Betta fish died what to do with his tank

[Lauren A]

Hi,

My betta fish died overnight in a 10 gallon planted tank I recently set up for him.  It is currently cycling with Prime and Stability.  I overfed him the day he was moved into this tank and he experienced severe bloat and swim bladder disorder over the course of 2 days.  
 

I overfed him while coaxing him into the cup I moved him over him, which is a mistake I have never made.  Please no harsh comments because I couldn’t feel worse than I do right now.  I’m absolutely devastated and beside myself with grief and guilt.
 

There was also build up of dust from Seachem substrate I vigorously rinsed before hand, so I’m not sure if he inhaled the dust because he was having trouble breathing and staying at the top of the water when he first got sick.  I had installed a bubbler right away and dealt with the dust, but by then he was so sick.  I also contacted Seachem directly and they said it would not harm him.

 

There are so many factors running through my head and I am absolutely devastated.  I am a very responsible fish owner but I made a fatal mistake.  He looked as if he got dropsy.  
 

My question now is, what do I do with my tank.  It’s moderately/heavily planted.  I’m showing .1 nitrites today, that I was told was normal since I am cycling the tank.  It’s been running for 2 weeks now.  It couldn’t be cleaner and I am showing no ammonia.  I have a consistent issue with Kh because I use Poland Spring water (my towns tap is toxic and he has been in this water for a month) but my Kh is 0.  I’ve been using Wonder Shell to help this.  I’ve only seen a slight increase in Gh thus far.

I hate to break down the tank because it was a true labor of love.  I was trying to give my betta a better home because his previous tank (also a 10 g planted) has a blue green algae issue that I’m treating and the plants have taken a hit.

 

If anyone can offer me some advice or would like more info, I’d really appreciate the help.  Thank you.

Edited September 18, 2021 by Lauren A
Mistaje

[Mark H.]

for the short term, you could just leave it as a planted tank, fertilize, trim and top off as required. If you decide to add fish again, you'll have to re-cycle it.

 

 

[Lauren A]

Hi @Mark H.Ok, do I keep the filter running?  Thank you for your help.  

[Mark H.]

On 9/18/2021 at 3:54 PM, Mark H. said:

for the short term, you could just leave it as a planted tank, fertilize, trim and top off as required. If you decide to add fish again, you'll have to re-cycle it.

 

 

I should add, that's kind of how my shrimp tank started, except I killed a lot of shrimp for the first 6 months.

[Lauren A]

Hi @Mark H.Ok, do I keep the filter running?  Thank you for your help.  

[Mark H.]

On 9/18/2021 at 3:57 PM, Lauren A said:

Hi @Mark H.Ok, do I keep the filter running?  Thank you for your help.  

you wouldn't need to, although a little air bubbling in wouldn't hurt. I've also seen some mini filters, not much bigger than a marshmallow that would polish the water a little.

[Lauren A]

@Mark H.I didn’t mean to post my question twice.  I’m so sorry to hear that.  I’ve thought about starting a shrimp tank.  Nothing right away though, I’m still in shock about Buddy.  It’s such a bad feeling when you feel responsible.  

@Mark H.Ok, thank you.  I have a bubbler running and I might put my snails in there once if and when algae is present.  

[Kathy F]

When my giant betta died, I turned the tank into a male guppy tank.   They are colorful and active.    Shrimp would be cool also but I wasn't in the mood to set up an RO/DI system to do it properly.   I have always wanted to do a shell dweller tank or a pea puffer tank also and both set ups would work in a 10 gallon although not sure about the plants with the shell dwellers.   I have also always wanted to do a school of ember tetras or celestial pearl danios with a school of pygmy corydoras.   There are so many possilibilities I'm sure others could chime in with other stocking ideas.   

Edited September 18, 2021 by Kathy F

[CalmedByFish]

I think the idea of just keeping it running with plants is good. Maybe you could even cycle it and keep it cycled with your snails - if you want.

I'm guessing that time will give clarity about what to do next. It's okay to focus on feelings right now, instead of actions. ❤️ 

[sudofish]

Everybody loses fish in this hobby. Even if you think you're responsible you didn't do anything malicious or purposely to cause this. Stuff happens unfortunately. As for the tank I'd leave it running and when you're ready you'll have a cycled tank ready to go for round 2.

[Guppysnail]

I am so sorry for your loss. We are all human and I know I have made mistakes such as this with the best of intentions.  The plant only idea is good. You will know in your heart when/if it feels right to repopulate and with what.   I know it’s hard but don’t be to harsh on yourself.  New info comes about all the time and we find things we have been doing wrong for years as well.  Stay connected with folks on here and keep learning that helps me when I’m grieving a loss. 

