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.
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.