No need to be sad anymore...

Hmmmm......I read BM's post the other day ("I'm Sad") and gave serious thought (of course I'd LOVE TO have Six......he's amazing!). I went and picked up the betta I just know she was talking about this morning. He's rainbow colored, laying on the side of his cup, although she didn't mention if she got a look at his upper fin...part of it is missing. He struggles to get up to take a breath, then just sort of falls back down to the bottom.

Hubby wouldn't be thrilled if he knew, I'm sure....but....

I don't know if he'll make it. He was active before (scared, I'm sure!) and now just lays there, only moving if I 'scare' him. I didn't have anything to put him in, and I splurged and got a 2.5 gallon rectangular glass tank. I had a plant (not silk though) and some gravel left over from setting up the hex.

BettaMomma, if he dies I don't want you to feel bad for me. Because if he doesn't make it, at least he was given a chance.....so I won't feel bad. I feel bad about what got him to this point...and no care at the store, apparently. I don't have a heater. I don't have any medication or salt...I wouldn't know what to use or do with it. I don't have any spare $$ to buy anything other than what I got right now. I felt bad that you felt bad, I made space, and WANTED to do this. There was NO mistake who this guy was when I got there. I don't recall seeing one with a really dirty cup, so that must have been rectified.

I don't know if this bugger's gonna make it, and all I can do is make him comfortable. Maybe just fresh water and a bigger space will lift his spirits enough...again, he's noticeably not well, and part of his dorsal fin is missing. But being here has got to be better than staying there......sorry I can't do more.

But he's here, and BettaMomma, I'll keep you updated on his progress. Will give me something to do......hubby is going to be out of town ALL week.......

Here he is still in his cup

And again

And again...amazing how differently they look OUT of their cup

Last one

His head area is actually more of a whitish or gray....I'm assuming that is not a good thing......

Sometimes, despite anyone's best efforts, the only thing that CAN be done is to make them comfortable. And you're a good person for doing it.

If he makes it through this, he's going to be very beautiful. Let's hope he does.

Edit: His head coloring COULD just be his natural coloring. Some of mine have very pale heads in proportion to their body, and they're fine.

Ok, thanks, maybe that IS just his head color then. He's not right though...he swims around in a more vertical position........

Poor guy....

Good luck with him!! I hope he gets better

OH my DEAR GOD. I think I'm going to cry. That's HIM!!
I'm so very excited, you are such a saint.

Just so you know, I have an extra heater at work - one of the flat mini hydor ones. I took it out of Jasper's tank because he was getting too hot.
I also have meds I could bring out, and some salt. Just lemme know.

You have no idea how excited and happy I am that you went and got him.
I have been thinking about him ALL day long, and almost went over and got him today. I don't know if I'd have been super duper happy or super duper sad if I had gotten there and he'd have been gone!!!

Wow, how incredible...
I still think I"m going to cry!!!
I can bring meds out to you today even if you want me to.
I'd LOVE to see him in his new home!!

yay!!!

GrullaQuarters said:

Here he is still in his cup

Click to expand...

Just look at that little face.
Now you all probably know why I was so sad to leave him behind.

I bet he's so much happier right now.
And so am I.

Momma you're welcome to come see him. Perhaps you can lead me in the right direction to get him on the road to recovery. There've been times this afternoon/evening that I've thought he's already too far gone. He just lays there, and when he does struggle to get to the surface for air, he just drops to the bottom instead of swimming there. I have NOTHING in his tank.....just a rectangle 2.5 gallon, gravel, a plant and a thermometer. That's IT. No heater, no air pump (figured even if I had one it would just stress him out right now...) I actually looked for the mini Hydor heaters, but AGAIN, there were none. These would be at the end of one aisle where the rest of the Hydor heaters are, right? The smallest I saw was a 25 watt. So I DID get a little canopy light thing and a bulb, I thought the light would keep the temp warmer than without it. If you have a spare heater, the one that was too warm for a tank, that might work perfectly for me, as the sick guy's tank is in my office in the basement. It's noticably cooler down there, which is why I never kept my hex down there. I do need to run to Walmart (necessities.....DIAPERS! LOL) so I was just going to look at their junior heaters there and see how much they are. But if you have one you're not using....that would be WONDERFUL! I looked at salt, as I've heard you all talk about it on here, but I didn't see a small little box...only larger quantities....and didn't want to buy THAT much.....(again, lack of funds, hubby getting shipped out of town the next week so will need spending/food money while gone, which runs ME short because HE needs it more than I do!

Anyway, I'll update you in the morning on his progress, and if you would like to stop by here sometime I'll give you directions. Pretty darn easy to find....you know where Hwy M is over by Menards/PetSmart....you follow that alllll the way. (on the other side of Verona). I'm only about 10 minutes (unless it's commuting-to-or-from-work time....from PetSmart.)

Anyway, I surely appreciate you offering what you've learned so far in your rescue efforts. It was hard...you've done so much for these guys, I figured I could try to take this guy in. I made a special trip to Madison for him, half wondering if you'd already been there to pick him up!

I think I'll come out tomorrow afternoon after work.
I still can't even believe that you got him.
He was weighing heavy on my mind!
I'll bring you meds, salt and the heater tomorrow.
I also found those heaters at Mounds today - they're 11.69 there, a whole 3$ cheaper than at PetWorld - just for your future reference if/when you need another one for someone you bring home

Anyway - I'll probably end up bailing on work early tomorrow to come see him. Oh, and you too. lol I think I'll stop off at PetSmart or somewhere and see if I can get him some hornwort - that made a WORLD of difference for Jasper when he was so sick - it floats up by the top of the tank and they beach themselves inside the plant so they don't have so far to go to get air. It helps them save their strength.

PM me your phone number and I'll give you a call when I'm on my way out.
YAY!
Tell him to hang on a while longer.
Give him a hug for me.
lol

*cough cough* I may have to leave work pretty early tomorrow because I feel something coming on.

GAWD you crack me up......lol....

He's a 'trying' little bugger. He looks so ill, but he still keeps fighting it....so he's gonna be a fiesty one! He's laying in the corner, back half of him laying on his side, upper half lookin' at me. He's been sitting like this for awhile...so cute.

Now if I could get rid of all these stinkin bubbles!

He'll know it was YOU who brought him here.....I just know it.

I'll PM you in a bit...will be home in the afternoon, got a little bit of errands to run in the AM. DIAPER RUN! LOL....

What can I say?
I love fish.
lol

See, normally the fact that he's laying like that would be enough to make me get in the car right now and drive out with the meds. BUT the fact that I know that he's survived that way for at LEAST 18 or 19 days now leads me to believe that he WILL be okay until tomorrow.

He does have the cutest face. It was so hard to leave him behind. TWICE. When I spotted him a few days ago again, I said out loud "You are NOT still here!!!" and everyone turned and looked at me. heh heh

I might also get a small air pump with a tiny bubble bar for him too while he's on the meds. I will be just like the welcome wagon when I show up. hee hee hee!!!

Off to check my PM!