I admit I am very new to keeping fish. Here is my story. Can someone help me please?
I went to Walmart to get dog and cat food. I saw a largeish vase with a Betta inside and decided I had to have it. Brought it home and everything was great. I was not aware that this is a form of abuse for my poor Betta until the bottom of the vase cracked and started leaking. I did a little research on Bettas and found out that the vase was inhumane. I shopped Amazon and got a 1.5 gallon tank with a built in filter and LED light. I went to Petco and bought 3 low light live plants and put them in the tank, again everything was awesome. Just well water right out of the tap at the same temperature as my tank. Round glass rocks on the bottom. Then that tank broke. The filter stopped working a month after I bought it and couldn't be replaced since it was built in. Amazon refunded my money because a few other people had the same issues and they deemed it a fite hazard. Anyway, since I had to get another new tank again, I bought a 10 gallon glass tank, an air bubbler, a finnex filter, natural gravel substrate, the whole deal...except a water testing kit. Since everything had gone so well before, I assumed it would go well this time. It did not. Right away I noticed that the incandescent light raised the temp in my aquarium by 2 to 4 degrees when it was on, so I stopped using it most of the time. The "adjustable" filter I bought did not adjust low enough for my Betta so I baffled it. The bubbler also caused to much water movement so I reduced it to a really low level. Oh yeah, I bought Prime and treated my new tank with it even though we have well water. Every day my Betta, who was friendly and curious before, seemed to get more I'll. I did daily 20 to 50 percent water changes and one 100 percent water change after buying a complete water test kit and the levels I got, which I didn't write down , freaked me out. My Betta was at the surface gasping for air. I continued to do 50% water changes, he wouldn't eat. Then he dropped to the bottom of the aquarium and died. My heart is broken, I feel like a terrible person. My aquarium is empty except for 3 live plants. I turned the filter and air stone on full blast. Please tell me what I need to do to make my aquarium safe for another Betta. What water levels, ph and etc. Do I need? I get a variety of answers depending on where I look. That poor fish suffered! I didn't know how to humanely put him out of his misery. I feel like crap. I am mad at myself. I thought about giving up, but, I love Bettas and would like to be a better caretaker. Do I throw out my live plants and start over? I cannot and will not subject another fish to that so it seems I can't fish cycle. I don't have another aquarium to transfer biologicals. Help!
I went to Walmart to get dog and cat food. I saw a largeish vase with a Betta inside and decided I had to have it. Brought it home and everything was great. I was not aware that this is a form of abuse for my poor Betta until the bottom of the vase cracked and started leaking. I did a little research on Bettas and found out that the vase was inhumane. I shopped Amazon and got a 1.5 gallon tank with a built in filter and LED light. I went to Petco and bought 3 low light live plants and put them in the tank, again everything was awesome. Just well water right out of the tap at the same temperature as my tank. Round glass rocks on the bottom. Then that tank broke. The filter stopped working a month after I bought it and couldn't be replaced since it was built in. Amazon refunded my money because a few other people had the same issues and they deemed it a fite hazard. Anyway, since I had to get another new tank again, I bought a 10 gallon glass tank, an air bubbler, a finnex filter, natural gravel substrate, the whole deal...except a water testing kit. Since everything had gone so well before, I assumed it would go well this time. It did not. Right away I noticed that the incandescent light raised the temp in my aquarium by 2 to 4 degrees when it was on, so I stopped using it most of the time. The "adjustable" filter I bought did not adjust low enough for my Betta so I baffled it. The bubbler also caused to much water movement so I reduced it to a really low level. Oh yeah, I bought Prime and treated my new tank with it even though we have well water. Every day my Betta, who was friendly and curious before, seemed to get more I'll. I did daily 20 to 50 percent water changes and one 100 percent water change after buying a complete water test kit and the levels I got, which I didn't write down , freaked me out. My Betta was at the surface gasping for air. I continued to do 50% water changes, he wouldn't eat. Then he dropped to the bottom of the aquarium and died. My heart is broken, I feel like a terrible person. My aquarium is empty except for 3 live plants. I turned the filter and air stone on full blast. Please tell me what I need to do to make my aquarium safe for another Betta. What water levels, ph and etc. Do I need? I get a variety of answers depending on where I look. That poor fish suffered! I didn't know how to humanely put him out of his misery. I feel like crap. I am mad at myself. I thought about giving up, but, I love Bettas and would like to be a better caretaker. Do I throw out my live plants and start over? I cannot and will not subject another fish to that so it seems I can't fish cycle. I don't have another aquarium to transfer biologicals. Help!
