Dead Bettas

A few months ago, I went on vacation. I had a gorgeous blue betta who
was seemingly happy and healthy--he'd been in my community tank for
about a year. I called to check on the fish (not talking to the fish
directly, of course) and was told that he had "disappeared." My niece
kept checking the tank for him, but found no sign. When I got home
weeks later, I also checked the tank. No betta.

A couple of weeks later, I bought myself a new Betta--a beautiful red
crown tail. Just before I put him in the tank, I pulled some
decorations to clean them--and there was the blue betta. Raw spots,
chewed looking, only able to swim tilted almost horizontal, and
trapped behind a decoration in the tank. I pulled him from the
community tank (a 30 gallon with some rummy nose tetras, corydoras,
glolights, and black tetras) and put him in a 2 gallon bowl with
substrate and a plant, where he survived until a few days ago.

Yesterday, my red crowntail was in fine form--gorgeous, active, eating
well. I saw him at about 7 pm and he looked great. I popped a movie
in the dvd player, curled up on the sofa, and, about a half hour into
Bourne Ultimatum, I looked over at the tank and there's my red
crowntail, trapped under a decoration (different one), just the trim
of his fins visible. I yanked the aquarium top off, moved the
decoration, but he was dead.

These decorations have been in place since I set up the tank. The
only fish who seem determined to get trapped are the bettas,
apparently. And they'd have to WORK to wriggle into these spots--the
crowntail would have had to shove himself under a decoration that is
worked into the substrate. The blue Betta would have had to wriggle
between decoration and glass into a space none of the other fish can
get into. Is this a typical Betta behavior? Because I'm about done
with bettas--I love having them, but they're so interactive and
attentive that I get really attached to them, which makes it very sad
when they die like this.

Any insight? My husband joked that the betta committed suicide, but
I'm not laughing. I take good care of my tank, the water's good,
things are clean, the fish are well fed without being overfed. Both
Bettas had built bubble nests in the past, so they must have been
somewhat happy. What am I doing wrong?

Kris

"Thriceshy" wrote in message
...

brevity snip

Any insight? My husband joked that the betta committed suicide, but
I'm not laughing. I take good care of my tank, the water's good,
things are clean, the fish are well fed without being overfed. Both
Bettas had built bubble nests in the past, so they must have been
somewhat happy. What am I doing wrong?
=================================
It sounds like they're trying to hide for some reason. I also love bettas
but keep them in their own small tanks or gallon bowls. And measure any
bowls or tanks. I once took a person's word for it......... what was I
thinking?!?!?!

I do have one male betta in a 5g filtered heated tank with some small fish
I've been unable to identify and so far so good. He had to be removed at
first because, starving, the nipped at him. They will only eat frozen foods.
Once I realized that, they started eating well and I returned him. They now
ignore him.

Before he was removed he would hide behind a decoration and only come out to
eat. Now he's out all the time and he ignores them as well.
--

RM....
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

On Dec 13, 7:36Â*am, Tynk wrote:
On Dec 13, 8:03�am, Thriceshy wrote:





A few months ago, I went on vacation. �I had a gorgeous blue betta who
was seemingly happy and healthy--he'd been in my community tank for
about a year. �I called to check on the fish (not talking to the fish
directly, of course) and was told that he had "disappeared." �My niece
kept checking the tank for him, but found no sign. �When I got home
weeks later, I also checked the tank. �No betta.

A couple of weeks later, I bought myself a new Betta--a beautiful red
crown tail. �Just before I put him in the tank, I pulled some
decorations to clean them--and there was the blue betta. �Raw spots,
chewed looking, only able to swim tilted almost horizontal, and
trapped behind a decoration in the tank. �I pulled him from the
community tank (a 30 gallon with some rummy nose tetras, corydoras,
glolights, and black tetras) and put him in a 2 gallon bowl with
substrate and a plant, where he survived until a few days ago.

Yesterday, my red crowntail was in fine form--gorgeous, active, eating
well. �I saw him at about 7 pm and he looked great. �I popped a movie
in the dvd player, curled up on the sofa, and, about a half hour into
Bourne Ultimatum, I looked over at the tank and there's my red
crowntail, trapped under a decoration (different one), just the trim
of his fins visible. �I yanked the aquarium top off, moved the
decoration, but he was dead.

