Was my betta fish healthy?

[Catherine]

I got my betta fish on Thanksgiving of this year at petsmart and it was so beautiful. But when we got it and we put him in filtered water, his water became so dirty after a day or two. We kept changing it but it did the same. The water also had a very nasty smell (like eggs and fish). But the petsmart employee told me that I should change his water once a week. My betta also didn't move around a lot, it just kept sleeping all day, and it only moved when he was going to eat. I also believe I fed him too much, about 10 or more a day (Top Fin, Color Enhancing for bettas), and he always ate them all. A week ago we bought a live plant to put in his aquarium because it seemed too empty. His water was really cold always, and sometimes colder than room temperature. He didn't have a filter in his tank because I heard that bettas can live without one. And today my betta fish was dead. Can you please tell me why you might think he died?

 

[♥Katieee]

Thefish was probably old. Also, it's normal that he wasnt moving much. Betta fish never seem to move

 

[The Original Rachel Raye]

The ones in the pet store are always old already and he didn't have a very good quality of life to start with living in a cup. The water should be AT LEAST room temp. with a betta - they are not cold water fish - they are tropical and do best with a heater (but they don't have to have one - but that doesn't mean the water should be cold either). Also - bettas have a labyrinth which means they have gills and can breathe our air - but that doesn't mean that they won't want to use their gills - all fish should have a circulated tank and a filter (just to reduce the clean-up). Bettas are easy fish to take care of - they don't need much - but they do need some things.

 

[Elizabeth K]

If your betta had been healthy, he would still be alive.

Betta fish require filtration and heaters.The inactivity of your fish is easily explained by the lack of a heater, and filthy water.

~You could have found a low current filter, or a sponge filter.

~Depending on where you live, room temperature is not enough for a betta. Water kept at room temperature in my room is about 62F, over ten degrees too low for bettas. They should be kept between 76F-82F.

~Two or three betta pellets is enough per day.

 

[what can I do]

you didn't have a heater, they need heaters, they are tropical. He was trying to tell you, he'll die without a heater
Also, yes you were feeding him too much, and you were not looking after him very well. Try researching on google about bettas first

 

[Dark Ryok]

Bettas do not live healthy lives without a filter (this applies to all fish as well). If you didnt have a filter, the least you couldve done was change his water 3-4 times a week. Bettas also do best in at least 2.5 gallons of water.

Also, bettas are tropical fish, and should have heaters that keep the water between 78-82F.

And that was feeding them way too much. I feed my bettas 1-3 pellets a day, 5 days a week.

You probably had a buildup of ammonia that started affecting the betta, and the cold temperatures made him weaker.

(Bacteria lives in the gravel and filter media. You would need to change the water that often in an unfiltered bowl just because it would buildup ammonia too quickly and thats very lethal. And with normal tanks, you should do a 15-25% water change weekly.)