Betta fish keeps dying on me

Question
QUESTION: I've had 3 betta fish for the past 2 weeks. They all died on me. I made changes after each "incident". Here's what I did with the last fish:
I purchased a 2.5 gallon water,
put in the required amount of water conditioner and let it sit in the room overnight;
then I had the fish floated in the tank in the bag I purchased him in for about an hour before letting him into the tank;
fed him the betta bio-gold from Hikari pellets (3 per day for 4 days - that's how many days he lasted)
bought a heater (I live in NJ, still pretty cold here)
the temp is roughly between 65-70 in the tank
He really looked happy, eager to eat every morning when I fed him
yesterday I noticed some whitish fuzzy haze over part of his body but didn't think much of it since he was still swimming around and came to me for food
By last night I knew he was dying. That whitish fuzzy haze literally overtook his tiny body and he hardly moved. He died shortly after.

What did I do wrong?? Help! I love these little fish and have had them in the past, never this much trouble! I didn't do any of these things when I had my first betta and he lived happily for quite some time.. Thank you!

ANSWER: Hi Kathlyn,
A betta is a tropical fish, and needs 78-80 degree water.  When you bring them home from the pet store, you put them in the tank at approximately the same temperature that is in the bag.  Then you heat the water of the tank, one degree every two days as heating the water too quickly would cause death.   When they get a fuzzy whitish haze, they must be treated quickly.  This is a fungus disease, and without medication, they die as the fungus eats away at them.  Fungus usually happens when a betta is in poor water conditions.  Seeing as you had him for only four days, it could be that the water where you bought him wasn't clean.  The cold temperature too did not help him.  Bettas will get sick in 70 degree water, and will die.  They are cold, and miserable.  

Here is some information on how a betta should be kept, that you might find interesting:

Bettas need 5 gallons of water to be healthy, and happy.
In their habitat the betta may live in shallow waters, but they have lots of room to swim.  
Keeping Bettas in small bowls, containers, vases etc, is cruel.  The Betta is one of the most mistreated fish on the market.
They need a heated tank.  Temperature should be 78-80 degrees.  They are tropical fish, and are cold under this temperature.  Cold bettas get sick, are miserable, and live unhappy lives. ( Always remember  when heating a tank, do this very very slowly..1 (one) degree every two days, as bringing up the temperature too fast would kill your Betta.)  The temperature should always be stable.  Fluctuating temperature is very bad for bettas, and any other fish.  
They should have a silk plant in their tanks, so that they can rest on the leaves  They also need a little tunnel or some knick knack that they can go through.   One teaspoon to five gallons of diluted aquarium salt may be added to his water, when a Betta is well.  
Aquarium salt helps them with stress, and helps with parasites.  However if a Betta is showing signs of a swollen tummy, salt should not be used.
They need a varied diet. This is very important.  Betta pellets one day, Betta Flakes the next, Daphnia the next, and bloodworms should be given once a week as a treat.
He should be given one well cooked frozen cooked pea a week, and on the day you give him the pea, he should fast.    
A betta is prone to constipation, and constipation leads to Swim Bladder Disease.  A frozen cooked pea a week keeps them from getting constipated.  Always remove the outer layer of the pea, and cut it into small pieces feeding it to your betta one piece at a time.
They should have 2-3 small meals a day, and not one big meal.  We must remember that their tummy is the size of their eye.
Example:  2 pellets for one meal.
Water changes are very important.  Water changes must be made every week without fail with a good water conditioner such as Aqua Safe or Stress Coat.  There is also a conditioner made especially for bettas.  If you do not have a filter, change all the water in his tank weekly.
Never put two bettas in the same tank, they will kill each other...male or female.  The Betta male is a loner.  Females can be kept together in a big enough tank, but they are also aggressive towards each other, and the tank should be at least 30 gallons with many hiding places.
When treated well, a betta can live up to 8 years, if you buy him when he is very young.  (Unfortunately we do not know their age when we buy them at the Pet Store which is why some bettas die two or three years after we have bought them.)
He's an intelligent little fish, and should be treated with kindness.
Too many vendors know nothing about the betta, and don't care...so don't give good information on how to keep them.
They are there to sell, and will say anything just to make a buck.  They send you home with your bought betta, telling you a small bowl is perfect, and bloodworms!  The poor customer thinks he has everything he/she needs, and then the fish gets sick, money is spent to cure him, and eventually the fish dies.   
This turns my stomach over.  Unfortunately there are no laws to protect fish.  
Bettas kept in small bowls, one gallon tanks, and vases, will get sick, and are very hard to cure in such little water.  They end up dieing, and
that hurts the person who has grown so attached to them.  They don't deserve to be treated this way.
This is how a Betta should be treated.  If treated this way, you will have your friend for a long long time.  I have bred them, love them, and know what is good for them.
Hope this helps, and if you have anymore questions, do not hesitate to write me.
Lynda




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

QUESTION: Lynda,
Thanks again for the quick response. I think this one is doing well. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
I have another beta fish. I've had him for exactly one week. He lives in a smaller tank (1 Gallon). The temperature is about 72F, pretty constant. He refused to eat anything I gave him. The only thing he took in was one pellet for the entire week. Starting this morning, he started to stay at the bottom of the tank, hardly moved around like he used to. When I moved closer to the tank, he started "jumping"/"shootin" up and down the tank (like a bullet), then quickly went back to the "stiff" floating postion, like "playing dead". He's been like this all day. Please don't tell me this is a sign of disease or that he's dying... I don't see any fungus, his eyes look alert to me.. I don't seem to have much luck with these littel creatures.. Thanks for your expert advice.

Answer
Hi!
Like I mentioned to you, 72 degree water is much to cold for bettas.  They are tropical fish, and need 78-80, and 82 degree water to stay healthy.  When they are in cool water, they are cold, and get sick, and they are very hard to cure, almost impossible in such cool water.  I would think that this is the problem.  When a Betta refuses to eat, he is sick.  It could be something internal, it could also be Swim Bladder Disease.  Check to see if his tummy is swollen.  His tummy is just beneath his chin.  If it is, then try the pea treatment, and if that doesn't work, antibiotics, such as Kanamycin, Tetracycline, or Furan 2.  He should be in warmer water.  To heat his water, you must do this very very slowly...one degree every two days.  Lots of people think they can keep Bettas in cool water, but they never survive.  This is due to the bad advice vendors tell them.  It just turns my stomach over, when I read some articles on what the vendors say.  
To keep Bettas well, and happy, they must be in warmer water, and bigger tanks.
He may have Swim Bladder, check to see, if not, he is cold, and it is attacking his system.
Lynda