These decorations have been in place since I set up the tank. �The
only fish who seem determined to get trapped are the bettas,
apparently. �And they'd have to WORK to wriggle into these spots--the
crowntail would have had to shove himself under a decoration that is
worked into the substrate. �The blue Betta would have had to wriggle
between decoration and glass into a space none of the other fish can
get into. �Is this a typical Betta behavior? �Because I'm about done
with bettas--I love having them, but they're so interactive and
attentive that I get really attached to them, which makes it very sad
when they die like this.

Any insight? �My husband joked that the betta committed suicide, but
I'm not laughing. �I take good care of my tank, the water's good,
things are clean, the fish are well fed without being overfed. �Both
Bettas had built bubble nests in the past, so they must have been
somewhat happy. �What am I doing wrong?

Kris

Hi Kris.
When a betta dives under something or wriggles into a place where
others can't get to them is common behavior of a Betta who is being
nipped.
Other than being harassed, an ill betta will also hide. However, you
didn't mention seeing any symptoms of disease.
Have you seen any harassment by the black skirt Tetras?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

His fins were glorious looking--no nippage or signs of being chewed
on. The few days before he died I'd noticed him flaring at his own
reflection a lot more often, but when chasing/harrassing went on, it
was invariably HIM doing the chasing. The only time I ever saw him
get bitten was an accidental thing--I'd put in a frozen shrimp cube
and he set himself up directly under it. When the cube began to break
up and the shrimp began to sink, the other fish started darting up to
grab bits. One of the fish got his fin by mistake. The tetras have
gotten along quite well with him, and he only chased them every once
in a while, never fast enough or sincerely enough to actually catch
them.

If he was ill, which is what I would have thought, too, then he did a
grand job of hiding it, because his color was breathtaking and he was
swimming and behaving normally right up until he forced his way under
there and died.

I had, a couple of hours earlier, dipped an arm into the tank and
scrubbed the corners and substrate line with a handheld scrubby-
sponge. That always upsets the fish a bit (no wonder, lol), but they
get over it pretty quickly. Could fear/upset force them to hide out
like that?

Thanks for answering.

Kris

On Dec 13, 1:17 pm, "Reel McKoi" wrote:
"Thriceshy" wrote in message

...

brevity snip

Any insight? My husband joked that the betta committed suicide, but
I'm not laughing. I take good care of my tank, the water's good,
things are clean, the fish are well fed without being overfed. Both
Bettas had built bubble nests in the past, so they must have been
somewhat happy. What am I doing wrong?

=================================
It sounds like they're trying to hide for some reason. I also love bettas
but keep them in their own small tanks or gallon bowls. And measure any
bowls or tanks. I once took a person's word for it......... what was I
thinking?!?!?!

I do have one male betta in a 5g filtered heated tank with some small fish
I've been unable to identify and so far so good. He had to be removed at
first because, starving, the nipped at him. They will only eat frozen foods.
Once I realized that, they started eating well and I returned him. They now
ignore him.

Before he was removed he would hide behind a decoration and only come out to
eat. Now he's out all the time and he ignores them as well.
--

RM....
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

I think I'll take a betta break for a bit. I don't really have
anyplace in the living room for another tank or fishbowl, and I hated
keeping the blue one in the kitchen. I was so pleased because my
betta seemed to get along so well in the community tank. If I do get
another betta, I'll pull all the decorations away from the sides of
the aquarium and sink them even deeper in the substrate.

Anyone have any experience with Boesemani Rainbows? They look quite
pretty, and, according to the charts, seem to get along well with the
other fish I have.

Kris

On Dec 14, 6:59 am, Thriceshy wrote:
On Dec 13, 1:17 pm, "Reel McKoi" wrote:





"Thriceshy" wrote in message

...

brevity snip

Any insight? My husband joked that the betta committed suicide, but
I'm not laughing. I take good care of my tank, the water's good,
things are clean, the fish are well fed without being overfed. Both
Bettas had built bubble nests in the past, so they must have been
somewhat happy. What am I doing wrong?

=================================
It sounds like they're trying to hide for some reason. I also love bettas
but keep them in their own small tanks or gallon bowls. And measure any
bowls or tanks. I once took a person's word for it......... what was I
thinking?!?!?!

I do have one male betta in a 5g filtered heated tank with some small fish
I've been unable to identify and so far so good. He had to be removed at
first because, starving, the nipped at him. They will only eat frozen foods.
Once I realized that, they started eating well and I returned him. They now
ignore him.

