Fish MemorialsTalk about the loss of your fish. These are our pets and we can become quite attached to them and hopefully this area can help with the passing of your pet fish.
On another forum, I noticed they had a section of their forum set up to immortalize the little friends who have passed away and give their owners a chance to show a picture and say a brief thought about them.
I am going to start a thread in the betta Section for those of us who may want to, to give the honor of a memorial to our little friends. Since the Betta,moreso than a lot of fish, is so close to their owners; I have noticed that Betta owners are very traumatized when their little friends pass away. I am not putting down the loss of other fish, but I do know that with some of the other Betta owners who have lost Bettas; it is almost an end to fishkeeping at times. There is a closeness that you are not sure you can handle opening yourself up to again.
This is a way of not only saying good-bye and telling the "world" how much they meant to us, but in some way to see that none of us is alone and that there are many who have had the same experience. Plus I have never really seen a Betta owner who does not enjoy talking about what his fish was like.
You are welcome to post your fishes story here with a picture or not. If you prefer not to, no one will think less of you. This is for your use. I am hoping it will be helpful to us all.
Since I started this thread, I will be the first to open with a statement about Azul, who was not only my first Betta but my first fish. He was beautiful and one of the biggest Bettas I had ever seen. He loved being fed by hand and didn't eat a thing if it was just plunked in the water. Gunnie and Butterfly had to go through the worst times with me while I learned to be a Betta Mom. Azul just calmly kept swimming in and out of my life. He became my constant little friend and partner and since I am at home with my tanks almost all the time, I had him horribly spoiled.
I could not imagine what life would be like without a Betta in it, and for that I have Azul to thank. He became so much a part of my life that I have been LED into the lives of 3 more little buddies (oops - 1 buddette )
It's so nice and refreshing to find other Betta lovers who truly are out for the best for their fish. I get so upset when I see Bettas in little tanks with no room or filtration! My Betta is 1 year old and still doing well! He was my first fish and I really, really enjoy him! Sharon
Well, this story is a bit tragic, but I need to make a little "tribute" to Luna. I don't like to think about it much but when I was younger I decided I wanted to get a Betta. I knew a bit about fish, but somehow believed the whole keep-Bettas-in-bowls story. Well, upon arriving home, during the transfer from the store cup to the bowl, somehow he got loose in the sink and fell down the drain to my horror. Well, I took off bawling, but my mum somehow continued to think and kept anyone from using the sink. Then my dad came home from work like 3 hours later and took apart the pipes and dumped the barely living Betta into the bowl. We managed to keep him alive by gently rocking the bowl back and forth to help him breathe. The next day he looked totally normal. He was so beautiful, dark rich blue with a blacker head. I know he would have lived a long and happy life...except that I had him in a tiny bowl, and about a week later I noticed white spots covering him and the next day he was gone. I really hate to remember this and I will never again keep a Betta in amything less than 5 gallons...but he was a special fish as my first Betta, and it shows just what fighters Bettas can be, surviving a trip down the drain.
Thank you for sharing that story. Maybe it will help someone realize the terrible thing it is to put a Betta in a bowl. Luna sounds like he was a Beautiful Betta.
When you get a betta from the store they're often older fish. I had one called Ferdinand a couple of years ago, and he had lived about 2 years. He got kind of weary towards the end, and just lost interest in life. At the time I didn't know much about bettas and so I just kept him in a large bowl, though I did put bright rocks and a plant inside it for him.
When I got Darth Pisces I kept him in my tank with some catfish, but they all died of a disease that I think I misdiagnosed. I really liked him a lot; when I got him I had learned more about bettas, realized that they were fish with personalities that you could interact with. While I felt sort of sorry for Ferdinand when he began to pine away and die I had no idea that there were forums you could go on or anything and so I just kept his water clean and tried to look after him till he died. But when Darth Pisces died I felt very sad, and missed him even though I'd only known him a month or so. However I've come to feel glad that I had him for even a short time.
Thank you for sharing. I am sure you did the best you could for Ferdinand and loved him. We all remember Darth Pisces and miss him very much even though he was only with us a short time.
