# Senior betta



## Elliott225 (Jan 9, 2014)

I've had my betta for almost 2 years now. He is always sitting at the tank bottom. He is active during feeding and eats pretty good. Diet of blood worms and blood worm flakes. Also, gets regular flake. Water temp is constant at 78-80 degrees. Is he just getting old?


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

Could be... I've had Bettas live 4 years or so an then out of the blue die so I'm thinking it might be old or it's got something internally wrong (genetics, sickness, bloat,etc)

hope that helps


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## big b (Aug 17, 2014)

Bettas can live for about 6 years given the proper care. Heck, some live to be 10 years old. But the average lifespan is about 2-3 years because of improper care. Your betta fish was probably already 6 months or a year old when you got him, so he is probably like 2.5-3 years old.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i once had a betta that was about 50 years old..he rarely moved.he just hung out there on the wall.he finally perished in a move.


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## big b (Aug 17, 2014)

50 year old betta, lol


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

What??? Wizard, where did you hear that? 3 years old is old for a Betta, and they're usually almost a year old by the time they make it to the pet store.


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## big b (Aug 17, 2014)

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=51788 http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_oldest_Betta_fish_on_record http://www.myaquariumclub.com/how-l...e-for-ive-had-my-howard-for-a...-5619017.html http://pets.thenest.com/life-expectancy-male-betta-3975.html http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/betta1/f/bettalife.htm http://healthybetta.proboards.com/thread/68/longest-living-betta
It's not that hard to keep a betta for 5 years if you give him proper care. Any animal can live past it's average life span if given proper conditions. Heck, look at humans. We are living past 100. Not a lot of us over here in the USA but I hear it's pretty common in china. Or it might have been somewhere else.


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## Jeane09 (Nov 19, 2013)

I read somewhere that a university experiment proved bettas kept in optimal conditions could easily live to 8 years. unfortunately I don't recall where I saw that so can't point you to the source. I've always thought that the best to expect from a betta living a filtered, heated tank is 3-5 years.

my oldest so far is going on 2 and a half now, his face is starting to look gray.


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## big b (Aug 17, 2014)

That might have been in one of the link I posted. Actually, one of the links told about a 10 year old betta in a lab.


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## Elliott225 (Jan 9, 2014)

I did a 50% WC this morning and that it would perk up the fellow but he just sat in his corner. Cantankerous old fart.


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## big b (Aug 17, 2014)

Maybe he's bored or needs some exercise. Why not give him a floating betta log? Or maybe chase him around with a net for a minute. I read that it helps them stay fit.


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