A friend has a betta, and everyone she has had has lived way longer than mine. She doesn't take care of them, the tanks are too small, disgustingly gross, and just in horrible condition. But her Bettas live longer than mine.
Every betta I had has lived in at least 5 gallons with a filter with good clean water, but they never live for longer than a month. Whats with that?

hmm... do you clean your tank between each fish? and what do you feed it?

Thats the thing. We feed the same food. She asked me what I feed and thats what she feeds. And I have used a new tank for each fish(because of moving-always losing tanks). She overfeeds her fish and never cleans the gravel, plus she changes the water maybe once a month. This is in a 2 gallon tank with no filter. I usually have mine in five gallons with an air pump, and I change about 1 gallon every second day. My water is always de-chlorinated. I just don't understand. Do you think it could just be luck?

I would take out the air pump - bettas like still water. How much of a current does it make?

I change the water in my betta tanks once a week. I use a syphon and do a 50% water change, so the water stays nice and still. I only take them out to clean the gravel once every 4 or 6 weeks.

Is your house colder? Maybe you could buy a heater for the next one.

Do you always choose the fish who looks like he most needs TLC? Or the most active, robust fish?

It's probably just luck in the end tho.

I think its just luck, and I'm that way with goldfish. I tried 7 times but my friend who got her feeder at a church fair survives in a milk jug ._. Mine always tend to be sick when I get them, even though I pick out the healthiest of all the shops, and they start showing symptoms of microscopic parasites a couple days after purchase.

If you haven't already, try different stores.

It is very frustrating to get a new pet that ends up not living long for you. I was that way when I started with Veiled Chameleons. My first died within a few months and the second lived only about 7 months. I found out that I was using the wrong kind of light bulb, the UVB rating on the one I had was too low. I changed bulbs and now Arthur, my third Veiled, is doing splendidly. He just celebrated his first birthday a few weeks ago.

I would say it's something simple, that is why you can't figure out what it is. Be patient, do a little research, and re-examine what you are doing. You will see what it is.

Good luck with resolving your problem! If you need any help, ask away. We will do all we can.

Oops! Stoopid 'puter!

I too would take out the airpump & not change the water so frequently. Many bettas get very stressed out by water changes.(They also breathe at the top of the water so the airstone may be agitating the surface too much) Also make sure your filter current isn't too much.

Just to keep in mind, although some bettas like tanks, some really prefer to be in gallon containers & just have 100% changes (no filter). I have always found bettas to be very picky & very individual in their tastes and tolerance levels.

I have a local store that sells beautiful bettas but they also tend to come home with a bacterial infection which manifests itself a few days after they get home. Maybe your store has something similar???

I hope you can figure it out!!!

*Hugs* Jenn

yea i think you should take out the air stone. i once had a few bettas and i kept them in old pickle jars with no filter no air, just food every day and waterchange every week. they lived for about a year then i went on a trip and they didn't make it.

ps this is all before kokos