Tragedy. Warning: Post contains graphic content.

I usually only post about good things that happen. This is partly due to the fact that it's hard to admit when things don't go right. It is also partly due to the fact that usually only good things do happen. Not this time though. This time I screwed up and I thought it would only be fair, albeit shocking, to share my mistakes.

On May 26, 2008 Whisper, our Betta fish, passed away.



I'm no marine biologist but I suspected that Whisper was in trouble because it never ate even a single pellet during the week that we had it. After it died, I told myself that it must have been sick even before I bought it from the store. So what did I do? I went back and bought a similar-looking Betta so that people would never know that I had killed the first one.

By the third day I noticed that W2 was less active, sat at the bottom of the tank, and clamped its fins close to its body. By the fourth day I saw that it had the same cottony growths that the first Whisper had. I was scared.

I had always thought of myself as a fish guy (in fact "Fish" is my nickname at work). When I was more involved with saltwater aquaria, one of my tanks was featured in the October 2005 issue of Reefkeeping online magazine. Once I phoned an equipment store based out of California (www.nanotuners.com) and as I described my setup to the owner, he stopped me and asked "are you Ninjafish?" (just a name I post under sometimes - long story). I told him I was, and he said, "I've seen your tank. It's great to talk to you, you're a legend". True story. A total stranger had referred to me as a legend (and dozens of years sooner than I'd always imagined it happening).

So that's part of my embarrassment. The other part is that I had gotten the idea for a Betta from seeing Jewel and Kendall's fish. And theirs had survived having its bowl filled with potato chips, and being left out on the counter without water! The fact that I couldn't keep my fish alive and theirs was just fine, was... well, frustrating.

Anyways, spurred by the fear of losing a second fish I did some quick research and learned that although Bettas are frequently left in room-temperature water, their immune system functions best at warmer temperatures (around 78 degrees Fahrenheit). I didn't know that (I doubt most people knew that, and their fishes are just fine). I also got some medication and treated the infection (a parasite called "Ich"). Here is a photo of W2 showing some of the things used in its recovery - bear in mind, this is a fish that you usually see sitting in just a plastic cup:




I'm pleased to report that W2 is now a healthy and happy fish and has been eating like a pig. I am still embarrassed that I broke the cardinal rule of fish husbandry and didn't do my research before visiting the pet store. But in the end it was an important lesson, and everyone is better off for it. Well... everyone except Whisper I guess...




- C