My Lost Girls

[vanvran]

I had a little sorority of 4 lovely girls who seemed to cohabit wonderfully. Then after a few months (20 gallon tank, 2 cories, some ghost shrimp and 3 cardinal tetras who are very peaceful), two of my girls developed loss of color and basketball looking bellies. I bought a small tank to make into a hospital tank, got it all cleaned and running, when I discovered the only "heater" it had was a stupid bulb that you could only keep on a few hours a day. I knew that wouldn't work for a sick betta, so I treated the entire tank with Furan 2 - good for gram pos/gram neg bacteria. Unfortunately, I lost 3 girls -- the third had no symptoms. The last girl is so swollen, I've considered euthanasia but she was eating and hanging out, however, now she's at the bottom and losing all her color. I feel horrible. I had foot surgery during all this and literally had to be nearly carried to the bathroom, so going out and getting another "hospital" tank setup was not possible. I don't want to treat the whole tank again. I feel so responsible. It's 2 weeks since the surgery and I can only walk on my heel, so mobility is limited. I just need to share my frustration. I could understand if this happened soon after I bought them, but they were doing so well, growing so fast, and appearing to get along with eachother. It's so depressing.

 

[Talius]

Don't feel so guilty, I'm sure it's not your fault. You can't control death.

 

[MermaidMel]

Sorry for your loss, don't beat yourself up xx