My Betta fish

[Celura]

I had a little glass fish bowl I used to put my Betta fish (Sushi) in when I would clean his regular bowl, and it got mistakenly thrown away. I have since only had to clean his bowl twice, and used a glass measuring cup with clean distilled water.

The two times I have put him in this cup, he just sits there and then flops over on his side. Then he starts gulping at the top on the water about 5 times, then sinks back down. Upon transferring him back to his regular cleaned bowl, after a few minutes he is fine and back to his normal bossy self.

So it's my assumption there's some sort of residue or soap or something on this measuring cup that's bothering him? How harmful can this really be? I'm worried, as Sushi is my first Betta so I'm new to the Betta thing. I will not use the measuring cup again and will get him a new container for his changings in the future.

Any input is helpful. Sushi and I thank you in advance. :)

[tricksterpup]

Jenny,
Not a big a real big fan of bowls for bettas or any other fish. You really should not need to remove your Betta when doing water changes. You should only remove a portion of the water and not all of it on a regular basis. Just remove 25 -40% of the water on a weekly routine and replace it with freshwater. But if you must keep him in another container, buy one specifically for him and only use it for this purpose. Use no soap or cleaning liquid on this container.
But I do recommend a tank for your Sushi, a great size tank would be a 5 gallon tank that can be picked up at Walmart for under $40 for an entire setup. You can get the Minibow or Regent 5 setup, that contains everything you need, filters and lights. If you buy the minibow, for a light pick up the screw-in Power compact bulb that walmart sells for $4. The light is brighter and will show off your pets colors nicely.

jim

[DEmigh]

Do you use a rinse aid in your dishwasher?

But maybe the bigger problem is going into clean distilled water straight from his nice dirty bowl ;)

True distilled water has no disolved minerals. Oxygen transfer across the gills is helped by disolved electrolytes. Bettas have an additional respiratory organ (I think its called the labyrinth) that allows them to take oxygen directly from gulped air.

When you refill his normal home, do you use distilled, treated tap water, or something else?

I'm trying to get some more details here, and hoping one of the Betta fanatics will read your thread and jump in...

[kveeti]

My bettas are in a filtered tank, so I’m not sure…

As Demigh stated, perhaps the sudden different water composition in the cup threw him off? Did you make sure it was the same temperature? There could have been some residues as you surmised. By all means, buy him his own new cup. If he’s just in his cup for a short time while you clean, I would fill it with the old bowl water, then before transferring him back, I would fill the temporary cup 50/50 with the new water to get him used to it.

How big is his home bowl?

[Celura]

Jim, I would definitely do that if I was able to get a full aquarium right now. I'm not at this juncture, however. :(

David you are right, it is called the Labyrinth and they do use it to breathe from the top. :)

I live in the country and have a well and a water softener. I use regular Cascade detergent in the dishwasher and a rinse aid.

I use distilled water only, never anything from the tap in his bowls. His regular bowl is never washed with soap, and I never had this problem until I used the measuring cup. His changing bowl was never put in the dishwasher, but naturally the measuring cup was.

If you want to see what his bowl looks like, I'll attach his picture.

Thank you all for jumping right in to help us. It is appreciated! :)

[PumaWard]

If you put him in a cup of pure distilled water it is not good for him at all. Distilled water has no other minerals or gases between it's water molecules so it will take cells from your fishes body and place them between the water molecules, (this is why your shouldn't drink distilled/deionized water).

Also, was the cup the same temperature as the bowl?

[DEmigh]

By process of elimination, it would seem that the measuring cup is the cause of the new problem. Can you dedicate some other container, preferable an opaque one, to this purpose?

I presume your well water is bacteriologically safe for human consumption. I've depended on well water in the past, and there was a tap on the well house that by-passed the water softener so we could water the garden.

Instead of distilled water, I would imagine that Sushi might be a happier camper in straight well water.

Maybe tricksterpup and/or kveeti will comment on this idea.

[Celura]

Wow, I was told by the pet store and his previous owner to use distilled water. What should I be using?

I never checked the temp. :( What should it be? I read up on it when I first got him and I recall the text said the water should be mid-70s. The water jug is kept in a cabinet in the house, so it would be room temperature.

Again, I'm new at this Betta thing. I was told I wouldn't need to worry about any of that with a Betta, and I guess I stupidly believed what I was told. I have done some limited reading on it and up until now it seemed I was doing everything ok. I know how to take care of a regular freshie tank but like I said, I was told those rules didn't apply with Sushi.

I'm glad I know about this place now, so I can learn what I'm doing wrong!

[DEmigh]

Changes in water composition should always be gradual, so if his previous owner was using distilled water, you would have to follow suit for a little while anyway.

Check out the species profile from the Aquaria Central homepage. It'll give you some specs on betta keeping as well.

Edit: Specifically, dGH up to 25. That's some pretty hard water, a far cry from distilled.

[PumaWard]

It's not your fault, you thought they were a reliable source.

In truth, bettas need just as much care as any other fish. They need clean, fairly warm water or many of them will fall ill.

You should probably slowly adjust him to your tap water, conditioned of course will conditioners that will remove chlorine and chloramine. This is what I would do. 1st and 2nd water changes, have 1/4 be tap the rest distilled. 3rd and 4th, 1/2 tapwater 1/2 distilled. 5th and 6th, 3/4 tap and 1/4 distilled. The rest would be completely tap.

