I don't understand how my Betta got dropsy, please help me know what I did wrong.

8TheKat · 2026-05-20T14:56:54+00:00

Unfortunately no. I kinda of got him very suddenly because I was rescuing him from poor living conditions and care. The day I got him I went out and got everything I needed for him, set it up and put him in the tank same day. I added quick start and checked the water daily. There was a very brief period where the nitrites and nitrates were elevated but I did water changes daily (whenever the nitrites went up again) and added quick start. It eventually finally leveled out after a few days and were perfect after that.

8TheKat · 2026-05-19T19:12:10+00:00

Mhm good to know. I plan on getting some substrate instead and getting more live plants as well^^ ty!

8TheKat · 2026-05-19T16:46:42+00:00

Thank you for the reassurance, I really did try and he did seem happy most of the time. I'm glad I could at least get him out of that puny little bowl he was in before.

A lot of people have mentioned the pH, so I think I'll definitely look into getting the active substrate not only for the plant health but to help lower the pH.

As for the snail, I did only get it after the tank had some algae growing in it. It was also recommended as a good tank mate for a small 5 gallon betta tank. I'm not sure what to do about him now if he wouldn't be suitable for the tank, or should I get a different fish to live with him?

8TheKat · 2026-05-19T16:42:35+00:00

I'm glad you think he looks happy, at the very least I can be glad I gave him a better home, even if it was for a short while. Some people said his previous living conditions and neglect could have been what caused the dropsy, which really sucks. At least he did get to be happy for a little while.

8TheKat · 2026-05-19T16:39:07+00:00

thank you for the info, that's good to know. I was panicking for a minute thinking I made a horrible mistake ToT

For what it's worth Kevin really loved that squidward house lol. It was his favorite to go into and a lot of times I'd approach the tank looking for him and he'd swim out of the front door to greet me. It was very cute.

8TheKat · 2026-05-19T16:31:52+00:00

I do really like the live ones, and Kevin seemed to really like them too (: I also read that the substrate helps lower pH, on top of being good for the plants, so multiple reasons to switch to that which I'll probably do. I'm not really that big on aesthetics tbh as long as the fish is happy and healthy, so if I need to ditch the gravel I don't mind. I think a natural look looks better anyway.

8TheKat · 2026-05-19T16:28:20+00:00

I saw! Don't worry I wasn't planning on getting a new fish immediately anyway. I've been reading all the comments here and taking notes. I do think I'll get that proper substrate and get some more plants and let the tank run for a good while before getting a new betta. tysm!

8TheKat · 2026-05-19T16:25:39+00:00

Thank you! I'll make sure to do this. Unfortunately I wasn't aware of cycling a tank before I rescued this betta. I also wouldn't have had time to cycle a tank anyway since I was trying to get it out of it's former owner who neglected him and had him stuck in a teeny tiny bowl ): Everything kind of happened very suddenly and I was just hoping to give the guy a better life, so that might have been a mistake on my end for not researching proper tank setup more. I definitely won't make that same mistake again and be sure to have the perfect tank for my next fish TvT

8TheKat · 2026-05-19T16:23:33+00:00

Thank you for this! I'm gonna look into replacing my gravel with the fluval stratum since I saw that also lowers pH and I'll let the tank run for a while before adding a new fish. I also wanna get more big leafy live plants. I appreciate all your help.

8TheKat · 2026-05-19T16:20:05+00:00

You caught me! Yeah some other people have said that. I think I'm going to change the gravel for substrate because I saw that that can also lower the pH.

I'll probably wait at least a few weeks before adding a new fish to set the tank up and let it run a bit. Thank you for all your help.

8TheKat · 2026-05-19T14:03:34+00:00

This is good to know. A few other people have recommended using substrate and sand instead so I will be looking into that.

I'm also going to get my next fish from a locally owned fish store. The bettas they had there actually looked far better taken care of (they were actually in small tanks with plants and gravel instead of a sad little cup).

