Bettas from experienced breeders who take care of the genetics.

 

Thank you both. That is so sad. It's just heartbreaking. Thanks again for your thoughts.

 

Thank you both. That is so sad. It's just heartbreaking. Thanks again for your thoughts.

When we got our beta, he was going down hill, so he put iron and stuff in his tank. He survived, then we killed him from not washing out all the disinfectant from his bowl...
Good luck with your next fish. Yeah theres nothing you can do about it.

 

Because you had a sick Betta in the tank, I would let the tank run for two weeks without fish just to be safe and try to limit the chances of your next fish getting sick from it.

 

Because you had a sick Betta in the tank, I would let the tank run for two weeks without fish just to be safe and try to limit the chances of your next fish getting sick from it.

Thank you. I had planned on disinfecting everything and starting over with a fresh cycle. Is that not needed?

 

Thank you. I had planned on disinfecting everything and starting over with a fresh cycle. Is that not needed?

No, I don't think it is. You just gotta wait a few weeks with a bit more maintenance and larger WC's, but you should be ok after a couple weeks of this.

 

So sorry for your loss! It's hard to pinpoint what can cause sudden death, especially if there are no problems with the tank/water parameters. If you are using a water dechlor and he was acclimated well, then I would think something internally. I, too, would guess something was already up with him healthwise. He was a beautiful fish!!!

 

Ok, so the weeks without a host should take care of anything that's potentially in the tank? Thank you.

Thanks, Rose of Sharon. I'm heartbroken to have lost so a sweet boy. I did use dechlorinator each time, and I acclimated him slowly.

I lost a fish, more than likely due to illness since my parameters were perfect. Do I just let the tank sit for a few weeks? Or should I take everything apart and sanitize it? Thanks.

 

I lost a fish, more than likely due to illness since my parameters were perfect. Do I just let the tank sit for a few weeks? Or should I take everything apart and sanitize it? Thanks.

No. You should let the tank sit with weekly WC and maintenance. Drain slightly more water during each WC, for about 2-3 weeks.

 

No. You should let the tank sit with weekly WC and maintenance. Drain slightly more water during each WC, for about 2-3 weeks.

Thank you. I appreciate it. This is much better than I thought. I'm glad I don't need to lose my cycle