Also, check your tap to see what the pH and hardness is. If it's above 8 ph and 12 degrees hardness then use a 1/2 to 1/2 mixture. HTH

[kveeti]

Celura, this is a very good read on betta water; I really like this site:

http://www.bettatalk.com/water.htm

[Celura]

Thank you everyone! Betta Talk bookmarked. :D

Wow, I feel like such a bad mom. :(

[kveeti]

You're a very good mom, because you care, and you're doing research.

[DEmigh]

Originally posted by Celura
[..] Wow, I feel like such a bad mom. :(

:shake:

A bad mom would never have checked. Sushi is lucky :)

[jread]

Originally posted by kveeti
Celura, this is a very good read on betta water; I really like this site:

http://www.bettatalk.com/water.htm

Hey, did you see the chick that runs that site? Talk about defying the stereotypes.. lol!! http://www.bettatalk.com/about_myself.htm

[tricksterpup]

Jenny,
You have done fine.. do not worry.
As everyone has stated, slowly let him get used to your tap water, slowly add tap water to his changed water, maybe a 1 cup of water a week. When I did research during my time at the university, I used to use distilled all the time. The minnows we raised were fine in this water.
So now the next thing I want to say is welcome to the hobby. You are under way on a marvelous trip. I can see you are an animal lover and you show responsilbilty with your pets. This is a very good thing. You will have some ups and downs in this hobby but do not be discourage. We all go through this at one point or another. I do not want to count how many tanks I have experienced in my life that has crashed for one reason or another.
So remember a few basic few things.
there is no stupid question when starting. so always ask, we do not mind.
Do your research, go out and buy a few books on bettas and tropical fish. Learn as much as you can, and then learn again. I am always learning.
Heck, if you lived Minnesota, I would probably donate Sushi a spare small tank I have. (cause its good karma)
Jim

[PartyAnimal1UK]

what's the matter with the bowl she already has the fish in i've seen people keep them in much smaller and the betta is still happy.

[shewlett]

Celura,

(1) That bowl looks awfully small to me. If the $40 for a 5 gallon kit from Walmart is beyond your budget at the moment you might want to price just a 5 gallon rectangular tank and see if that is affordable. Another suggestion would be to try and find a large goldfish bowl. I saw a 4 gallon plastic one in a fish store several days ago and I think it was pretty cheap. You could do a 33%-50% water change with this bowl each week just using some clear tubing as a siphon and you would not have to put your betta through the stress of being moved ... siphon from the bottom to remove any waste there. Lastly, if you know anyone who works in a restaurant you could ask them if they have any 1 gallon glass containers with the lid left over (condiments come in these). You would have to clean the container thoroughly using water and salt or vinegar with a very thorough rinse, also drill a few small air holes in the top. Bettas do jump so it is a good idea to keep a cover with some air holes on top of their home.

A healthy betta likes to swim around and needs space to do so.

(2) Distilled water is actually bad for your fish as mentioned in previous posts. I think your betta would be happier in your well water but I am not sure about the water softener you mentioned ... is there any way to get the well water before it hits the water softener? I seem to recall reading that water softeners can have adverse effects on fish, maybe someone else here will have more info on that.

Another suggestion would be spring water sold in supermarkets. Poland Springs which is sold here in Massachusetts has a pH of 6.8. You should transition your betta slowly from distilled to whatever water you end up using so the change won't shock him, maybe in thirds (1/3 each week for three weeks).

Make sure the temperature of the new water is equal to the old water.

(3) If your budget can stand a pH test kit (about $3 for the Wardley Jr pH Test Kit) that would be a good investment. Water hardness test kits are more expensive, usually in the $10-$12 range for the Nutrafin one I use.

Good Luck!:)

[Leopardess]

Mhm. Even a 10g tank (just the tank) is 6$ at our walmart. You could even get one of those and with time, buy a filter, a heater, etc and be on your way to a "real" tank!

I bet he gets very stressed when you move him. Also, as mentioned, if you still feel the need to move him, make certain that the water you are moving him into is very similar to his bowl water.

Most lfs's will test your water for free, too.

[Celura]

Thank you SO much everyone! :)

Shewlett: some of my restrictions are budgetary at the moment, as I have a pricey trip to Texas coming up next month. Mostly, it's a matter of space. I just have absolutely nowhere to keep a very large tank right now, as I live with others who are extremely restrictive of the space we share. :(

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

Strange, I've never heard of a betta breeder stereotype, lol! ;)

[shewlett]

Celura: If space is a problem then maybe a 3 or 4 gallon bowl is the answer or perhaps a 2 1/2 gallon rectangular tank. All three of these are very cheap at a place like Walmart and won't take much space. Down the road any of these small homes could be turned into quarantine / medication tanks when you have more room. In any event, please remember to keep the betta's home covered with a lid / hood of some sort with air holes since bettas will jump. I think one of the keys to good long term betta health is keeping stress to a minimum ... not moving the fish during water changes and giving him room to swim will contribute to this.

Keep us updated. :cool:

[Aquarius0015]

Just so you know, gravel, although pretty, is not necessary because you do not have plants or an undergravel filter. In such a small container, it takes up precious space. However, the ornament and the plant do give the betta something to hide behind, so I would leave at least one of those in the container.

[PumaWard]

Gravel can be helpful in small tanks/vases. Even such small areas can develop beneficial bacteria which is for the better of the fish.

[Aquarius0015]

But in a space so small (especially with no movement of water), does the benefit of the bacteria on the gravel outweigh having less swimming space and less water volume? I personally would go the no-gravel route, but that's all just IMO.

[Celura]

Thank you everyone!!