Is your betta fish dying? Are you observing that your betta fish is behaving differently? Please pay attention to its appearance. When betta fish seems lethargic, shows less response to your gesture, becomes flustered or has difficulty breathing, or floats on the water’s surface, there is something wrong with it.
Stress and depression could be very dangerous for bettas. Poor water conditions can cause stress and depression in older Betta fish which may cause serious ailments and lead Betta to death.
As an aquarist, you must know dead Betta will not breathe. Even during sleep, their gills move constantly but slowly. Keep a close eye on its mouth and gills.
Is Your Betta Fish Dying Due To These Reasons – Check Them
When you see your Betta is not gasping air or its gills are not moving, it is a cause of concern because Betta cannot sleep for long periods. Bulging eyes, raised scales, or skin spots indicate that your Betta has poor health or is even dead.
Overfeeding
All fish need to eat healthy food, but some betta fish owners go overboard, feeding a fish extensively. Overfeeding can cause serious illness. Uneaten food can also contaminate the water, making it toxic for betta fish. What goes into a fish must come out, so if you stuff your Betta to the gills, there is bound to be more waste in the tank.
So, what to do now?
Feed your Betta once a day as much as it can eat that food in a few minutes. Ensure that as little food is wasted as possible because a large quantity of wasted food can largely contaminate water. Skip feeding one day per week. It will help to maintain Betta’s health. Clean the gravel and perform water changes. Set a regular schedule to maintain a healthy tank. This doesn’t have to be a major deal, and there are easy ways to change water conditions.
Stress
As we have seen, bettas can die from poor water conditions, overfeeding, cool water temperatures, and dangerous living situations. Aside from the physical damage, these issues can cause, when your betta fish is constantly under stress, it’s more likely to get sick and die.
The current from the filter or bubbler may push Betta around. It may see its reflection in the mirror decorations in the betta fish tank and consider it another fish, constantly looking to fight with himself. It may feel vulnerable if your betta fish has no space to hide or has no cave or decoration.
If someone is constantly tapping on the glass, it may scare him. And it makes your betta fish stressful.
There are a few simple things that can be helpful:
Choose a low-flow filter that doesn’t blow Betta around the tank. Avoid bubblers in small tanks.
Make sure your Betta has somewhere to hide if it escapes from the world. Something like a rock cave or decoration.
Adjust the light in the room so Betta doesn’t see him. Heavy light can disturb Betta as it reflects Betta, and it thinks it has to defend itself.
Injuries
Do betta fish die easily? Generally, the answer to this question is no. However, betta fish can be fragile, and they can easily be injured because they have long fins. They can be stressed about seeing themselves in mirror decorations in a tank, thinking another fish is in it. Betta can harm itself by trying to fight with itself.
Injuries can lead to infections and ailments, which may cause death. Ensure there is no sharp object in your aquarium that your Betta can rub, brush against, or catch its fins on. Also, ensure your betta fish is not sharing space with an aggressive tank mate. Other bettas can harm your Betta, fin-nipping fish, and unsuitable mates.
It’s better to house a betta alone as it prevents injuries during fights with other tank mates. Your Betta can die indirectly from the infections from the injured site.
Water Condition
Water condition plays an important role in the life of betta fish. Dirty water is one of the quickest ways to contaminate any fish tank. And it doesn’t even have to be visibly dirty. Chemicals from fish waste can dirty the water tank, resulting in serious health problems.
Space matters a lot in betta fish survival. People keep Betta in small tanks or bowls. Surely, it will survive for a while. But small spaces and volumes of water pollute quickly and cause dangerous diseases in Betta.
Here are four things you can do to avoid this situation:
Choose at least a 5-gallon tank. This means a better living space for your Betta, making the betta tank easier to maintain.
Use filters in betta tanks. Some 5-gallon tanks come with filters. You can choose a 10-gallon tank also for better results.
Vacuum the gravel and perform regular water changes. If you perform water changes regularly, tank water will stay much cleaner every other week.
Test tank water regularly. Testing makes it possible to know what is going on in a tank. But fortunately, there are many kits to test for ammonia, nitrates, pH, and high-range pH, which is very simple to work with.
How to identify if my betta fish is dying?
It’s a known fact that Betta fish does not have a life span longer than 1.5 or 2 years. The short lived fish leaves you in tears. Sometimes, you may be shocked after seeing your betta fish dead one morning or at night. However, you can avoid this immense shock by just watching a few actions of your Betta.
