First betta died--help me do better!

[fridaydreamer]

Hi everyone,

We had our first betta for less than 2 weeks (he was a gorgeous dark blue with a burgundy marking on his lower fin who my 9 yo daughter named Hidalgo), and he died this morning. I'm quite certain he had Ich, but I didn't even know anything was wrong until it was probably too late, so the treatment we started just wasn't in time to save him. I feel so badly that my ignorance caused him such a bad end--we didn't even have a chance to take a picture of him.

My questions:

Here is the 1.5 gallon aquarium we have
It has an air pump with airstone that fits down into the volcano. There is no filter but there is a plastic grid that covers the bottom of the tank where, as I understand it, the water circulates because of the action of the pump and bubbles it produces. Is there a name for this type of filtration? I also now have a thermometer and have ordered a Hagen Mini heater.

1) Now that our first fish has died, what do I need to do to clean the aquarium to get it ready for another betta (assuming my 9 yo daughter wants to try again)?

2) Should I put gravel in the bottom or will it be cleaner without it? The instructions that came with the aquarium said gravel was optional, but made the filtration more effective. If you do recommend gravel, how do I clean it and how clean is clean?? I tried one of those siphon things, but even the smallest one was really too big for this aquarium. I also have a "vacuum" that attaches to the pump, but I didn't see that it actually sucked anything out.

3) What is the real story about water changes in a tank this size? I have heard so many conflicting instructions, I can't makes heads or tails out of any of it. The beginning of the end for our fish was the 75% water change I did after a week, which was what the man at the fish store recommended.

4) Do I really have to have a degree in chemistry to safely care for a betta? As a BUSY mom, I need to be able to feed the fish, keep his tank clean and beyond that, I don't have time to fuss a whole lot with water testing and learning a whole new language about cycyling the tank and nitrites and ammonia, etc. Can you give me the simplified, "for dummies" version???

Thank you--I really am thankful that there are people here with so much more knowledge than I have. I wish I had looked for this site MUCH sooner--poor Hidalgo!

Shaunie

[bettafry]

fridaydreamer said:

We had our first betta for less than 2 weeks

Welcome to bettahood

1) Now that our first fish has died, what do I need to do to clean the aquarium to get it ready for another betta (assuming my 9 yo daughter wants to try again)?

Assuming your fish did have ich, you will need to disinfect your tank. What I normally do is boil a couple pots of water, change the old water, and put the boiling water in the tank. You'll want to add any tank decorations and equipment [like siphons and nets] into the boling water too. I bake my gravel at 450 for an hour too. Then I'd dump that and add tap water, decholorinator, amquel, etc to the water too, and raise the temp to 75-80 degrees before adding any fish.

2) Should I put gravel in the bottom or will it be cleaner without it?

To use gravel or not is your opinion. Some say the tanks look better and cleaner without it, and that bacteria and parasites can hide easier in the gravel. I have gravel though, I think it helps hide the fish poop. As for disease, I siphon my water and it helps suck whatever dirt and parasites that are stuck on the gravel when he is sick. Regular water changes help prevent sickness, so if the keep the water quality up, he shouldn't be as prone to sickness.

3) What is the real story about water changes in a tank this size?

For a 1.5 gallon tank, I would do 50% water changes twice a week. For a small tank, you need to do frequent water changes because the poop builds up, and with that so does ammonia, which is toxic to fish. For more information, I'd go to the following site.
s94779296.onlinehome.us/website/Fish/articles/waterchange.html

4) Do I really have to have a degree in chemistry to safely care for a betta?

Lol, nope. I'm just a college freshman, full time, and I go home on the weekends. I still get confused about the nitrogen cycle and cycling, so I go to the following site, and I ask around here for help. As for testing water, you don't have to do it constantly, just when you start to cycle your tank; cycling helps you decide when you need to change your water. The other times you should test are when your fish are sick and when you medicate, to make sure the water chemistry isn't changed too drasitcally.

s94779296.onlinehome.us/website/Fish/articles/nitrogencycle.html

Thank you--I really am thankful that there are people here with so much more knowledge than I have. I wish I had looked for this site MUCH sooner--poor Hidalgo!

Your welcome. That's what the board is for. I'm sorry about your fishie, may he rest in fishie peace.

[bort]

fridaydreamer said:

I feel so badly that my ignorance caused him such a bad end--we didn't even have a chance to take a picture of him.

If you only had him for two weeks it probably wasn't your fault anyways. From their treatment in the pet shops, some of these guys are doomed to begin with.

[jeromee]

I wouldn't feel to bad, when you picked your betta did he seem healthy enough? You really want to pick the most active betta you can find, I'm not always known to do this, I usually pick whatever color I like, and bring it back to health if I can... so far, I haven't lost one, but I have aquariums much larger, which seems to be alot less stressful on the fish. As far as cleaning up your tank, I would follow what was previously said, and give it a week or two after that to allow anything that was missed to die off. If I remember correctly, ich only has a lifespan of 14 days, after it has fallen off its host, It cannot be treated while its on its host... IE: The white bumps that are on your betta... will not be killed by any medications, but as they fall off, the medication kills them. Also, 90% of medications do not kill any ich "eggs" if you will, so its best to treat for up to 14 days if you can, I always do. Quick-Cure, seems to work really well, its ~$3 a bottle, and I'd recommend keeping that around. (Its also pretty good for sensitive fish, I've treated with ottos, and clown loaches will no ill effects)

[amanichen]

To clarify a few things, here's some addtional information:

1. Ich can't survive very long without a host. This means that if your tank is dried out, or your fish don't show symptoms for two weeks, or there aren't any fish in the tank for two weeks, then there won't be any ich.

Ich is NOT always present in the aquarium. Fungi and bacteria are, beause they have a constant food source in the form of fish waste and uneaten food (and when your fish are stressed, they begin eating the fish.) Ich, however, requires a living host, and once the life cycle is broken, it only comes back if it's reintroduced from contaminate water.

2. Gravel (or substrates in general ) are only a liability if they are not kept clean. Otherwise, they provide more surface area for nitrifying bacteria to grow on.

[fridaydreamer]

Thank you to all of you who have responded with such helpful advice and words of encouragement. I was going to take my daughter tomorrow to get another betta, but now I'm thinking maybe I'd best wait until we get the heater. We keep our house fairly cool and the room temperature has been keeping the water just around 70°F. What do you think?

Also, can someone give me some good, detailed instructions for cleaning gravel properly? I've heard that it needs to be clean, but not too clean, which is precisely confusing to a newbie such as myself.

fridaydreamer said:

If you do recommend gravel, how do I clean it and how clean is clean?? I tried one of those siphon things, but even the smallest one was really too big for this aquarium. I also have a "vacuum" that attaches to the pump, but I didn't see that it actually sucked anything out.

Thanks,

Shaunie

[bettafry]

If your fish have a parasite, like ich, I would recommend taking the gravel and baking it at 450 for an hour, after your fish has recovered. For weekly water changes, a siphon or gravel vac won't suck the gravel up, but does gather it in the little tube enough to loosen any dirt and suck it up. It does suck up water, along with fish poop and uneaten food, which produces ammonia [which is toxic to fishes], so a siphon or gravel vac is a good investment.

[amanichen]

bettafry said:

If your fish have a parasite, like ich, I would recommend taking the gravel and baking it at 450 for an hour,

This isn't really necessary. Once ich is properly treated, it's gone.