Mystery Illness, A String Of Bad Luck, Or Something Else?

[wdicwg]

Just before Christmas I posted about the beta I had for a year and a half dying on the car ride home for break. The general consensus was he died from his age plus the stress of the move. So I rinsed the decorations and redid the tank, and kept it cycled until I could get a new beta the day after christmas when I got a new beta and a second tank. The new beta did great for a week of so and then he started shredding his own fins and died two days latter. I chalked it up to stress but this time thoroughly cleaned the tank with bleach and got all new decorations just in case. I set the tank back up and kept adding ammonia to both until I got back, the new tank was no longer having ammonia spikes since I got some media from a neighbor at home, and I took some of the new tanks media to cycle the old tank and once both were cycled I went and bought two beta boys from a local pet store. The one in the new tank hid for a while but is now doing great (4 days later). The one in the old tank died within 48 hours so I took him back for a replacement fish wendsday and upon returning from class today he was dead. That makes 4 betas dying in the same tank within less than a month, two after being cleaned with bleach. All four times the water has shown no ammonia or nitrates, and nitrites being under 25. The tank has been cycled all 4 times and heated. The beta in the new tank has been fine. I live in an apartment style dorm and one of my room mates has a beta too which has been fine. One has been in the bedroom, one the kitchen and one the living room so not close but I think that rules out something in the tap water.

So the big question is what could this be is it an ilness I haven't thought of that isn't killed by bleach, something I haven't thought of or hadn't considered, or is it just plain bad luck.

PS. An alternate theory supplied by one of my room mates is that the tank is cursed, lol

 

[AquaJason]

Whats your pH like? if it extreme then it could have possibly killed your betta, do you have a heater in the tank?
As for using bleach in a tank- Big NONO as you cant be sure you have rinsed it off properly which could be a result to the other betta deaths.

 

[Liquid skills]

yeh thats what i was going to say perhaps there is a chemical left over in your tank try cleaning it with bi carbonate of soda this should clear the chemicals and will keep algae away for a few weeks

 

[Fishy friend2]

How did you acclimate the fish? And if I may ask.. Can you post some info about your setup and maybe a pic so we cad identifie if anything is wrong. Example - temp. Or tank size. And what symptoms do your bettas have before they died except them being lethargic. What I'm thinking is it them being stress from the move. But I can't see that happening 4 times in a row

 

[wdicwg]

Sorry for not replying sooner,

The first beta the ph was 6.8 and a temp of 78 before the three hour move. He had no syptoms that I noticed before the move, and was dead upon arrival. I had him for a year and a half prior to the move and had moved him the same way 4-5 times prior to his death

The second the ph was 7.4 with a temp again of 78 (the difference between the 6.8 and 7.4 is the difference between water at campus and water at home). he was fine for week, and then started acting really spasy before his death and then his fins were shreeded, which I believe he did to him self, since I don't think anything in the tank would have caused it.

The third and fourth the ph was 6.8 and same temp, the third died within 24 hours of purchase and immediately hid upon being in the tank so I do not know if he had any other symptoms. The fourth mostly laid on the bottom for the 2 days I had him, and seemed to have no other symptom.

None of the 4 fish were subject to the ph difference between home and school because they were dead prior to being changed to the water between the two. The three new betas were acclimated by the cup being placed in the tank for an hour and then adding a tablespoon full of water every 20 mins for 4 hours.

The tank is a 5 gallon heated and cycled tank. The first two betas had 4-5 silk plants, 2 live plants and a terra cotta pot cave. The third and fourth had 4 live plants, 4silk plants, and a terra cotta pot cave (all the plants and caves were replaced after the second)

In response to the bleach there were no fish in the tank and the tank was completely empty and used as a sanitizing method, i found the method on the on another post on here (would have to go back and find it) the rinsed it 4-5 times, let it dry out and then used extra water conditioner before cycling the tank again. The only things the bleach was used on was the tank and
filter. New filter media and mature media from another tank were used and new decorations were used.

I guess anything is still possible, and I can get pictures tomorrow probably if needed. The beta in the brand new tank is still doing fine all 4 have been in the old one (so all 4 in one tank), so I don't want to put another beta in this tank until I know the cause of the deaths.