I just lost my second betta, Leo, after only having him about 10 months. It's hard to accept his death because he was such a healthy, happy betta. We chose him because he had the biggest, best bubblenest of all the bettas in their little cups in the store. He was beautiful dark blue with red highlights and glorious fins and refined features. Once we brought him home he lived in a 2.5 gallon tank with filter and bright gravel and lots of plants. He was a good eater and we always varied his diet and tried not to overfeed him (our first betta, Warren, had a bout with constipation once), so he never had any health issues...until the last couple of weeks. Our first fish (which, I'll admit was a learning experience) lived for awhile in a vase with bamboo and marbles, and I know the water conditions were bad from time to time...plus the constipation bought...but, he still lived for 2 1/2 years with us before dying of old age (we assume). I don't know why Leo died so early, but he will be very missed. I thought he'd be around much longer so I don't have any "healthy" pictures of him...just the ones we posted in the "sick betta" section. Hopefully, I've learned a little more from this experience and will be a better caretaker of my next fish. Thanks for all the emotional support.
Thank you, mia. We did not get to know Leo, but we will miss him as a friend and wish we had gotten to know him better. Hang in there and don't give up.
aw man, now I feel the need to confess my horrible betta mistakes. I've probably had 5 or so growing up, always in a small bowl, wondering why they didnt live long. The people at the store kept telling me they liked small bowls it made them comfortable and I took their word for it.
A few months ago I decided to try again and Tiger (after the tiger schulmann karate class cuz this guy is a fighter!) did well until his little fins all but disappeared. At the same time I had horrible problems with the fish in my main tank. Seeing little stubby Tiger attempting to swim around his bowl broke my heart and I decided to become a better fish owner. I found this site, a monthly fish magazine and my job also helped here (as a zookeeper) as I was shown how to care for our 3 220+ gallon tanks. And now, finally, I am doing a much better job all around and little Tiger is happily in my 15 gallon with his fins and color coming back. I'll have to post a picture soon as he really is cute..kinda purplish with bright blue lips!
So I'd just like to remember those 5 bettas and thank them for putting up with me however long they did.
That's a cool story. You have my sympathy, it's hard to lose them, specially if you are not sure...is it ignorance, or is it that the fish were sick before, or what? But you certainly don't want them to die, and bettas somehow cause more sadness. So good for you for saving Tiger.
I'm really glad that this topic is here. I've been reading it for awhile and deciding if I wanted to post. It still pains me to talk about my loss and I've mentioned it in a topic when I introduced myself but I figured I would do it again in the appropriate spot.
About a year ago I bought a betta at a LFS because I was working from home and I decided that I wanted something to keep me company. I didn't want a cat as I don't have a proper spot in my apartment for the litter box. I didn't want a dog because the apartment pet fees are too much and I don't have the space for a dog to be happy (in my opinion). I had thought about a goldfish but when I saw this betta he tugged at my heart. I knew nothing about bettas but knew I had to have him.
I snatched him up and paid for him. Initially he had a VERY small tank (the cheapest the LFS had) with a light above it. I bought a large glass bowl for him because he was NOT happy in that little bowl and he certainly let me know it. Amazing how they are able to get their point across!! I bought him some shiny marbles because he did not like the beach glass that I had in there. Once I put the marbles in he slept on them and was VERY happy.
Shortly thereafter I bought him a 5 gallon hexagon filtered tank and he thought he had been moved to a penthouse suite. He wore himself out swimming around, flaring at his reflection and enjoying his new plants. He lived for another 6 or 7 months I guess before he passed away. I'm not sure how old he was but he was MUCH bigger than a lot of the other bettas I've seen. I never noticed any ICH or fin rot on him and his behaviors never changed. I can only assume he died of natural causes.
I woke up one morning and he had passed. I was a mess. I cried harder than I have in a long time. He was my buddy, my friend. I talked to him every day. I never thought I could feel so close to a fish. I even talked about him so much that my best friend ended up buying one to see what all the fuss was about!! :-)
Jesse will always have a place in my heart and he is responsible for my love and caring of bettas now and forever in the future. I love them so much. I cannot imagine life without them.
Thank you so much for sharing. And I want to thank you all. Everyone of you who have come forward and talked with us about your little friends have had an effect on those of us who still miss those of ours who are newly gone. It has been very great to remember all of those little buddies who have loved up and who have loved us in return. It is good to know that they will be remembered here.
I'm with all of you who have lost your little babies I know how u feel even though I haven't been at this as long as most of you it still hurts really bad I lost my little Tenshi (female) just today only a few hrs ago when i transfered her to change her water somehow her gills got damanged i think she arched up and didn't move for a bit i even tried to chase her around the tank like i used no good she had moved on
I am so sorry about your little Tenshi. I know you loved her. It is always a sad day when you lose a fish you love and you can be sure we know how you feel and are feeling with you. You have my deepest sympathies.
