I want you guys to read this

[Angel Lady]

I was browsing the fish forums today and I want you to read what I found on here some dumbass want help on her betta I joined the forum just so I could tell her off.
My son's beta which is just in a fish bowl, as it has been for the past three years, has been trying to die for the past month...but it won't. So now I feel like I should try to fix it.

We live in the US, the fish went to the neighbors while we were on vacation for two weeks. When we returned they had put it in a different bowl and it has never been the same. It can't seem to stay down in the water at all. Every time it tries to go down to the bottem of the bowl it floats back to the top. I wouldn't say it's body is particularly swollen, more contorted, like it has a strange bend in it. And now it mostly spends it's time lying on it's side at the top of the bowl with part of it's body OUT of the water. It does eat but only what it can get to before it floats down to the bottem.

I change it's water and clean the algea off the sides of the bowl and the rocks when ever it get's very green, prob once every three weeks to a month. I use the chlorine drops when I change the water. I have never tested the water because it's just a fish bowl. Like maybe it holds a liter of water.

Is there anything I can do to keep this fish from suffering?
Thanks in advance.

Tell me what you guys think of someone so stupid.

 

[cichlidmaster]

What I think is instead of insulting her, you should PM her on that forum and offer to help her learn how to keep fish alive!!!

She obviously has no clue what she is doing and that may not necessarilly be her fault!!

She may not have received any information from where she got the betta from, or maybe she did and it was all wrong!!!

I think that all to often those of us with vast years of experience take for granted that an inexperienced fishkeeper just doesn't want to learn....but that just is not so!!!!

Look how many members on our forum have said before they came here they did not know the first thing about fishkeeping and now look at them!!!

Lending advice is always preferable to throwing your "experience" in someone elses face with an insult.

All an insult will do is turn a person off of fishkeeping forever and that is certainly not the goal of THIS forum, it's Admin, moderator's or members!!!!

Not to get down on you FKSM, but how would you have felt if the first time you posted here, the very first reply you received was "Man what an idiot!! "Do you guys believe her killing every fish she puts in her tanks?"

Do you think that would have made you stay?? Or would it have made you give up??

Thanks for "Asking me to read this" because it has renewed and reminded me why I am here....TO HELP PEOPLE!!!

CM

 

[Tanked]

well put CM.

I would fall into that category of knew nothing when I got here but look at me now. education is definatly the best way to handle any situation such as this.

 

[Angel Lady]

she has had this fish for three years you would think after three years she wold have learned something about how to take care of this poor little betta after I did tell her off I went back and told her I was sorry but she should do a little more research on how to take care of a tropical fish. I did ask her how would she like a bath every three weeks or so. I just couldnt help it I have been strongly against the way they keep these poor fish in those cups for years but I dont know who to write or I would write someone to try to get the conditions better for these poor bettas.It should be agaisnt the law to treat a fish in of any kind like that.

 

[cichlidmaster]

perhaps, FKSM, but for the fish to have lived 3 years perhaps she thought she WAS doing right by it!!

According to your post, it wasn't until the neighbors had the fish that it started experiencing problems.

One other point....Don't you think a goldfish bowl is better than a specimen cup?? Granted I am NOT one to advocate a fish bowl for any aquatic life form, but it certainly is better than a cup!!!

Your probably going to gasp at this, but when I was breeding cichlids some of my tanks received water changes every three weeks!!!

This was due to the fact that a massive influx of freshwater induced the fish to spawn which was my ultimate goal. The tanks were of course very sparsely stocked pretty much comparable to a single betta in a goldfish bowl.

While it is admirable of you to go back and post an apology, the damage may already have been done!!

Instead of guiding this poor soul to the right way of keeping fish and prodding her to try again, this harshness has probably convinced her to not even bother.

We have probably lost a potentially good aquarist and possibly a new member for this forum as well!!

CM

 

[-=DG=-]

perhaps, FKSM, but for the fish to have lived 3 years perhaps she thought she WAS doing right by it!!

Thats what i was gonna say. Maybe she was doing everything right (most of it) but its just that the fish's time is up? Sounds like the neighbours may be responsible?

 

[dolphin]

Hi FKSAM

Just to add my bit.

Did you take into account that Betta only live for about 3 years. She must have been doing thing right to keep it living for that long.

 

[cryosi]

I cant believe that this was even started in here! not that i want to stir or cause any trouble! but sheesh! CM is rite you should not have replied to tell her off!

 

[Tropicalfishfn]

I was thinking that the fish was dead cause they said it would float to the top. Ya CM is right

 

[teknikz]

im not havin a pop at any1 but i too had no knowledge at all of fish keeping and only came onto this forum to find out why my fish were dying.....ive only been a member since the beginning of july and ive learned a hell of a lot in the 2-3 weeks ive been a member

Tek

 

[fishdude]

Cm is right. And i know I'm just a little kid but I don't like ppl. usin cuswords on this site. it's a bad influence to me. STOP IT.

 

[Angel Lady]

guys I am sorry to ruffle everyones feathers but I just cant stand to see these poor things mistreated I dont know it must be my name or something it seems like everyone wants to always put me down for some reason I cant win for losing evertime I get a sick fish I only get one or two replies and when I think I am right on something you see what happens everyone seems to enjoy telling me off in every thing I post so I guess I will keep my mouth shut and wont come back here anymore and by the way thanks for all the help everyone gave me on my sick betta he died this morning.

 

[cichlidmaster]

FKSM,

First..........I am truely sorry to hear you lost your betta. It is never easy to lose a fish no matter what species it is.

I am also sorry I could not be of more help to you with it. I have never kept betta's therefore i have never had the need to research them. I felt no information was better than misinformation or a guess.

I also figured you could find more info than I could on them since you kept them.

Second.........It is my sincerest hope that you reconsider your decision to leave.

Third.............I do not think it's a matter of "ruffling our feather's" so much as you asked us "what we thought"

I for one did not intend to hurt your feelings, but I felt that I needed to be honest with my answer to you.

I still feel it was wrong to chastise someone first rather than try to help them through their ordeal and then make constructive suggestions for them as to how to better keep their fish.

I agree that reading about someone keeping fish in less than ideal conditions makes my blood boil at times, I still try to temper my emotions with sound advice rather than letting them get the better of me and then going back and trying to make things right.

I would just like to say in closing that I hope to see you back here, but if not I would like to wish you well in all you do and especially in your aquarium keeping.

CM

 

[finatic]

This forum is here to help everyone. I found this site by accident, and I have learned more than I ever imagined. I went from one 10 gallon tank to two 10's and a 55 gallon. I have been breeding, something I never imagined I could do. My tanks are clean and beautiful and healthy because of everything I have learned from this site. Thank you to all my new friends (especially CM) for teaching me the proper ways to keep my fishes. I am sorry you feel the way you do about this forum.

Finatic

 

[cichlidmaster]

Your very welcome, Finatic!!

CM