# dead betta



## jmtriro01 (Jun 22, 2010)

when i woke up this morning, i found Jake lying under the plant decors. he was cold dead. i really don't know ehat happened, but i have some ideas. you see, he is in a 10gal tank divided into 2. the other half has my mollies. last night, i gave him the usual food that he eats and he frantically reached for it as soon as i dropped it. after an hour, i made him do his 2min flaring as an exercise and he still did well. after that he continued working on his bubble nest like he always used to. before i went to sleep at 11 PM, i treated the water with a water clarifier because the water is too cloudy.

i have 3 suspicions why Jake died:

1. The mollies killed him.
i saw him in the space for the mollies. he jumped from his space to the next one. is it possible for mollies to kill a mature betta? are there instances where a group of mollies attacked and killed a betta? i have 7 mollies altogether.

2. He was poisoned with the water clarifier.
Can this be true? the bottle label doesn't have the ingredients of the solution so i can't tell if it has toxic substances in it. but the label says it is "safe for all aquarium inhabitants".

3. He died of old age.
Yesterday, my gf and I went to a pet store to scout for a new betta. we noticed that most of the bettas are a lot smaller than my Jake. Jake has been with me for nearly a month. is it possible that we picked up the oldest fish in the shop that wasn't sold for months?

My gf and I was really sad this morning. We have to go to work feeling like this. I hope my next betta will have a longer life with us. I'll make sure that everything is in good condition before i purchase a new one.

Thanks to you all!


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## wallywestisthebest333 (Nov 30, 2009)

I'm sorry about your loss. <=[

I have no idea but I doubt it was age. Bettas have a lifespan of 2-6 years.


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## jmtriro01 (Jun 22, 2010)

wallywestisthebest333 said:


> I'm sorry about your loss. <=[
> 
> I have no idea but I doubt it was age. Bettas have a lifespan of 2-6 years.


 
yeah, maybe. and besides, i don't think that shop can keep the betta in a cup for more than a year...


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## wallywestisthebest333 (Nov 30, 2009)

COOL! =D I just noticed you lie in the Phillipines! That's so neat! =D


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm sorry to hear about Jake!


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## AureliaAurita (Jun 25, 2010)

I'm sorry to hear that. Sometimes the bettas that end up in shops can be the older post-breeding days males. You can tell the betta is older by the size and usually the crest behind the head becomes pronounced. From the pictures you posted, I would say he was probably a mature guy. 
As for poisoning by water clarifier, as long as you followed the instructions on the bottle, I believe you are safe there.
I doubt the mollies killed him because if they are still healthy and active and on their side of the divider, they probably had nothing to do with it.
Also, have you had your levels tested recently? I know a lot of local pet stores test aquarium water for free. In my experience, Bettas are very hardy when it comes to water quality, although you should always try to do as many water changes as you can.
May I inquire as to the temp of your aquarium? Are you using a filter? And may I ask (delicately) if you noticed anything odd about his body post-mortem? Like small worms coming out of the gills or a particular color of fuzzy growth? This can point to an internal issue such as parasites that you may not have been aware about previously.

Again, I'm very sorry for your loss.


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## Owlets (Oct 24, 2009)

Aw I'm sorry to hear 
My fish Frank is gigantic, almost double the size of other bettas, and he's been that way since I got him (and I've had him for a year and a few months now) So I don't think it was age. 
No idea what it could have been  I'm sure others can help you on that one. So sorry again, I lost one of my bettas a few weeks ago and it feels horrible.


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## jmtriro01 (Jun 22, 2010)

AureliaAurita said:


> I'm sorry to hear that. Sometimes the bettas that end up in shops can be the older post-breeding days males. You can tell the betta is older by the size and usually the crest behind the head becomes pronounced. From the pictures you posted, I would say he was probably a mature guy.
> As for poisoning by water clarifier, as long as you followed the instructions on the bottle, I believe you are safe there.
> I doubt the mollies killed him because if they are still healthy and active and on their side of the divider, they probably had nothing to do with it.
> Also, have you had your levels tested recently? I know a lot of local pet stores test aquarium water for free. In my experience, Bettas are very hardy when it comes to water quality, although you should always try to do as many water changes as you can.
> ...


 
Actually he jumped from his section to the mollies' while i was sleeping. i found him there, not on his section. 

i don't do water testing since i cant find kits in my local stores. i haven't had the time to go to Manila (im in the Philippines, by the way) where there are more stores and more items available. but i do 50% water changing every 3 days (50% since mollies eat a lot so they produce more waste) and complete changing every two weeks. 

in regards to the temperature, the water here remains warm, around 26 C the whole day and almost never drops.


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## jmtriro01 (Jun 22, 2010)

and also i didnt see any signs or symptoms on his dead body. he looks clean, except some torn fins, which was not there when he was still alive last night. also, he was very lively last night. 

his stomach is bulging as it always bulged before. hmmm... i think i overfed him.


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## wallywestisthebest333 (Nov 30, 2009)

I'm sorry about that. How much were you feeding him each day? =[


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## jmtriro01 (Jun 22, 2010)

as i mentioned before in some of my posts, he doesnt eat flakes or pellets. i tried training him to eat pellets but i stopped after 3 days because i cant stand the thought of him not eating something for 3 straight days, so i went back to the first thing he ever ate that i gave him: tiny pieces of frozed fish that i bought from the market. i usually give him 2-3 pcs of this size ---> *.*

he still ate that the night before i found him dead.


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

he jumped from his side into another side with a bulging tummy. it looks like there was something wrong in the water and he wanted to get away so he jumped out.


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

it's normal for predatory fish to eat a meal then skip a few.Arowanas and flower horns do much better bean lean and mean instead of pampered.studies have proven they live longer that way. as we get old our metabolizem rate slows down and we use up more energy to process food.so they dont do well with large meals as hey take up too much energy to digest leaving the fish tired.


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## frogipoi (Jul 3, 2010)

Take old age off the list. The bettas at the pet store are only 3.5 - 6 months old. He could be there for 1 year and still be young.

The mollies are suspects. Da da daaa!


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## Fermin (Apr 18, 2010)

Hi there. I'm sorry about the loss of your betta. 7 Mollies in 5gal is really overstocked., so if your divider had perforations then your betta was also exposed to their wastes and may not have been able to tolerate the water quality. Since your betta has passed, I would remove the divider so at least the Mollies can have the full 10gal. Even then, that's still a crowded tank.

You can purchase water testing kits *online* from any aquarium store's site. This is the kit you will need: http://www.petguys.com/-317163010340.html

For a helpful tank stocking calculator, take a look at this site: http://www.aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php


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## jmtriro01 (Jun 22, 2010)

i already did a complete water change for this tank, and kept the mollies in 3/5 of the tank, or 6 gallons. i also reduced the number of mollies to 4. i moved the other three to my tank in my office. i've added a new VT betta and will soon post new pics of him. i think it will be better this time since i maintain a 3 day interval for 50% water changing and full water changing every 3 weeks.


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## peaches3221 (Jun 1, 2010)

awwww, i'm so sorry about jake :-(


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