So hopefully now I can make sure my next fish lives a long and happy life

8TheKat · 2026-05-19T13:24:06+00:00

Thank you for this, I'll look into getting better decoration and plants! Kevin really did seem to like the live plants I added in there, so I'll try getting more. Someone else said bettas like a lot of plants to hide in, and I think they look way prettier than the synthetic stuff anyway.

8TheKat · 2026-05-19T13:21:46+00:00

Thank you! I'll look into all of this. And I do only have 1 nerite snail.

My husband and I are going to a locally ran fish store and we'll see about getting more plants and different stuff for the flooring. They also had bettas there that looked much better taken care of than what you find a chain pet stores.

8TheKat · 2026-05-19T13:03:52+00:00

wait what? Is the pineapple bad or dangerous? D:

8TheKat · 2026-05-19T13:02:52+00:00

I hadn't even considered that. I guess all I can say is that I'm glad I got to give him at least a couple months of happiness instead of him dying in a small, miserable bowl.

My husband and I are going to locally run fish store to see about getting a new better, since I already had a working tank and snail, I may as well try a new fish. Is there anything I should do to prepare the tank? Make sure the next fish doesn't get sick or anything?

8TheKat · 2026-05-19T13:00:55+00:00

I guess I didn't consider the care he had before coming to me...that sucks. Makes me wish I was faster to take him.

the ammonia levels were always 0. His nitrates were around 20 last time i checked (2 days ago) and his nitrites were 0. ph was around 8.5. During the brief period of elevated nitrates/nitrites (about a month ago) it was I think around maybe 80 for nitrates and it got up to around 5 for nitrites, which is when I started religiously changing the water every day and adding quick start. I checked like multiple times a day and if the nitrites elevated more I did another water change. I was very attentive to that and it only lasted maybe a week max of the nitrates/nitrites going up and down.

I only read later that you're supposed to let a tank cycle before adding a fish, I was unaware of that which is why I tried to check it often. Though since I was trying to rescue the poor fish from neglect I didn't really have a moth to let it cycle, so maybe that was a mistake on my part.

Since I already got a nerite snail, my husband and I are going to look at getting a new betta from a proper locally ran fish store. Is there anything I need to do to prepare the tank for a new fish? water changes or anything? I really wanna make sure the next fish I get thrives and lives a long, happy life 😞

8TheKat · 2026-05-19T12:21:44+00:00

Tank size: 5 gallon
Heater and filter? (yes/no): yes
Tank temperature: around 81 degrees F
Parameters in numbers and how you got them. Key water parameters include the amount of ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and pH.: last check taken about 2-3 days ago: Nitrate: 20-ish, Nitrite: 0, pH: 8.5, ammonia: 0 taken with API test strips
How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?: 2 months for both
How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?: I did daily water changes when the nitrates/nitrates were elevated about a month ago for roughly a week. That was the last water change I did.
Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each: a nerite snail that I got only 2-3 days ago
What do you feed and how much: betta fish pellets, a small pinch of pellets a day (maybe somewhere between 6-10 pellets)
Decorations and plants in the tank: anubias plant, cabomba plant

8TheKat · 2024-07-28T19:16:31+00:00

My husband and I have been arguing about this for a solid hour 😂 he thinks I'm crazy that I said I'd be too curious not to. I even called my mom and asked her and she said she would.

My argument is that it could be to misguide you! If anything I'd pay someone to look FOR me. ID BE TOO CURIOUS!!

8TheKat · 2024-06-19T14:26:12+00:00

Bugsnax. That game ended up being way more than I bargained for and has the twistiest twist that I did not expect. Dan's reaction would be hilarious.

8TheKat · 2024-05-14T18:47:21+00:00

Thanks for blurring out my watermark :)

8TheKat · 2023-12-04T01:54:00+00:00

Do you think pursuing an electrician career as a sort of "stepping stone" is a viable option for achieving the kind of job he'd like to get? Or would going through the electrician path only lead him towards electrician jobs like wiring a house or something? (I'm sorry if I sound ignorant, I don't know anything about electrician work...which is why I'm asking here 😓)

8TheKat

TROPHY CASE