I bought a betta yestreday morning and called him Flash. At the store it was hard to tell but I think he had finrot or something because when I got him home he would just sit at the bottom of the tank and his fins were frayed and were coulorless. I woke up this moring to find him dead at the bottom of the tank. I had even planed on buying something to treat the finrot, but I think I was too late.
Even though I only had him a short time, I will still miss him.
oh...I'm so sorry! Flash did indeed have very exotic colors. I'm so sorry you lost him. Im sure you gave him a nice peaceful last few hours and he had someone that really cared about him fussing over him (=
Don't give up! You have a beautiful tank that needs an occupant!
Gwenz,
I am so sorry that you lost your baby! The attachment between betta and owner is QUICK. No matter how long you have them you love them like they've always been a part of you. I hope this doesn't discourage you from getting another one.
Oh no! I am so sorry about Flash. Even though we didn't know him for long he was still a member of our little Betta community here and will be missed. I join divakeeks in hoping that this does not keep you from trying again when you feel you can. You will make such a good Betta mommy.
It is very hard to tell in the store what condition they are in and especially if they are having a problem in the store. Do not blame yourself, he was obviously very ill when he came to you. Like Manicivy said, you gave him a few quiet and peaceful hours and some of the best conditions he has ever had. Please know that he probably appreciated your love.
just a suggestion for picking one look for the one with the brightest possible color and possiblely the most activity thats what I did with Tenshi and Inari Tenshi had an accident when i changed her water and Inari is still alive a well Tenshi's death was my fault so i guess u can't blame the pet store now can i? :P but inari is doing well just he's a bit bored i need to get him a bigger tank
It is so sad to say that I have an addition to the Memorial Thread of this Betta Section of the forum. My little Misty died a few minutes ago and I am not even sure why. She just slipped away and I don't even know if there was anything I could have done for her. I found her laying on her side on the bottom of the tank. She had been fine this morning when I fed her and I hadn't done anything different in her tank lately but take Emma back to the back tank with the others because they were still having problems with nipping each other. It does make me sad that she died alone and I didn't even notice.
oh, Rose I'm so sorry! I loved looking at your pictures of her, she was so beautiful. It must have been something internally wrong (maybe something genetic?) that you wouldn't be able to tell. And she didn't die alone...she had that snail with her right?! And she went with a full stomach, ( being a huge fan of yummy food myself) I think that is the best way to go! Her sisters will miss her, try not to be sad and find joy in your other fish.
Rose I am so sorry that you lost Misty. Like Manicivy said I also loved looking at the pictures of her. We are all here with you just the same as you were with us. I hope your OK, and I hope all the other bettas are OK. I'm sure she had a very happy life with you.
Rose,
I am so very sorry. I remember how excited you were when you bid on her, and how you couldn't wait until she arrived! She was a beautiful fish, and she had a good life in your home.
Ok, so when I read that Misty died, I cried. I feel like I've gotten to know everyone's fish just from being a member of this forum.
Rose, I am SO sorry about your loss. We all know how much you love your babies and what you must be going through right now. It seems of late there is an increase in betta deaths and that makes me VERY sad.
As others have said, we are here for you like you are always for us.
I want to thank you all for thinking of me, and I really appreciate the feelings. Of course, she was my baby and it was for some reason harder with her being the smallest. But I did not suffer more for her than I do for each and every Betta lost on this forum. I just love them all and it is so hard that we have been losing more of them lately. We will get through this and go on to take care of the little buddies who need our care, but it is hard not to see each death as a failure of sorts.
I promise to quit being so gloomy and my old self and be what my other little guys need me to be. Again, thank you all so much for thinking of me. I do so appreciate your support.
Rose as usual I'm behind times!! Sorry to hear about your baby. It's really hard losing your little friends and not knowing why just makes it harder.
Carol
I got up this morning to find that Noel had died and I do not know why. I talke to Butterfly and we decided that perhaps the water here had changed due to the heavy irrigation being done around here. It does not show up on the testing but could be something that would not be tested for.
I shall miss them both. I believe that Noel will be replaced but due to the fact that Misty was being bullied so much I will most likely not replace her.
Similar Aquarium Fish Forum Threads 
)
