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Empty tank after betta death (long post).

604 views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  Oliver's Exotics 
#1 ·
Hi,

Sadly my betta boy Kanda died yesterday. I had only had him 7 months but he was wonderful and I wish I had been able to help him more.
I think it was a swim bladder infection (couldnt swim up, stuck on the floor of the tank, had an s-curve to his spine). Though reading about it it says it shouldnt be fatal so I dont know... I dont think it was caused by overfeeding because I was being very careful how often and how much I gave him. The water parameters in the tank are fine (Ammonia: 0, Nitrites: 0, Nitrates: 5) but the temperature was high in the heatwave and I really struggled to get it to lower so maybe it was something to do with that...
He had been lethargic for a few days and hiding in his plants, but I thought he was just trying to stay cooler. He went off his food four days ago, and I got some swim bladder medicine two days ago. Tried giving him a bit of a pea and he didnt touch it.
Yesterday I bought a simple nursery as he was gasping a lot and I hoped if he was closer to the surface he would have an easier time breathing, as well as being able to keep a closer eye on him.
I went to check on him after a few hours and he wasnt moving, wasnt breathing, and didnt react when I nudged him.

I plan on burying him under a plant on my balcony, but I now have an empty 5-gal tank and I'm not sure what to do now. I don't want to stop keeping fish but I definitely want to make sure whatever killed Kanda cant affect future fish (if it was something bacterial).

I was thinking about getting more plants in there, maybe adding a sand substrate under the gravel to plant them easier, and giving the tank a different look before anything else. I want to give the tank a good clean but if I clean everything fully (take out gravel, plants etc.), will it cause the nitrate cycle to crash?.
I would really appreciate any advice on how I should proceed.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Hello i think i was to do with the swim bladder because if not treated it can cause other health issues so your fish was there for a week being ill (if he was ill i think so) then you said the heat got really high and i think that finished him of. Also that pea thing is a bit of a myth because you can feed your fish peas anytime also they dont cure swim bladder issuses they only help it go away if that most of the time nothing happens with them. Also dont take out the plants gravel filtermedia and tank because its fine just drain the water and let the tank cycle is should do it quicker as you already have beneficial bacteria in the gravel and filter.

Hope i've helped!
 
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