How Can I help my Bettas?!?

Question

I recently had two beta fish that lived for 4 years and died when I started taking care of them. Before that my Dad was taking care of him but I took them when I came to school. Now I have bought two new ones and have them in these vases that I had bought. My apartment is very hard to keep control of the temperature. This morning I woke up and the water was freezing so I took some of the cold water out and put warmer water in. Now they are floating at the top. Not breathing unless I move the vase so they swim to the top and one has lost a lot of his color. and they are not eating...WHAT DO I DO! I just got them! please help me. Should I put them in the small fish bowls I have? should i put this stuff that i have that helps with pH. should i leave them alone?

Answer 1

It sounds like your bettas are too cold. They do need a fairly warm temperature. I would suggest you get larger containers and move you bettas into those. Probably the best option would be a 5 gallon tank with a filter and heater and put in a tank divider so that you can keep the two males apart. That way they will both be in a filtered and heated environment. For now to warm them and keep them warm for a little while try this. Adjust your tub temperature to 80-85F or your kitchen sink if you have only a shower in the bath. Once you have the right temp, place the bowls in the tub (or sink) and fill the tub around the bowls. This larger amount of water will keep the water in the bowls warm much, much longer than air will.. Just fill it until the water line outside the bowl is slightly below the water line inside the bowl and they will not tip over. This can keep your fish warmer for hours. You can drain the water and refill the sink or tub as needed to keep them a bit warmer.

Don't worry, the warm water you added didn't hurt them unless you forgot to dechlorinate it first. They can stand very rapid changes in temperature.

Hope this helps and best of luck

MM

Answer 2

vases adn bowls RARELY make good homes for bettas. the only time they work is:

the vase or bowl is rather wide
it's 2 gallons or larger
is kept at 78°-80°F (water temp, not room temp. this requires a water heater)
there is a filter or the water had partial changes every 3 or 4 days and full changes once a week.
there is no over feeding.

however, even this does not provide a happy home for a betta, in the wild they live in vast spreads of water called rice paddies, not puddles. they have plenty of room to swim and plants to hide in. not only is this easier to mock in a tank, but tanks are large enough that they don't need full water changes thus allowing a beneficial bacteria build up.

if you want to keep them alive you will NEED a heater. instead for going and buying two 2.5 bowls so you can get a mini heater (which can run you quite a bit of money, it's terrible how much they charge you for those death traps!) that you get them a 5 or 10gallon tank with a divider. a 5 gallon tank will need a 25watt heater and a 10 gallon will need a 50watt. get thermometer. get a few silk plants so they can hide from each other, 2 or three on each side will be good.

now normally you should cyle the tank, but since the water they are in is uncylced, bettas are pretty hearty, and your's are in danger of freezing to death, I suggest getting putting them in the tank asap (after you get the temp stable, conditioned the water and you float them in bags of their cool old water in the new tank water for about an hour. then dump them int he new tank) you'll need a test kit to monitor levels of ammonia nitrate and nitrites and do partial water changes anytime you see a spike in any of these, which may be frequent because the tank is new and unstable.

Answer 3

First of all you should NEVER pour warm water into a fish bowl to warm it up.
The abrupt change in temperature can kill a fish faster than any other cause.

Since you live in an apartment that is difficult to keep at a steady temperature you should not be keeping your Betta's in vases or small bowls.

Before you do anything else go get a book on Betta's and read it.

I would suggest getting a 10 gallon aquarium with the divider, a heater, and a sponge filter. Also get some plants, plastic in your case so you don't kill them LOL.

Betta's are tropical fish they like temperatures between 75 and 82°. They like still water hence the sponge filter, and before you ask no they can not be kept together without a divider.

Answer 4

Betta don't care much about pH. They need clean water, and temps in the 75-85 range. The other thing to remember is fast change is bad. A betta can easily live in a pH of 6, or 8, but moving him straight from one to another can be deadly. Like wise a rapid temp change is bad even if it's in the right direction.

You need to keep the bettas above 70F, and below 90F. Their temp can vary, but not by more than a couple of degree an hour. You need an aquarium heater which is going to require at least 2.5 gallon bowl. In theory you could also use a heating lamp, or heating pad, but they really don't work well. Remember the more water you have a fish the slower it is to lose heat. (More water is alway better.)

Answer 5

Okay, easy question. I have one right here looking at me now. It is my daughters fish but she went to Bolivia as an exchange student in August and I have been tending him since then. I live in a cold old drafty Vt. farmhouse and heat is a problem here as well. I have solved it though and very cheaply. So you know what I am talking about when I say a lamp to keep baby chickens warm? It is gray metal and round. It is smaller on the cord end and gets larger toward the light end. They only cost a couple dollars at any farm supply store.I have it hanging about 6-8 inches above the fish bowl from some baler twine and a screw from the ceiling.You will have to keep track of the temp. in the bowl until you get it hanging at the right height for your own conditions. I do have to leave it on all night and they tell me sometimes fish who can't have enough darkness sometimes don't get enough rest and won't live as long but as you know they don't live long cold either. This one has been living just fine like this for 3 years now. It works great!I completely empty and wash his one gallon bowl every week. No they don't have to have a tank and heater and filter. It stays at 75-78 all the time.

Answer 6

Bettas are very good at living in small places, there natural habitat is the rice pattys of vietnam. As for your bettas., when you change your water use a dechloronizer, it will take the chlorine out of your tap water(which is harmfull to bettas)I use stress coat. Let the water sit in room temp so that the temp equalizes. Betta water should be changed 2-3 times a week. As for the not eating, your betta is unhappy or sick. Bettamax is a remedy for most betta sickness's.

Answer 7

Did you de-chlorinate their water? Did you check the pH and make sure it isn't too high or too low? How much water does the vase hold, is it possible to get them a 2 or 3 gallon tank? They reslly need a full gallon each if possible. Other wise you will need to do daily water canges. What are you feeding them, they are carnivores and need Betta food and frozen blood worms.

Answer 8

i suggest getting heaters and putting them in the bowl, they need warm water, and also try feeding them something different cause sometimes theres food they don't like, i had 5 betta's got them for free too, but there not the normal ones, 3 of them died, water to cold, didn't eat, dropsey. i have 2 left, now they are sick.... but im currently treating them. if heating the water doesn't help them return them, get new ones, and then use the heaters and make sure there fine and dandy. =) i kinda understand if you don't wanna return them because you like them, thats what happens to me. and they die out of me... well good luck!

Answer 9

Bettas need warm water. 75F-80F. If the water keeps freezing like that they will die. The warm water probably shocked their system being added so quick. You need a real tank with a heater and filter for these fish.

Answer 10

clean tank, give food, give new water. new plant on top maybe