# 4 bettas dead in 2 weeks



## midnightpavo (Dec 29, 2014)

Over the past two weeks I have gone through 4 Betta fish and each one has died within 48 hours of buying them.

They have all been kept in a 29 gallon tank with dividers so each fish gets 4-5 gallons to move around in. I have done water changes weekly as well as conditioning it. The tank is also heated at around 80?. 

The first one came from petco and was in the divided tank with 2 others from the flea market. Within the first night of having these three, the green crown tail died without any warning. The second night, the butterfly Betta and black/red crown tail died after a day of sluggish activity. After this I drained and cleaned the tank. Few days later, I got another green Betta. It died after 2 days.

Every Betta I have had within the past 2 weeks gets in terrible condition as soon as I get home and I dont know why. A few hours after they go in the tank they go completely verticle and refuse to eat at any point. I've tried pellets, flakes, thawed blood worms, and freeze dried blood worms. Nothing appeals to them. They just float there.

I'm so close to giving up on these beautiful fish because I don't know what to do.


----------



## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

What kind of store are you getting the bettas from?


----------



## midnightpavo (Dec 29, 2014)

First from petco, second and third from the fleamarket, and fourth from petsmart.


----------



## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

Sorry I didn't see that in your first post. I'm trying to think of what the problem could possibly be.


----------



## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

How much water did you change out at a time?


----------



## midnightpavo (Dec 29, 2014)

I did a 100% water change. 

I have been wondering if the adhesive I used for the dividers could be poisonous to them; however I heard that 100% silicone is aquarium safe so I'm not sure. Here is what I used.


----------



## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

Also, what were their living condions like at each place you bought them from? How long was the time in between purchasing them and putting them in their new tank? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to piece together what is wrong here...


----------



## midnightpavo (Dec 29, 2014)

Each was in an average store Betta cup. They were acting normal in the store, not too sluggish. Each was also in the tank within an hour of purchase.


----------



## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

Ok. What material are the dividers made out of? Silicone completely? And as an afterthought, the temperature differenece between the betta cups and your tank may have sent the bettas into shock, thus eventually killing them.


----------



## midnightpavo (Dec 29, 2014)

The dividers are plastic. They're those cross-stiching plastic grids. However this is the adhesive I used (pic attached)


----------



## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

Ok silicone is fine. I think it may have been trauma from being introduced into a whole different temperature (your tank) than the betta cup itself (room temp or even colder)


----------



## midnightpavo (Dec 29, 2014)

Alright, I hope that is all it is. Since this topic I've been researching info on this particular silicone and half of the people are saying it's toxic, half not. I don't know which is true. 

I did however float the bettas for a few mins, but if temp is the case, then I didn't long enough.


----------



## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

Can I get anyone else's opinion? The only other thing I can possibly think of is chemicals leeching out from the plastic dividers, thus poisening each fish.


----------



## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

If nothing else, I'm sorry for your loss.


----------



## midnightpavo (Dec 29, 2014)

More opinions would be greatly appreciated. I Don't want to keep buying bettas only for them to die so quickly.


----------



## midnightpavo (Dec 29, 2014)

wpe_15 said:


> If nothing else, I'm sorry for your loss.



Thank you. It's a real shame I lost this beauty


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Fast death is usually water, but it can also be a disease. Do you have another tank you can try the betta in? Either a poison or disease could remain in the tank and kill new fish.


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

read the label on the silicone and see if it is mod or mildew resistant...if it is that is the culprit..we use the plastic canvas a lot..it works really well..we use plastic binder spines to keep it rigid.


----------



## midnightpavo (Dec 29, 2014)

I do not have a new tank and yes, it is mold/ mildew resistant.

I can scrape out all of the silicone and use suction cups instead.


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

so now you have the answer to what killed your fish..good thing it wasn't something expensive like an L-46..
make sure you get every last little bit of it out..clean the tank really well..if you are going to add dividers again just get some regular aquarium silicone..or use some solid wire and some plastic binder splines..


----------



## midnightpavo (Dec 29, 2014)

Alright. Will do. Thank you guys.


----------



## GoldenGirl11 (Nov 9, 2014)

I have a betta fish from petco and i have had him for a year. He is almost dead now, no matter what I do. never buy fish from petco, the moral is. My sister's died very quickly too.


----------



## bullseyejoey (Aug 30, 2012)

GoldenGirl11 said:


> I have a betta fish from petco and i have had him for a year. He is almost dead now, no matter what I do. never buy fish from petco, the moral is. My sister's died very quickly too.



It's not very reasonable to say to NEVER buy fish from petco, because for some people, that may be their only source of fish. Fish in their tanks are a lot healthier than their bettas because they do not properly care for their bettas (ex: putting them in the small plastic cups that they have them in). The fish in the tanks that they have are in suitable conditions to be sold very quickly, even though fish can develop problems quickly... I have bought fish from petco that have lasted a while.


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Any store with a central filtration system has a good chance of selling you infected fish,so you have to be ready to QT or deal with disease with each new fish. I find the quality of chain stores varies greatly. One conscientious employee who knows fish can make all the difference in the world.


----------



## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

GoldenGirl11 said:


> I have a betta fish from petco and i have had him for a year. He is almost dead now, no matter what I do. never buy fish from petco, the moral is. My sister's died very quickly too.


Pfffffttt..... you're 11 years old. Petco is fine. Just don't buy fish from Walmart. Take a look at their tanks next time you go there. A pretty sad sight to see.


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

It is good practice to switch suppliers when you have a problem, though. If your Petco is bad, don't shop there.


----------



## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

Look at their tanks. If multiple tanks have dead fish floating on the bottom or near death on surface, time to look elsewhere. Walmart is notoriously known for having tanks like that. Even some of their Betta stock looks lethargic at times. Thankfully I bought mine while he was active and healthy there a few years ago and it lived for about a year or so.


----------



## Jeane09 (Nov 19, 2013)

I have a petsmart betta more than 2years now. My other betta is from petco, 7 months and going strong. But I have noticed the petco here tends to have better conditions, and one of the employees is a real "fish person". So i give them more of my business, even tho it's farther away.

I'm sorry you lost your fish. I've been thinking of making a similar divider for my 10gal.


----------

