Gorgeous Crowntail Betta Didn't Make It...

[Cherry Bomb]

Hello Everyone,
I'm new here...new to Bettas but have been reading for weeks before getting a beautiful Crowntail of my own. I named him Pom Pom...a fitting name for the "stringy fins" on the Crowntails. I brought Pom Pom home from PETCO...gave him a wonderful, 3gallon palace (with conditioned water). He seemed to be just fine...cautious at first but swimming around a lot within hours. He was not a big fish...I worry that I may have fed him too many pellets because he was in perfect condition when I purchased him only 4 days ago. I was feeding him 3-4 pellets in the a.m. and again in the p.m. (this is what my sister feeds her Betta...although he was a bit larger).
Anyway...I found my Dear Pom Pom, nose down, at the bottom of his tank yesterday morning. I was so bummed out that I cried. I feel horrible because I'm not sure if I killed him or what.

Does anyone know the right amount of Betta pellets to give these little fish each day? I now have a new, cinnamon red Betta, not a Crowntail but very handsome. I named him Cherry Bomb. I am feeding him 2 pellets in the morning, and again at night. I have heard the Petco store only feeds the fish once per day...2-3 pellets. Can someone please tell me what is a SAFE amount so I don't find Cherry Bomb at the bottom of the tank? I have also read about these disgusting Bloodworms...are these as gross as they sound? Will I catch some funky disease if they get on my fingers? YIKES.

Thanks for any help! Best regards to all Betta lovers :)

[cocoa_pleco]

10 a day was waaay to much. i find bettas get fussy if they have a constant schedule and they may not eat. i feed mine very randomly. sometimes he gets 5 a day and sometimes 2 pellets a week. that way he wont get fussy and doesnt expect the food. good luck with the new betta!

[cocoa_pleco]

i answered in your other post in the betta section. welcome to ac!

[Cherry Bomb]

Hello Cocoa,
Thanks for your comments about how you feed your Bettas. I had a bad feeling that I fed him too much....what a hard lesson to learn, at Pom Pom's expense :(
Have a nice night,
Cherry Bomb

[cocoa_pleco]

i screwed up with my first betta too. i overcared for it. with my new one i dont overcare. he always gets pristine water but he gets fed on MY time, not his. i skip some days to surprise him and he eats like a pig

[Cherry Bomb]

Hi Cocoa Pleco,
I can only imagine how many Bettas end up in the toilet....
there should be better instructions given out for new
Betta owners. They concentrate so much on the water
being conditioned or mineral, the right temperature, etc
(which is truly important), but overfeeding...who knew?
Thanks again for your help :)

[cocoa_pleco]

no problem, ive learnt the hard way like many other people about bettas

[radiant sea snail]

Welcome, Cherry Bomb. I'm so sorry you had to find out like that how to properly feed bettas. Most fish food instructions are way off, especially for bettas.

Some of the best advice I've found is on www.bettatalk.com.

[Sowilu]

he always gets pristine water but he gets fed on MY time, not his. i skip some days to surprise him and he eats like a pig

I try to do that but its hard to feed more than 10 fish and not feed him. Right now he is living in my community tank and is a pig when it comes to eating the flakes. Not to mention the frozne bloodworms, weird thing is that he won't eat the freeze-dried bloodworms.

[SkarloeysMom]

Hi Everyone,
I am new here...and relatively new to Betta fish. I was taking care of my Sister's fish, "Gil", for two weeks and fell in love with him (He was happier here than he was at his real home because I am very fussy about keeping things clean). His new tank was larger and of course I conditioned the water and gave him some nice aquatic plants, etc.

Anyway......I ended up buying a gorgeous Crowntail Betta (I named him "Pom Pom") and putting him in another tank next to "Gil". They seemed to be in love with eachother because both fish were happy as can be...puffed up to the max and very "lively".

I had been feeding Gil 4-5 Betta pellets in the a.m. and again in the p.m. (this is what my Sister feeds him). So...like an idiot (I think), I fed Pom Pom about the same amount. He was fine....looked very healthy, no fungus or anything...just beautiful from nose to tail. Well, yesterday morning, I woke up to find him "nose down at the bottom of his tank". I am not sure what happened or if it was my fault for over feeding him? Maybe the "move" from a small container to a beautiful mansion was too stressful?

Is it strange that he was "nose down" in the bottom of the tank vs "floating"? I feel horrible and cried for Pom Pom. I will never know the real truth but I would appreciate any advice on the right amount of pellets to feed these small fish on a daily basis. I may also break down and buy some of those disgusting Bloodworm thingees (yikes).

PS I got another Betta, not a Crowntail but very handsome in a cinnamon red color. I named him Cherry Bomb and I can promise you he is eating very little! Only 2 pellets in the morning, and 2 at night. I wonder if this is even too much? HELP !

Thanks to anyone for advice on food.

Just a quick question to clarify. When you set up your tank did you cycle it before you put your first betta in?

[crackatinny]

Sorry to hear that cherry, and one of the reasons I keep talking my wife out of a Betta, and trying to stop her getting livebearers, with such a short lifespan, it is sad to see them go, I might be getting to soft and old, but I get attatched to my pets pretty quick, and to see one pass away, is very sad.

[SkarloeysMom]

Welcome to AC. Very sorry to hear about your loss.

[tropfish]

welcome to the forum. i know it can be hard to lose a fish

[cocoa_pleco]

when i had one in a community tank i didnt really pay attention to him. he ate any food put in the tank and scavenged for himself, and it was a heavily planted and heavily stocked 20g

[Lady Hobbs]

Please post same subject only once. Double postings will be removed.

