sand cleaning accident

[AlexsDaddy]

Let this be a warning to everyone here. I was cleaning the sand in my 10 gal female community yesterday. God, I wanna cry again just thinking about it. I was cleaning the sand with a syphon tube, and one of my girls got too close to the tube and got sucked into it. It bent her in half right behind her gills and sucked her into the tube. She was the first girl I ever got. I tried to keep it away from them, but they just kept swimming over to it. And then she just....... got sucked in. I killed her. I've had her for 8 or 9 months. I should have fed them first to get them out of the way or something. I should have done something. It's one thing to loose a betta to a disease, but it's something else when you kill one yourself. I felt horrible. It felt like I just lost a family dog or something. My wife thought I was a little nuts as she watched me sit on the floor and cry over a fish but she doesn't understand. She was my little girl. The image will haunt me for months.

I am so sorry little girl!! I hope you can forgive me.

 

[BrookeLea]

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. I know how badly you feel, but just remember that you didn't do it on purpose. RIP little girl.

 

[sunflower]

Awwww that's so sad

*hugs*

 

[Cat]

Whenever I hoover the tank,all the fish stay away accept my betta it follows it around i have to keep moving it with my hand.

I get worried about sucking him up to.

Sorry about your fish

 

[OrkyBetta]

Thats a shame about your fish.

When my stupid dog killed my baby chick on thursday I curled up like a two year old on the floor and sobbed, holding the limp little body. You aren't nuts. Just the fact that you care so much about the little girl is enough to prove it wasn't on purpose. Just like how I didn't mean to leave the door to my room open, you had no idea your fish would actually get sucked up the syphon.

 

[BettaMomma]

Hi there - I'm sorry to hear your story.
The same EXACT thing happened to me, except I was lucky - Daisy was in the syphon, but luckily she was swimming her heart out to get back out. Luckily I noticed her in there immediately and lifted it out of the water. She was okay, but pretty traumatized. Female bettas are REALLY curious and nosey and all of mine nearly get sucked up every time I vacuum their tank.

You had no way of knowing that would happen - it was just a fluke thing. I'm really sorry for your loss - keep your chin up, at least you gave her a fabulous life, and she could have wound up going to someone who didn't take care of her and led a horrible life. I'm sure that, given the choice, she'd have much rather come to live with you even knowing what the outcome would be.

Hang in there.

 

[AlexsDaddy]

Thanks everybody. I'm feeling better today and trying not to think about it too much. I just have to get up the gumption to finish cleaning my girls tank. I only got about a quarter of it done when it happened. I'm scared to now.

 

[BettaMomma]

You could put them all into a breeder net while you clean it.
That's what I do now, or I put them all into a bucket. They swim right into the net to get into the bucket now, because I give them treats when they get in there.

 

[Annastasia]

So sorry to hear about that.

little girl.

 

[Styx]

Awwww. *hugs* I know just how you feel. Happened to one of my fry.

 

[wuvmybetta]

I'm sorry, AD. I've done it before to one of my girl juvies, she was stuck in the hole for some time (minutes) before I noticed. The second half of her was beet red from the suction, but she survived. Ever since then I have quickly skimmed the bottom and then I take a small piece of clean poly-fil pillow fluff and I slip it in the syphon cylinder and leave it to drain the rest out. This protects them from the dreaded suction hole, you may want to try that.

 

[Bettaman]

if you hold the syphontube between your thumb and first finger you can plce the first finger over the tube and control what you sucking up thsi prevent any accidents including fry......

 

[AlexsDaddy]

Bettaman, execellent idea. I'll have to try that tonight when I clean the tank again. Thanks!

 

[daudy_dojo]

i lost a cory to it! he was sick and i wasnt paying attention and PLOOM up he went... i felt like crap i wanted to kill my self but i just apologized to his little buddy and went and bought him a new friend.... what made me feel worst is my albino cory (the one i sucked up) was swimming with my panda they were male and female i felt bad i killed brutus' wife i know you really cant do that with fish but they had been together for a long LONG time!

 

[Allie]

So sorry about your betta AD

It was an accident, so don't beat yourself up over it. You gave her a good life.