Identifying is my Betta fish is dying or not can be helpful in avoiding the painful condition. You can at least bid goodbye to the older fish, or save the one at a very young age. By observing your Betta’s regular and common activities and checking its health, you can be in a safe zone. It’s not impossible to save your Betta at the right time.
Experts suggest keeping a closer look and knowing the alarming conditions according to Betta’s routine. These conditions are helpful in saving your Betta from any trauma or pain at the same time. Let’s check out the factors that can help you to save your Betta at the right time.
Lethargy
Lethargy is a common behavior in older betta fish. Betta is a social and responsive fish. If it doesn’t respond to environmental stimuli and constantly rests, it’s a sign that your betta fish is dying. There are many reasons behind the lethargic Betta. It may be poor water conditions, temperature, disease etc.
Less swimming
When Betta gets older, it shows different behavior. Its swimming pattern has changed. Older betta fish feels extreme difficulty in moving their fins. Due to damage to its organ systems, dying betta fish suffers great pain. It cannot swim or play as a juvenile betta fish which identifies it’s as dying.
Loss of appetite
When betta fish reaches the end of its life, it stops eating. When you give your Betta its favorite food, it will show no interest in it. It is a sign of concern for betta fish survival. Betta fish shows no fondness for food when it is dying.
Fading color
When betta fish age, its skin color becomes transparent, and its internal organs can be seen. If you notice a change in the appearance of Betta or its color is fading, you should know that it may be near death. You can notice fading skin
How to increase Betta’s Lifespan and decrease the possibility of death?
Size of the tank
You may have seen Bettas in small bowls and tanks, but bettas cannot live in small bowls or water tanks. Small tanks are bad for your Betta and can lead your Betta to die at an early age. You can decrease the possibility of death if you choose the proper tanks for your Betta.
Betta can survive better in at least a 5-gallon tank. Ten gallons or upwards can be preferable. Bettas can breathe oxygen from the air and the water’s surface, which is why an appropriate tank size, probably of at least 5-gallon decreases the possibility of its death.
Keep the males separate
You cannot put male bettas in the same tank under any circumstances. Betta is known as a fighting fish due to its aggressive and territorial behavior. Even in a large-sized tank, you cannot put two betta males together, as they can fight to the death. Fighting also creates stress in your betta fish, resulting in the shortening of their lifespan.
In large tanks, male Betta can be kept with a group of female bettas but never with a single female betta. This is because male Betta will try to attack the female Betta. So it’s better to keep males separate.
Use a filter and heater
When you set up a tank for your Betta, ensure a proper filtration system keeps the water clean. It’s necessary to filter the water at least once a week because clean water plays an important role in increasing the life span of your betta fish. Betta needs warm and balanced water, so use the heater.
The ideal temperature for your betta fish is between 75 and 79F. Too cold or too hot water will hurt the health of your betta fish. Cold water will make your Betta lethargic, while hot water is also dangerous for survival.
You can also check the Best filter for betta fish.
Use plants in a tank
You can use some live aquarium plants in your tank to keep your betta fish happy. These plants are very helpful in reducing the growth of algae in the tank. Live aquarium plants play an important role in naturally filtering tank water, as there are so many impurities in the tank that you cannot see.
These impurities form nitrogen and other harmful chemicals for your betta fish’s health. These plants also provide shade for your betta fish to rest and hide whenever possible. Your betta fish can play with these plants and feels happy, which can increase your betta fish’s lifespan and decrease the possibility of death.
You can also check The Best Plants For Betta Fish.
Good Diet
Like people, betta fish needs a proper and balanced diet full of nutrition. Many betta fish owners make the mistake of overfeeding them. This is the wrong way to feed your betta fish, which can make them ill. Feed your betta fish once a day. Offer food that Betta can finish within a few minutes.
Bettas are fussy eaters. Your Betta may not eat commercial tropical fish food, and it may not provide your Betta with proper nutrition. Brine shrimps, bloodworms, and specially designed fish food can be a good source of nutrition for your betta fish and are helpful in increasing their lifespan.
You can also check The Best Food For Betta Fish To Feed.
Conclusion
It is not only necessary to know the best temperature but also to maintain its stability. Ignoring temperature conditions can cause multiple disorders, stress, diseases, infections, and even death. Managing and maintaining water temperatures favorable for betta fish is difficult but possible.
Be careful about water temperature and its management, decoration, filtration, and more. Improving Betta’s lifespan, health, and breeding will be extremely helpful. All these listed guidelines will help you to ask yourself, is my betta fish dying?
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