My betta fish is dying :( Please help!!

Question
QUESTION: Hi,

My name is Elicia. I recently purchased a male betta. I've had him for about 3 weeks now. I bought him from Petco, he is in a 2.5 gallon tank with a filter And as of today he has a heater and thermometer. He did not before. Also plants (not live) decor etc. The tank also has a light.

Let me first start off by saying - I've never owned any fish before & when I was at Petco, I did not do the full research of the fish before purchasing him... Mistake on my end.

I found out he has a Fungus infection today. Although, I'm sure he's had it for quite sometime now, but being a new fish owner I did not notice the symptoms as quickly as I should of. I talked to another woman at Petco who says she owns 8 betta, told me what he had (I brought in pictures etc) and how to treat it. She also informed me to buying a heater and thermometer, which I did. I've always done the water etc correctly. She told me to purchase Quick Cure (not sure if your familiar with it) I gave him his first treatment today, but I'm wondering if its too late and he's suffering? :( I'm very worried. He only sits at the bottom of the tank and has not moved, though I can tell he is still breathing and alive. Also - when I first purchased the fish I noticed he would spit out the worm flakes I was giving him. I then started to crush them, thinking they would be easier for him to eat, but as I work 40hrs a week I have never actually Seen him eat. I'm very worried about him and his well being :( Advice would be much appreciated. I will give him his second dose of medication tomorrow.

ANSWER: Elicia,

One of the bigger problems has already been taken care of by adding the heater. When the Betta's water temperature drops below 80 degrees, the first of many problems begins. The cooler the water, the less active you Betta will be. You should start to see an improvement in him once his water starts to warm up. The 2.5 gallon tank is the absolute minimum size tank for one Betta, where a five gallon is better. The larger the tank, the easier it is to maintain water temperature and keep everything cleaner. Make sure the heater is a dial top heater so that you control the temperature. The heaters that say they keep the water and a certain temp rarely do. I would also remove the filter. Your Betta does not need a filter nor does he like it. Filters tend to stress them out. Also, when using filters, the tank needs to be cycled first before you add fish. This process can take 6 weeks. During the cycle process, there are 2 bacteria blooms, the first being bad and the second being good. During the cycling of the tank, ammonia and nitrite levels will get very high. Both o these can make the fish ill and can kill. Removing the filter will stop the cycle process. When using medications, make sure you follow the directions on the bottle and never use Melafix or Betafix. You can also add a little aquarium salt to his tank. The ratio is 1 teaspoon per gallon. ONLY add the salt to the water going into the tank when you are doing a water change. Salt does not evaporate, so after he is better, you will remove the salt by doing daily water changes. You should be feeding him pellet food as a staple, add frozen blood worms and brine shrimp a couple times a week. Freeze dried food should only be given as a treat. Do not use flake food Betta pellets are the best.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately my betta passed away this morning, I believe he was too far gone by the time I had gotten him the medication. Poor guy :( I'm going to go pick up another one tonight and clean the tank fully before putting my new betta in. That's strange that Petco would sell "betta tanks" with filters on them if the betta do no not like them. Will the filter stress the fish so much that it would lead to its death? I have everything I feel I need now to be better prepared for another betta - and still have a ton of the medication I purchased yesterday.

I guess my questions for you now would be:
1) Do I have to/do you suggest removing the filter?
2) If I filled the tank & put in the formula that removes chlorine etc from the tank, let it sit for 30min then added the fish would that be okay? Does it need to sit longer? Also - the following day could I then put the filter back on?
3) What medication would you recommend for a fish if they do get the fungus again?

Finally - my tank since I got the heater it at about 75 degrees, does that work?

Final question - Are betta suppose to be active fish? A friend of mine has two & he says they just sit around at the bottom of the tank & aren't known for being active? Or is that because the tank could be too small?

Thanks for answering my questions!

Elicia

Answer
Elicia,

 Sorry to hear the Betta didn't make it. Unfortunately, things sold in stores are not necessarily good for a fish. The Betta has a labyrinth organ which allows them to come to the surface of the water to get air. The male's have long flowing fins and tail which makes him a slow swimmer. When you add a filter, a current is made and makes it even harder to swim. Stress can lead to illness. You do not need to add the filter, but if you do, there is the cycle process it has to go through before you add the fish. This process take a minimum of 6 weeks. When you put the conditioner into the water, you can add the fish right away. It removes all that needs to be removed as soon as you add it to the water so there is no need to wait any amount of time to add your Betta. I never use medications in my tanks. If you do 25% water changes every week and do not over feed the fish, you should not have too many problems. The only thing I add if there is injury or illness is aquarium salt. When the problem is fixed, you then start removing the salt. 75 degrees is too cold for the Betta. His water needs to be at 80 degrees at all times. All of my Betta's are very active. If you do not use a heater, or it is set too low, they will become lethargic and will sit at the bottom of the tank doing nothing. If you have an inactive Betta, there is a problem.They will also not swim if the tank is too small. As I have stated before, 2.5 gallons is the absolute minimum but a 5 gallon is better. All 24 of my males are in their own 5 gallon aquariums.