Are my betta fish sick?

[folkay]

I'm really struggling with my fish, and I desperately need some advice. I've got 5 bettas, and 3 of them in my 10-gallon tank have shredded fins - it's heartbreaking. One of them actually passed away today, and I'm feeling terrible about it, especially since I was taking care of it for my niece.

I've been trying to figure out what's going on, and I thought maybe the water was too hot, so I turned the heater down to 76f (it was at 78f before). But now I'm thinking it might be the water pH that's the problem. The thing is, every time I clean their tanks (which I do monthly), my mom and aunt tell me I'm doing it too much and that I should just leave them alone. It's really frustrating, because my bettas used to have such beautiful fins, and now they look awful.

I also lost my angelfish a few days ago, and it's making me wonder if I'm just not cut out for this. He didn't show any signs of illness, or at least not that I could see, but it's still making me feel like a bad fish mom.

[bloomer]

To help you better, it'd be great if you could share some photos of your bettas. Also, if you could provide your water parameters - like ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates - that would be super helpful.

Are the bettas in the 10-gallon tank males or females, by the way? And is the tank divided or are they all swimming together?

[folkay]

All male. I've got 2 1.5 gallon bowls in the middle that kind of act as dividers, but the water on each side is still connected. I wish I could provide pics, but that's not possible for me right now. I've been using catappa leaves, which turn the water brown like it would be in their natural habitat, and they're supposed to help with ammonia levels.

[angelica]

I strongly recommend doing a 75% water change daily for a week, using de-chlorinated water, and vacuuming the gravel during this process. When you do this, rinse the filter cartridges or sponges in the water you took out – just don't replace them yet. Clean, fresh water is the best thing you can give your fish right now. I know it's hard to go against what your family says, but trust me, it's worth it. I've been in a similar situation with my dad, who also used to keep fish, and he always told me I was overdoing it with the water changes. However, I've had nearly 200 fish and hardly ever had any issues with illness or disease, which usually shuts him down. As one of our members once said, "nobody ever claims their fish died because the water was too clean."

[oldraider]

@angelica nailed it, clean water is key to healthy fish. Weekly water changes are a must, and I'm a big fan of using moss balls and live plants to help keep the water quality in check. I used to keep bettas in 5-gallon tanks - it gives them the space they need to swim around and really helps with maintaining good water quality. The more water, the better, in my experience.

[folkay]

Thanks a ton, I'm really gonna try all that stuff today. I'm gonna do that 75% water change like you guys said and I'll try to ignore my family about cleaning too much. I'm really hoping it'll help my poor bettas.

[coltin]

If your fish get sick, do big daily water changes and gravel vacuum the substrate - it's the best thing you can do. Posting pictures might also help as it gives a better idea of the situation.

If your fish look unwell, test the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH - write down the numbers. Check for general hardness (GH) and carbonate hardness (KH) if you can. This will give you a better understanding of the water quality and help you identify the problem.