Before he was removed he would hide behind a decoration and only come out to
eat. Now he's out all the time and he ignores them as well.
--

RM....
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

I think I'll take a betta break for a bit. I don't really have
anyplace in the living room for another tank or fishbowl, and I hated
keeping the blue one in the kitchen. I was so pleased because my
betta seemed to get along so well in the community tank. If I do get
another betta, I'll pull all the decorations away from the sides of
the aquarium and sink them even deeper in the substrate.

Anyone have any experience with Boesemani Rainbows? They look quite
pretty, and, according to the charts, seem to get along well with the
other fish I have.

Kris- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

No, but TYNK wil be along shortly if your looking for a blow job or
get a carpet cleaned.........TYNK is the aquaria groups loser in
residence.

On Fri, 14 Dec 2007 04:59:22 -0800, Thriceshy wrote:

Anyone have any experience with Boesemani Rainbows? They look quite
pretty, and, according to the charts, seem to get along well with the
other fish I have.

I haven't kept the Boesemani ones, but I do have both dwarf neon rainbows
and Batanta Island rainbows. They're not agressive, albeit the males do
chase each other around, flashing their dorsal stripe like a neon sign.

But they are quite active, so if you have any calm fish they might not
like it. I once added some rainbows to a tank with redeye tetras and the
tetras almost immediately went into hiding :-).

"Thriceshy" wrote in message
...
I had, a couple of hours earlier, dipped an arm into the tank and
scrubbed the corners and substrate line with a handheld scrubby-
sponge. That always upsets the fish a bit (no wonder, lol), but they
get over it pretty quickly. Could fear/upset force them to hide out
like that?
========================
Over the years I learned to be very, very careful what kind of decorations I
used in my tanks. I've had fish get caught in conch shells and all manner
of fake rock caves, flower pot drainage holes and other goodies. I now use
all natural decorations. Rocks, an old tree branch, a large safe mussel
shell... things like that. The only fakie I use is a plastic barrel thing
they can't get caught and killed in.
--
RM....
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

"Thriceshy" wrote in message
...

I think I'll take a betta break for a bit. I don't really have
anyplace in the living room for another tank or fishbowl, and I hated
keeping the blue one in the kitchen. I was so pleased because my
betta seemed to get along so well in the community tank. If I do get
another betta, I'll pull all the decorations away from the sides of
the aquarium and sink them even deeper in the substrate.

That's a good idea and check every decoration to make sure no fish can get
trapped in any way. I lose a beautiful female better when she jammed herself
in the drainage hole of a flower pot laying on it's side.

Anyone have any experience with Boesemani Rainbows? They look quite
pretty, and, according to the charts, seem to get along well with the
other fish I have.

We had a poster here (Gil) who was quite experienced with them. Perhaps
she'll see your message and respond. The only rainbows I see here are
colorless silvery fish so didn't buy any.
--
RM....
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

On Dec 15, 1:12 pm, "Reel McKoi" wrote:
"Thriceshy" wrote in message

...

I think I'll take a betta break for a bit. I don't really have
anyplace in the living room for another tank or fishbowl, and I hated
keeping the blue one in the kitchen. I was so pleased because my
betta seemed to get along so well in the community tank. If I do get
another betta, I'll pull all the decorations away from the sides of
the aquarium and sink them even deeper in the substrate.

That's a good idea and check every decoration to make sure no fish can get
trapped in any way. I lose a beautiful female better when she jammed herself
in the drainage hole of a flower pot laying on it's side.

Anyone have any experience with Boesemani Rainbows? They look quite
pretty, and, according to the charts, seem to get along well with the
other fish I have.

We had a poster here (Gil) who was quite experienced with them. Perhaps
she'll see your message and respond. The only rainbows I see here are
colorless silvery fish so didn't buy any.
--
RM....
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

Gill Passman is experienced in more than fish if the truth be
known........she is a master manipulator of people and the queen bee
of taking over a perfectly good forum and making a moderated foprum
out of it all in the name of being a control freak, and odds are being
a Brit she will do you in a heart beat to...........Brits are like
that!

"Tynk" wrote in message
...

Gill Passman is experienced in more than fish if the truth be
known........she is a master manipulator of people and the queen bee
of taking over a perfectly good forum and making a moderated foprum
out of it all in the name of being a control freak, and odds are being
a Brit she will do you in a heart beat to...........Brits are like
that!
==========================
She doesn't seem to be around this forum anymore. It looks like she either
moved on, or stays in the moderated groups.
--

RM....
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö