Think Fish Keepers Daily News. [2016-2019]

My betta died yesterday - I found him last evening 

He had not been well for a few weeks. He started by not eating, then hiding under decor and just wasted away. The really upsetting thing for me was that he became ill at the same time that my mother also became ill, so the betta was my second priority. Now that he has died I feel guilty I didn't try to treat whatever it was.
My mother died 4 weeks ago which is why I've not been on the forum as much as usual. I had no idea there was so much to do afterwards, and with so many bank holidays in the way I still haven't come to the end!

@Sue  I am so sorry to hear about your mother and your betta. My thoughts are with you.

Really sorry to hear of the series of unfortunate events here @Sue

This may provide no comfort at all, but treating your betta would not have come with a guarantee of a different outcome and I'm sure we would all have had the same set of priorities as you.

There certainly is a lot to do at a time like this so please do take what time you need to get straight. And if I may... please remember to take time to look after yourself too 

I had just sent Sue a PM in connection with her post earlier today, when I realised I'd forgotten to feed my fish - these dark mornings make me delay it as they're usually not moving about much. On checking the tank, I noticed that my first snail (the tiger nerite) was lying on his back in his food pot, with his innards out and twisted-looking, with no sign of attempting to rectify himself. I tried to turn him over with an aquascaping tool but he rolled back again. Thankfully, I succeeded on the 3rd attempt. He's spent the entire afternoon and early evening sleeping rather than cleaning the front pane of glass which more-or-less confirms that he'd fallen on his back overnight and had been lying awake, awaiting rescue. I have no valid reason for not having checked the tank occupants earlier in the day.

How nice to read that you have a new betta Sue - I think fish-browsing/buying can be very therapeutic at sad times like this.

PS. If you were still doing water changes, Sue, then you have absolutely no need to beat yourself up about your betta; it seems as though there was a weakness there, unfortunately.

The new betta seems quite happy this morning so I'll take a photo when the tank lights come on.
By the time we got back with him yesterday it was getting dim so we had to turn the house lights on. The betta tank is in the kitchen under fluorescent lights which do distort the colour of things slightly which is why I wasn't sure what colour he is. Coupled with the fact that I don't see colours properly - the eye with the cataract op sees colour normally but the other eye is still waiting for an appointment and sees yellow. In the dim morning light using one eye, I think he's pale pink 

He's stunning, with such lovely, flowing fins. 

A very handsome chap. 

He was the stand-out fish in the shop. There were not many bettas at this time of year with two full rows of the betta display system being empty. The next door fish was a stunner too - a blue and white marble pattern plakat, but knowing how the marble gene can cause the fish to change colour, I didn't want another blue and white fish that turned solid blue within a month. And there was a dark red and dark grey butterfly patterned betta but he would not have stood out against the (silk) plants in the tank.

The display system that this branch of MA uses has 4 rows of small tanks one above the other with water constantly tricking down from above, and out through a hole near the top of each container. The 'tanks' are open topped. There was only one chap on duty and he was rushed off his feet. He hadn't noticed until I pointed it out that one of the fish on the second row had jumped into his neighbours 'tank' and they were both laying on the bottom quite exhausted. Hopefully he separated them after we'd paid and left.....

They do flare at the next door fish, and as I saw yesterday they can also jump into next door's tank to attack the fish in there.
However, male bettas have been kept in tiny jars ever since they were old enough to say they were males, so in one sense you could say they've never known anything else. And most of the bettas yesterday responded to me placing a pointed finger on the glass - apparently it looks like another male betta. (The exceptions were the two in the same tank) At least these display ranks do have filtered water. I've seen bettas for sale in half filled plastic pint beer glasses, kept warm by placing them on the cover glasses of the big tanks 

The fish I feel sorry for are the ones put in large tanks with other fish, especially the ones sharing a tank with fin nippers. I've seen exhausted, finless fish sucked against the filter in big tanks in a lot of shops.


All my bettas over the years have given the impression of being amazed at having a lot of space and spend the first few days exploring their new boundaries.

Glad to hear they are OK. It's always a worry if the heater breaks at this time of year.