[Lauren A]

 

On 9/18/2021 at 4:16 PM, Kathy F said:

When my giant betta died, I turned the tank into a male guppy tank.   They are colorful and active.    Shrimp would be cool also but I wasn't in the mood to set up an RO/DI system to do it properly.   I have always wanted to do a shell dweller tank or a pea puffer tank also and both set ups would work in a 10 gallon although not sure about the plants with the shell dwellers.   I have also always wanted to do a school of ember tetras or celestial pearl danios with a school of pygmy corydoras.   There are so many possilibilities I'm sure others could chime in with other stocking ideas.   

 

On 9/18/2021 at 4:28 PM, CalmedByFish said:

I think the idea of just keeping it running with plants is good. Maybe you could even cycle it and keep it cycled with your snails - if you want.

I'm guessing that time will give clarity about what to do next. It's okay to focus on feelings right now, instead of actions. ❤️ 

 

On 9/18/2021 at 5:33 PM, sudofish said:

Everybody loses fish in this hobby. Even if you think you're responsible you didn't do anything malicious or purposely to cause this. Stuff happens unfortunately. As for the tank I'd leave it running and when you're ready you'll have a cycled tank ready to go for round 2.

 

On 9/18/2021 at 6:30 PM, Guppysnail said:

I am so sorry for your loss. We are all human and I know I have made mistakes such as this with the best of intentions.  The plant only idea is good. You will know in your heart when/if it feels right to repopulate and with what.   I know it’s hard but don’t be to harsh on yourself.  New info comes about all the time and we find things we have been doing wrong for years as well.  Stay connected with folks on here and keep learning that helps me when I’m grieving a loss. 

Thank you all so much for your support.  I actually cried while reading all of your replies.  You’re so kind and understanding.  It means so much.
 

 I don’t want to give up on the hobby and I love bettas and all animals.  Growing plants both in the tank and emersed has been such a fun experience.  
 

I’m sure you can all relate but it really is painful when you try so hard to do everything the perfect way and a mistake happens that ruins everything.  It feels like failure.  
 

I will let it continue running.  I don’t want to give up.  One thing I’m unsure of is if I would just add fish food to the tank to keep it cycling?  I could put the snails in too of course but it has no algae in it yet and my nerites won’t eat anything else.  
 

Thank you again for all of your support and kindness.  I’m fairly new to all of this and did lose a betta about a year ago - he was very sick though for a long time.  That was tough.  It’ll take time to figure out what’s next.  I hope you all have a very nice night.  🙏☮️

On 9/18/2021 at 4:16 PM, Kathy F said:

When my giant betta died, I turned the tank into a male guppy tank.   They are colorful and active.    Shrimp would be cool also but I wasn't in the mood to set up an RO/DI system to do it properly.   I have always wanted to do a shell dweller tank or a pea puffer tank also and both set ups would work in a 10 gallon although not sure about the plants with the shell dwellers.   I have also always wanted to do a school of ember tetras or celestial pearl danios with a school of pygmy corydoras.   There are so many possilibilities I'm sure others could chime in with other stocking ideas.   

Hi Kathy, I’m going to look into all of your suggestions.  Thank you so much.  

[CalmedByFish]

On 9/18/2021 at 5:58 PM, Lauren A said:

I'm sure you can all relate but it really is painful when you try so hard to do everything the perfect way and a mistake happens that ruins everything.  It feels like failure.  

I could put the snails in too of course but it has no algae in it yet and my nerites won’t eat anything else.  

Thank you again for all of your support and kindness.  

Unfortunately, yeah, a lot of us have been there. I wish we could be superhuman in our abilities, but we're all kinda stuck in this Humanity Boat together, so we might as well be empathetic. You're not alone.

For what it's worth, my ramshorns started dying off as soon as they ate all the live algae in the tank. I started giving them pieces of Chlorella tablets (the kind intended for human consumption). It worked! If you try that, read the ingredients carefully to make sure the ones you buy include nothing besides the algae. 

[Lauren A]

On 9/18/2021 at 7:38 PM, CalmedByFish said:

Unfortunately, yeah, a lot of us have been there. I wish we could be superhuman in our abilities, but we're all kinda stuck in this Humanity Boat together, so we might as well be empathetic. You're not alone.

For what it's worth, my ramshorns started dying off as soon as they ate all the live algae in the tank. I started giving them pieces of Chlorella tablets (the kind intended for human consumption). It worked! If you try that, read the ingredients carefully to make sure the ones you buy include nothing besides the algae. 

It’s definitely a terrible feeling.  I just can’t believe I caused this to happen.  Thank you for your understanding words and support.

 

Thank you for your help with the snails too.  I’ve tried so many shrimp pellets that are supposed to be delicious for the snails but they don’t touch them.  I’m going to look into the Chlorella tablets now.  I’d like to keep a small bio load in the cycling tank and thought about buying a ramshorn today after speaking with a friend in the hobby.

 

 I hope you have a nice day and thank you again.  🙏