How do I Save the Office Betta!?

[HakuSpirit]

How do I politely and professionally attempt to save the sad office Betta in a 1.5 G tank that looks like it’s really not being cared for? … technically I’m kind of new to this job and it’s my bosses set up she purchased for the office pet… I was thinking of offering to pay her whatever she spent on it but really don’t want to offend her; I think she actually thinks it’s fine…

 

[BPSabelhaus]

How are you at swimming in cold water after the very thin ice breaks? lol

Do you have bettas? I’d suggest starting with admiring the fish itself then after time maybe mention how happy yours is in the 5/10 whatever. How active it is, how it can explore etc…

Most bosses (no matter how wrong) don’t like being told they’re wrong about anything lol


A good one will take all input and act on what they can

 

[HakuSpirit]

How are you at swimming in cold water after the very thin ice breaks? lol

Do you have bettas? I’d suggest starting with admiring the fish itself then after time maybe mention how happy yours is in the 5/10 whatever. How active it is, how it can explore etc…

Most bosses (no matter how wrong) don’t like being told they’re wrong about anything lol


A good one will take all input and act on what they can

Thanks for the input lol yeah it’s a touchy scenario for sure… I did try to make a side comment about tank size earlier and kind of got the “well Betta don’t need bigger” so idk

I’m also relatively new personally but am pretty obsessed with the hobby. I was initially going to get a Betta so had really read up on them.. I feel so bad for them in the tiny cups, but I decided I wanted more than just one fish so I currently have a 10G with 4 guppies and a Nerite snail plus some live plants which all are thriving well.

It’s really an awkward position to be in but this poor little ivory betta is practically just laying on the bottom of this tiny tank and the filter kinda looks like it stopped working…. Maybe I should just leave it be and let them deal with the consequences but I also just feel bad for it.

 

[fishywoo]

You could say, hey your awesome betta doesn't look too hot right now, I'm concerned, I keep fish myself, could I make some adjustments to make sure he keeps thriving in the office?

 

[Lucy]

Hi Welcome to FishLore!

It's difficult to be in such a position.

1) Be frank and upfront and prepare to accept their answer.

2) Depending on the desk size, buy a 5g or at the least a 2.5g (filter, deco & all), present it to the boss and say I had this lying around, I'm not using it, thought maybe you'd like it.

3) Pull up FL and show her some pretty proper betta set up, ooh and ahh over them.
'I was just scrolling through betta pictures, Oh look at THIS one!'

4) Take it and say it died or when the boss asks what happened shrug your shoulders and play dumb..'Gee, I dunno, what do you mean it's gone
(I'm kidding. I don't advocate stealing someone's fish.)
(Shawnie, if you ever happen to see this, shut, up )

Good luck!

 

[Sewerrat]

I would volunteer to do the water changes then start slowly improving things.

 

[Fishfur]

I would volunteer to do the water changes then start slowly improving things.

That might work - just say you enjoy taking care of fish and you can see the boss is busy, so you’d be pleased to do the maintenance for the fish and see if that goes over well.

Mind you, there are those bosses who apparently believe that nobody can truly do anything as well as they can, so you have to be prepared to have the offer rejected. I used to work for a boss like that - smart lady, very successful too but she truly thought she was the only one that could do most things the way they should be done. Woe betide the employee that disagreed with her!

 

[sunflower430]

Maybe say you are really into fishkeeping and show boss some pics of your tanks... offer to help take care of betta if they'd like it

 

[HakuSpirit]

Thank you all! I may try to offer to do the water change at least… and a filter change for the one solitary carbon filter that’s been there for idk how long. It’s just kind of a tight wire at this point but I do kind of feel like she’s giving power house vibes and I don’t wanna step on toes
I will definitely post the progress!

 

[HakuSpirit]

…. Update on this … I can say it did not go well and now I have a 5 G for myself I wasn’t particularly planning to use for myself, but at this point I have to ignore the sad office Betta.. short of stealing it there doesn’t seem much I can do unless she changes her mind, which probably won’t happen til after it’s dead

so now I’m looking for ideas of what to do with this 5G.. but that may be for another thread.
thank you all for your input, at least I tried.

 

[Fishfur]

…. Update on this … I can say it did not go well and now I have a 5 G for myself I wasn’t particularly planning to use for myself, but at this point I have to ignore the sad office Betta.. short of stealing it there doesn’t seem much I can do unless she changes her mind, which probably won’t happen til after it’s dead

so now I’m looking for ideas of what to do with this 5G.. but that may be for another thread.
thank you all for your input, at least I tried.

Very sorry to hear that. But all you can do is try. Not your fault the boss is a bit of a twit.

 

[Lucy]

I'm sorry the boss wasn't receptive Sadly, a lot of people aren't. At least you tried.

Curious how long the boss has had the betta

 

[HakuSpirit]

I'm sorry the boss wasn't receptive Sadly, a lot of people aren't. At least you tried.

Curious how long the boss has had the betta

Thanks yeah I now just try to actively avoid that office as much as possible..
I think they got it like right before I started about 3 months ago… I think it’s one of those 1.5 things … one activated charcoal on the back that has t even been changed ..