Thanks

[SkarloeysMom]

Welcome to AC. Very sorry to hear about your loss.

Oops! This was supposed to be in the intro section. Guess I didn't realize where I was posting it. Sorry.

[Cherry Bomb]

Thanks to everyone who has replied to my first message!

I am trying not to feel guilty about losing my Crowntail...and focussing my
care on my new Betta "Cherry Bomb" ;) Please see attached picture...

He is doing well in his 2.5/3.0 gallon "tank". It's just a large, fancy vase that is wide and round for him to swim in. I've put in clear stones and a small cave, two plants and a mirror to the side.

Cherry Bomb seems to be just fine in there...and I'm feeding only two pellets in the morning for now. I may give one more late in the day but trying NOT to make a "regular schedule" for feedings (thanks to the advice of Cocoa Pleco).

I did not "cycle" my tank...because it's not really a tank (technically). I did condition the water, though...and made sure the temperature was ok. I saw a thermometer at the Pet store today and wonder if anyone uses them?...it's just a simple gauge with a "suction cup".

Thanks again to all you fellow Betta Lovers :)

[cocoa_pleco]

i want people to get to know my feeding pattern more. with random feedings the fish goes "oh crap, will this be my last meal for a long time?" and eats. with 2 in the morning and 2 at night constantly, they know the feeding pattern and just think "meh, happens all the time"

[crackatinny]

Cherry, a thermometre should be one of your 1st purchases, each fish has a temp range they can live at, and need to be kept at that temp, before you get any more fish, I suggest you read up on the variety and its needs, its not as simple as throwing a fish in a bowl of water, as a lot are lead to believe.

[SkarloeysMom]

Feeding your new betta less will definitely help. In an unfiltered bowl you will need to do water changes fairly often to keep your betta healthy. I'd say at least once or twice a week.

Getting thermometer would be good. Bettas do prefer water temps of around 78-80. If you live in a cooler climate, winter will be hard on a betta in an unheated tank.

I'm just wondering...why did you decide to put a mirror next to bowl?

[Cherry Bomb]

Hello,

This is my first real "fish owning experience" so the Betta was a good choice due to the relatively easy care and feeding. I will clean the water at least once per week...as I want the best environment for the fish. I will continue to gather information and learn as well...so please don't misunderstand that I'm just plopping my Betta in a bowl and forgetting about him.

FYI: I have read, in many sites, that if you place a mirror next to your tank, it is almost like having another male Betta living "next door". It "stimulates" your Betta and encourages "exercise", movement, instinctive thoughts, etc.
You can also put two tanks next to eachother (which I have also done) and it accomplishes the same result. Both of the above work...your Betta will also "puff up" and show his beautiful fins and colorings to the max.

Note: I take the mirror away for most of the day, but for an hour or two, it definitely gets Cherry Bomb more active and lively. He does not appear STRESSED or worried...just curious and active. I think this is good for any living, breathing thing, including a fish :)

See you later, Cherry Bomb

[SkarloeysMom]

I take the mirror away for most of the day, but for an hour or two, it definitely gets Cherry Bomb more active and lively.

That's what I was hoping. I've hear too that its good for them to get a little exercise. Maybe I'll try out a little mirror time for my bettas too.

Cherry Bomb is really pretty. Reminds me of my betta Ketchup.

[Cherry Bomb]

Dear Skarloeys Mom,

I think you will be pleased to see Ketchup's reaction to a mirror. He will think there's another Betta next to him...which will "perk him up" and make him become very active. Ketchup should also be "sporting" his full fins and tail with great beauty. I'm sure your Betta is gorgeous...probably very similar to Cherry Bomb in color by the name Ketchup (good one, by the way). I obviously don't know much yet, but it makes sense to have the mirror out for short periods of time (1-2hrs). I don't think it would be good to have it 24hrs a day...however, if there were two tanks, side by side, the fish would definitely "mingle" and keep eachother on their "toes/fins" :)

Cherry Bomb is doing well so far. I've only had him for three days...but he's already looking comfortable in his envirnoment and also enjoying the plants (he has a few favorite hang-outs where he seems to "rest"). He also likes to go in and out of the little cave (lots of holes).

Thanks for your posts... please give my best to Ketchup :laugh1blue: Good night, from Cherry Bomb's "Mom" :)

[maddie]

Hi Everyone
I got a lovely blue betta fish a couple of weeks ago, very happy and healthy and I really fell for him, then bought another from a pet shop in town last weekend. They were in separate bowls with clean water and fresh plants including snails. I don't think I overfed them, just a few flakes once a day. Now I have lost both of them to a horrible fungus disease like cotton wool, although I got some stuff from the pet shop to treat them. What could have gone wrong? I'm living in a trailer at the moment, would it be the temperature dipping down too much at night, the water, or what. This is really upsetting, as they were such great little chaps, I'd like another but want to learn a lot more about them first.

[Cherry Bomb]

Hi Maddie,

Sorry to hear about your two Bettas :( I know how you feel, sort of. I lost a Crowntail Betta a few weeks ago. He did not have any fungus problems...so I can't even "go there" as I know nothing about diseases of Bettas. I think I fed mine too much...probably about 8-10 pellets each day for 3-4 days. I had no idea this was too much food. There doesn't seem to be any other explaination because he was healthy, happy, active, etc.

If you look around on this Forum...there are many posts about fungus and other problems with Bettas. This is how I learned more about my own fish...so keep looking and you'll find all kinds of information.

RE: I do know that the proper water temperature is "key". If it gets too cold...this could definitely be a problem for survival of Bettas.

Good luck if you decide to try again (I did...and he's fine) :)

Cherry Bomb