My First Betta Died. :(

[PrairieSunflower]

Well... Jimmy... who I had for an entire 1 week and 2 days... died.  I turned off the light this evening and then before bed peeked in and couldn't find him... turned the light back on and found him dead.
 
Quite discouraged as I expected my betta to be hardier as I heard they are really hardy fish.  I sort of feel like I did something wrong but no idea what it could have been... maybe over feed him but surely not enough to have killed him like that.
 
Any advice?  Should I give it another chance and buy another one?  (At Maidenhead maybe if I do rather than Pets at Home).  I was looking forward to him  getting used to me and all that. 

 

[Blondielovesfish]

  Jimmy
I think you should get another one, it was probably a one off bad Betta. Try Maidenhead and see what you can find. Chnaces are you'll find a hardier one.
Good luck.

 

[ReiRei]

RIP D:
Unfortunatly, I've seen Betta in terrible states at my local Pets At Home, Maidenhead have been far better ~
I hope you find a new one!

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I shall think about it... in the meantime I am going to re-fill my tank and treat one of my fish for a bit of fungus there (since my quarantine tank broke recently)... my guppy is prone to tiny bits of fungus for some reason but it clears easily.  After that.... I shall think about it.
 
I am quite shocked he died so fast!  I've been frustrated with fish lately since I had a big issue with platies a couple months back... wanted to downsize that one tank (for number of fish) and was going to just make it the one fish there... was supposed to be easier.  Even my husband was shocked it died and he doesn't care about my fish.

 

[TallTree01]

Sorry to hear this, I feared for jimmy when he became lethargic. You should give bettas another try. There is always a chance he was sick at the time of purchase.

 

[Mamashack]

Have also replied on your other thread about Jimmy's illness. Again. am sorry he died! Hope you do decide to get another
The only thing I don't like about MA is their use of the Aqua One betta barracks system where each fish has only 1.2L to exist in! I was going to say swim in but that would be pushing it a bit. I think it is quite cruel even tho it's constantly doing a trickle water change.
Have you thought of trying to get a plakat betta? They don't have the flamboyant finnage of say the veil-tails which are the ones normally available in pet stores. They are however more hardy and disease-resistant.

 

[DyArianna]

Sorry to read of Jimmy. I also hope you get another. You sure got attached to Jimmy in such a short time so you have lots of care to give another.

 

[Shelster]

Sorry, that's rubbish news to hear I would give betta keeping another go though, it's very rewarding when you get a fish and know their character.

He could of had a troubled journey, high ammonia content and then a bit of bloat was just too much.

At least he died in a nice sized tank than in the fish store, RIP jimmy.

 

[Ny82]

Aww so sorry to hear. 

 Jimmy.

 

[Wildbetta]

SIP Jimmy  

  I doubt it was anything that you did that caused him to pass away.  In reality you didn't have him very long.  Bettas are hardy fish but they endure a lot of abuse before someone ever takes them home.  All of this results in a betta with a immune system that has been severely compromised and also most of them have internal parasites which are hard to detect before they have caused a ton of problems for the fish.  All of this combines to make it hard to determine exactly why a betta passes away especially if they are not showing any true symptoms.  The best way to get the healthiest fish is to buy from a breeder but not everyone is able to do that.  I do think that you should get another betta once you have gotten your tanks sorted out.  Bettas are awesome fish to keep.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I told my kids that Jimmy died and both asked if we could get another... so I guess we will.
 
As for Maidenhead... the tanks look about the same size as the Pets at Home... but Maidenhead seems to have a sump in there and I didn't see anything at all in the Pets at Home betta tanks.
 
We'll see.  I am planning to remove all the plants and give the tank a thorough cleaning and either put one or two of my other fish in it for now or we'll see what my husband thinks later (if the kids beg to get another one or not).

 

[Mamashack]

They don't have the betta barracks in my local PAH so I assume they are in with other fish altho tbh I haven't looked for a betta in PAH. RCA recommended someone to me and I got mine from him. He imports direct from Thailand and will send them by special delivery altho I lived close enough to go and collect. If you want his details, when you are ready, let me know and I'll PM them.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I'm too leery to order fish by post.
 
The Pets at Home and Maidenhead have a line (Maidenhead has two lines) of tanks that appear to be maybe 5 litres.  PAH had gravel, a rock and a fake plant in theirs, Maidenhead has nothing in theirs but does have a sump pipe.
 
I think I will go to talk to the man at one of the two Maidenheads near me... I can't recall seeing bettas at his location, but never looked on purpose, he has given me excellent advice on buying and not buying certain fish.

 

[Mamashack]

It's good to have advisors you can trust! Let us know how you get on.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I've done some phoning around... turns out my favorite Maidenhead doesn't sell bettas, the other one that did has suddenly closed up.  So... I phoned Pets at Home to complain so I will be going back there with a water sample and they said if that checks out they will offer either a refund or another fish.  So, will have to do that sooner than later.
 
How do I take in a sample?  Should I sterilize a plastic container and then put my water in there?