 

[HakuSpirit]

Ok update on Operation Save the Office Betta!
I am now just over 6 months working here and the Betta fish is doing very poorly and I just can’t stand it anymore. Short of taking the Betta, I have opted for the option mentioned above to try to slowly improve things…

So far I’ve sort of become known as the office fish weirdo who never stops talking about them lol so pretty much all of the office is wholly supportive of me stepping in with one even suggesting I just take it home…. The only person who does not seem to believe me is the manager, who is ‘taking care’ of him.
Once I saw that the filter he had was in fact broken, there is shockingly no heater, and he definitely has pop eye, fin rot and has gone from white to a yucky grey, I have decided to just start bringing in things and trying to save him.
So far I’ve added a 3 part filter, brought in Seachum Prime and have been doing small water changes with it as well as removing what food I can find that he’s clearly not eating. I plan to bring in one of those pre set 78 heaters, an actual light instead of the blue one that came with the ‘Betta Kit’ and some floating Frogbit that’s growing out of control anyways..

So, my question now is, I’m working on how to non insultingly explain what the issue is to the manager as I keep doing things… I think PetSmart has really been awful in how they market Bettas and some folks just don’t do their own research.

Responses from said manager so far have been “He’s just an old fish now, that’s why he looks pale.” (He is one year old)

“He doesn’t need a heater cuz he’s never had one and he’s doing fine!”

“This is a Betta tank! It’s how they’re sold!”

“His eyes have always looked like that”…

So at this point, I’m sort of not caring if I offend her so I’m just gonna keep trying .. which hopefully doesn’t get me fired.

I did give him a Methylene Blue dip today and plan to for a few more days.
I have Paragaurd but no Kanaplex… I also have aquarium salt but have read Bettas don’t tolerate salt well?

I’m no Betta expert, I only recently just got my own for the first time. Can anyone give me some advice/tips or what would you do if you were trying to do small things when you come into work over your lunch to get him fixed up…. Sorry for the long rant but I had to talk to folks that understand wanting to give fish happy lives; it seems there are actually a lot of people out there that are just ok with buying one until it dies then getting another….

Thank you all in advance! This whole site has been a wealth of knowledge with getting started in this hobby and I’m now personally up to 4 tanks.

 

[kansas]

I know putting up with an cruel idiot as a boss is hard, but remember that getting yourself fired isn't going to help that fish.

Sorry you have to deal with this, good luck.

 

[fishywoo]

You're doing great. If I were in your shoes I would have been fired already for being snarky. I wish I had more advice and wisdom to offer.
=(

 

[ProudPapa]

You've done a lot, but I would advise you not to push your luck. If your supervisor feels that you've gone too far and you lose your job, then what will happen to the betta?

 

[BPSabelhaus]

Well, does the boss treat you like the Betta or not?


It may not be a flagging red Betta, but Seattle grey is pretty obvious too

Make sure they take care of you Betta than that first, then worry about the fish

 

[kuhlkid]

If they do fire you, grab that fish on your way out.

"Jokes" aside, I admire your efforts with this fish, and note that you most likely don't need to treat for parasites. If he's been solo in the tank for a considerable length of time, it's unlikely he's contracted any hitchhikers-- more likely he's fighting off bacterial+/fungal infections owing to sub-optimal conditions.

 

[fishywoo]

If they do fire you, grab that fish on your way out.

"Jokes" aside, I admire your efforts with this fish, and note that you most likely don't need to treat for parasites. If he's been solo in the tank for a considerable length of time, it's unlikely he's contracted any hitchhikers-- more likely he's fighting off bacterial+/fungal infections owing to sub-optimal conditions.

I couldn't help but think of the Jerry Maguire scene.

"I'm starting a new company, the fish are coming with me!"

 

[Rose of Sharon]

Hi,

I applaud your efforts! I can't stand cruelty, and this qualifies, in my opinion. But I appreciate your situation. If you lived in my area, then you would not get fired because businesses can't even find people who want to work, or who will actually go to work on a regular basis.

To answer your question, bettas do fine with aquarium salt for short periods of time...something like 2 weeks at a time.

For the pop eye, epsom salt baths might help bring the swelling down. If you want to try, just make sure the epsom salts are pure, unscented with no additives.

The methylene blue dips can help.

Sending good thoughts your way!!!

 

[HakuSpirit]

If they do fire you, grab that fish on your way out.

"Jokes" aside, I admire your efforts with this fish, and note that you most likely don't need to treat for parasites. If he's been solo in the tank for a considerable length of time, it's unlikely he's contracted any hitchhikers-- more likely he's fighting off bacterial+/fungal infections owing to sub-optimal conditions.

Ok that’s kind of what I thought… I’m more of a prevention fish keeper and never “treat” anything thus far… I’m of the mind that focusing on the basics of just clean water and optimal temp will help him the most now. I did sneakily add a little heater this morning before the boss came in and he’s been happily hanging out there all morning when I check on him… she has yet to notice it’s in there lol
I may still do two more ethylene blue dips though… I did get Polyguard, but mostly cuz I don’t have any.
Thank you for the encouragement!
I was also thinking of adding floating plans that definitely have bladder snails with them… is this a good idea for snails? I like having various clean up crews, but since the tank is so small, is the waste from the snails going to be more of a problem than a benefit?