which fish lives longer ;and what gallon tank will it need?

A

Alyssa

New member
im really excited to get a pet fish. but im not too sure if i want to go through the cycle were i have to flush them down the toilet frequently. for example i have had 3 betta fish but they all died. the first died within 4 days of having it. the second died after about a few weeks. and the last one died after 3-4ish months. (by the way i didn't have them all at the same time)

i know i sound like an animal killer but i always fed them when needed, always kept their tanks clean, and payed alot of attention to them.

i want this next fish to live long. also what ever fish that is requested for me please tell me what gallon tank it will need.

also what do u think might have been wrong with my other bettas. and why did they die?

thanks to any helpful answers!
forgot to say would u rather have a betta or goldfish- which lives longer
 
With bettas, the most important requirements are:

-- stable water temperature, 76-82 degree F range
Which, for most, means purchasing a heater. For a 2.5 gallon tank, I recommend no more than a 25W heater.

-- a tank of at least 2.5 gallons
Anything smaller is hard to heat and difficult to keep properly clean. Fish waste will lead to an ammonia spike (this happens very quickly in <2.5 gallons), which can kill or weaken your fish. And unheated water will cause a betta to be lethargic and more prone to catching illness.

-- regular feeding and water changes
I feed 2-3 pellets (Hikari BioGold brand), twice a day. Occasionally, I substitute pellets for bloodworms as a treat. Once and a while, I fast the bettas (no food); this helps clear out their digestive systems.
Personally, I would do 100% water changes weekly on a 2.5 gallon. Anything larger, I would cycle and do weekly water changes of 25-50%.

Bettas are great fish, and cared for properly, they can live for 4+ years. If you were doing everything right, then maybe the local pet store you shop at doesn't get in healthy bettas. Then maybe I'd go with a different type of fish. Otherwise, try again with bettas.
 
No fish is simpler to care for than a betta. It is the best beginner fish. It's worrisome that yours all die so quickly, means you're doing something wrong obviously.

Do you use a water dechlorinator? How big is your tank? How often do you feed him? What do you feed him? Do you keep the top open so that oxygen can reach the surface (no floating lilly or anything)? How often did you change the water?

To care for a betta you need to dechlorinate the water in a 1-2 gallon MINIMUM aquarium. 5 gallons is best. Use water dechlorinator (buy it at the pet store). Feed him 2 betta pellets (micro pellets) a day. No more!!! Even if the package says to feed multiple times a day, or more pellets, they are just trying to make you use more so that you will buy more. Overfeeding is one of the leading causes of fish deaths.

Bettas breathet air from the surface so the top needs to be open and whatever cover you use has to breathe, so it has to have holes in it.

You need to change the water every week on a smaller tank... it's better to change it more times. On a 5 gallon I would change it 25% a week.

If you are doing all that and still having trouble keeping the betta alive, I would suspect something is wrong with your water. I would get a good liquid based test (strip tests are worse than bad, they're MISLEADING and usually wrong so don't even bother with them) that measures for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and pH. You may also want a KH and GH test. API sells very good liquid tests of both. A common suspect of mystery deaths is high ammonia coming out of the tap.

If your water tests for more than 0.25 ppm of ammonia or nitrite, or more than 100 ppm of nitrate, or pH less than 6 or more than 9, then those are major problems that you'll have to figure out how to fix and is probably killing your fish.

A goldfish is harder to care for, you need 20 gallons of water for the first fish and 10 for each after it, so to keep 3 goldfish you need a 40 gallon tank... why is that? Because goldfish can grow to over a foot long and are massive waste producers (messy fish).
 
First off, if your Bettas lived in a bowl or vase with out filtration (hence not cycled), then this is probably the reason why they died so quickly. Another reason could be that the place you bought the Bettas had them there for a long time in which they were already some years old. It could also have been some sort of disease from poor water conditions they lived in before.

Bettas need a fully cycled, filtered and heated tank of at least 2.5 gallons (5 is better) to live healthy and happy. The average lifespan of a Betta Splendens is 3 years, but personally I think that with good care and the right environment, a Betta can live 5 years or more.

They do not like flowing water, so get a soft current filter. Plants are always good especially live aquarium plants, but if you can't do that only use silk. Any rough plants or decor can tear their fins and cause health problems. Also, acclimating a fish properly to a tank is essential on giving the fish a good start. Using Stress Coat Plus or Prime as a water dechlorinator and conditioner for tap water is mandatory. Never use more than 50% distilled/purified/ RO water as this can cause problems with the pH balance and water hardness.

Betta and food is another very important subject. Many people say you don't need to feed a Betta every day, however I personally disagree with this. Finding the right quantity of food you feed your Betta and how often is key. A staple is always good like Betta Bites or something similar, but Blood worms are a nice treat you can give once a week or so. Remember, to figure out how to come up with a feeding schedule, notice how much the fish eats and always scoop out leftovers.

Cleaning a tank is not necessarily 'cleaning' it. No need to change filter cartridges every month or take out all the water and scrub the tank down. Actually, that is the worst thing you can do since you will be killing colonized bacteria that help keep the water parameters stable. Only use a gravel vac and take out no more than 50% of the water during this time. Use that tank water to gently rinse out the filter cartridge and put it back in.

Anywho, I strongly suggest you read up on the Nitrogen cycle and how to do a Fishless cycle. It's extremely important to do this before adding the fish to your tank. Check out the links and good luck.
 
Back
Top