dead beta

Question
Hi,

I bought a beta this weekend at Wal Mart (admittedly not the best place to get a healthy fish).  He started out looking pretty healthy and had brilliant colors.  After about a day he seemed to dull in color.  I thought the store was probably using a trick of some kind to brighten the colors a bit and didn't worry too much about it.  He never seemed to have an appetite and wasn't too active or social either.  I have had one beta before and I knew they mostly just hung out but usually would respond when a person came up to the bowl.  Anyway this morning I found him on the bottom of the bowl upside down, nose down tail up.  At first I thought I had let the water get too cold and that is why he died (it probably was too cold, it was 62 degrees) but then I noticed his tail was tattered at the end like he had been chewing it off.  I thought this was odd and I was just talking to a friend who said fungus would do that.  So now I am doubting the wisdom of the WalMart employee who told us that Ick-Away would be the only water additive we would need.  We have well water, and I don't know much about the content except it is high in iron.  We live in the Mountains of Western NC if that information helps at all.  

To answer your other questions that I have not touched on, the bowl was just set up for him, and he was the only fish in there.  There was no filter system.  It was about a half-gallon glass bowl.  We bought him on Saturday evening and found him dead this morning, so I had not changed the water yet.

Thank you for any information you can provide.  Also, I would like to know what to do in the future.  I really am quite fond of these little guys, and I would like to get another one but I realize it was probably my ignorance and carelessness that killed the poor fish.  If I can't do what's needed I won't get another one.  I had read online that their water needs to be 75-86 degrees.  We have no air conditioning at home and the temperature can get into the 90s during the day, so I kept his bowl in front of a window fan.  It got too cold last night, I think.  I should have moved him.  Now I also realize that water temp is generally colder than room temp so he might have been better off in the heat of the day.  What is your recommendation about where to keep a beta?  I thought about keeping him at work, but the AC is sometimes down to 72 and I was worried about him getting too cold.

Answer
Hi Holly;

I'm sorry you lost your new little friend. It sounds like he had what I call "Betta Fungus". It is very fast in spreading and can kill them in just a few hours. It is treated with a medication called "Betta Max" by Aquatronics. It is a good medication to have around in case of emergencies. Treats other betta diseases too. That is probably why he was pale looking. Kind of like when people get sick. We look a bit 'pasty' too.

Bettas do need temperatures in the high 70's and 80's, but one night of this wouldn't necessarily have caused his death unless he was already sick. When you get a new betta, try to find an area that keeps him at a constant temperature all day. Fluctuations are what is dangerous. I know it's hard to do at certain times of the year, but just do the best you can.

The only thing you need to add to a betta's water when you change it is a good water conditioner. Forget what Walmart said about the ick remedy. They don't need it if they don't have ick. If you are concerned about your tap water, use bottled drinking water. Avoid distilled water though. It doesn't have any minerals in it that fish need. Just regular spring water or plain bottled drinking water is fine.

Try again with another betta. I know you can do it!

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

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