Ugh...When it Rains

[Mina]

I just lost three of my baby-girls, including 'Big Mama' my first love, as well as my ADF and two cories. Somehow the heater went loco and popped the temperature up insanely. (Dipstick hubby was playing with the thermometer the other day and broke it) I did everything I could, but I don't think my cambodian is going to make it either, my cellophane and blue girl are doing ok though. I don't know what to do, first Spangle and now this wave of death. David and I just sat and cried for a long time, he loved those little girls so much and always snuck in an extra bloodworm or three...

I broke the heater when I yanked it out of the tank in my frantic attempts to make things better. Began tossing in icecubes and floating frozen vegetable bags, dumped in more stress coat than I knew was left in that little bottle. They had just beem moved to a 30 gallon and the heater went nuts...I can't figure it out.

I just...I don't think I have the heart to get any more fish, it just hurts too much to see them go because of something stupid...I don't know what I should do, those fish were all I had to keep me company during the days and now I feel like I betrayed them... I feel like, maybe I don't deserve to take care of them.

What do I do?

 

[SPLiSH]

I'm so sorry to hear about your losses.

Don't blame yourself, it was out of your control and you did everything you could. I know I can't make descisions for you but you should get more bettas if you want to.

You obviously adore these fish, and know a ton about them. Don't let all that go to waste, get some more babies. If you're worried about heater skitz-outs again, maybe just keep them in a warm room or use those reptile heating pads or something.

Hugs to you and your fishies. x

 

[Lady]

Mina sorry to hear about your losses I lost one today too!

 

[Mina]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss as well.

I think that maybe I'll just stick with the bettas I have left and not get new little loves to replace them...I think I can live with 9 males and 4 females. I know, it seems like I have so many to be so devestated over this but...honestly, if it came down to a 'the pets or me' fight with David, my pets would win in a heartbeat. Well, now the girls have been moved into my spare 15 gallon and I now have an empty 30 tank with a pleco and roughly 20 guppy fry (Yeah, those monsters squirted out more babies just a bit ago...not sure which one was the mommy yet...) I don't know what to turn it into...maybe thinking about chiclid, loved them when I was little, but those need really big tanks don't they? Gehhh...

 

[SPLiSH]

Well, now the girls have been moved into my spare 15 gallon and I now have an empty 30 tank with a pleco and roughly 20 guppy fry (Yeah, those monsters squirted out more babies just a bit ago...not sure which one was the mommy yet...) I don't know what to turn it into...maybe thinking about chiclid, loved them when I was little, but those need really big tanks don't they? Gehhh...

[snapback]904792[/snapback]​

Not all of them... there are various small cichlids like rams, kribs etc. that would be in heaven in a 30. Convict cichlids would be a fun breeding project if you're willing to devote the tank to them... they're incredibly easy to spawn and are great little fish.

 

[xxSarahxx]

I am so sorry. It's horrible losing fish and they are like family so it is so heartbreaking, especially when it is so sudden and so many at once. I think it would be a shame to the fishworld if you didn't buy any more fish and there are a lot of fish that wouldn't have happy lives with you that might bet stuck somewhere else with a carer that is much less loving. Don't give up on them just yet.

 

[con771]

Also very sorry to hear about your loss

 

[RandomWiktor]

I understand exactly how you feel. Last year, I did a betta "hospice" program, where I would buy severely ill bettas (I mean covered in fungus, septicemia, hemmoraging from gills, you name it) and give them a stress-free environment to pass on in (then, get refunded so the stores don't make money for their bad husbandry). However, a few of them improved enough with treatment to have happy, but short, lives with me. Once, I had a boy I brought in who had dropsy, and was in absolutely horrible shape, but somehow he was recovering from even that. Then one morning, I woke up... and he was gone. I looked all over, just to find out that he'd wriggled out of a tiny hole in the corner of the lid, and was dried up and dead on the floor/wall. I couldn't bear to do any more betta hospice, or even buy a betta as a pet after that. I felt like the worst pet owner in the world for not realizing he could have escaped. So I can absolutely sympathize with how completely awful it feels to have some freak accident occur, especially when you love your animals, and blame it on yourself.
I just want you to know that if you need to take a break from fish husbandy, do it; when your animals become too much of an emotional challenge, it can ruin the fun of pet ownership, and if you are like me, you'll end up being absolutely devastated every time one even gets sick, because you'll be wondering what you could have/should have "done better." I took a break from getting any new bettas for about 7 months. Just taking care of my remaining boys and girls the best I could gave me time to calm down and accept the losses earlier in the year. Then, two days ago, I found a boy whose face just sang to me, and finally got a new betta. I'm enjoying him very much, but am also glad I waited before getting him; his first two days were very rough, and if I was still in my previous emotional state, I probably wouldn't have dealt with it properly.
Very, very sorry to hear about your losses; I hope the remaining girls survive, and you feel better as time goes on.

 

[Mina]

Well, guess what pretty sight I was greeted with this morning?

Well today is water change day. I was working on my 10 gallon, vacuming the bottom and trying not to suck up fry. Emmy (my kitten) was over visiting 'her betta', she just sat and watched him for hours and from what I can tell he adored her. Suddenly she started mewing and batting at the lid. I hadn't looked at the tank because water change days are always fasting days and I hadn't gotten around to the betta tanks yet. I eventually had to push her off the desk to get her out of my way, but she jumped up again and resumed...her betta-bubba died. It's just so frustrating, somebody has died every day this week; Sunday, Monday and now Tuesday...It's so frustrating because they are all in seperate tanks and I use different nets for each tank, routine followed exactly as always.

Now Emmy is looking listless, I have half filled buckets around the room, I am covered in dirty water and fish flakes that I spilled, and I am hormonal from the baby...

I have decided that this is all David's fault, just because I want to have something to blame.

Point of Story: Mina is having a bad week with her fishies...

 

[Naughtygirlrlw]

Oh Mina, how horrible for you! This must seem like the week from hell
I am so sorry for all of your losses and I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[Mina]

Thank you so much for that, I really do appreciate it. And yes, it feels like the Devil himself coughed up this week and said 'Hey...lets watch Mina cry a whole bunch! That sounds like fun!' *sigh*

 

[wuvmybetta]

awwww,Mina, I'm sorry to hear you've had such a bad week.
Do you keep heaters in all of your tanks? I only ask because I know you're in Texas,too. Right now none of my tanks have heaters, and only a couple do in the winter. I don't think they're necessary here and it seems they do more harm than good.

 

[riogal_11]

Sorry for all of your losses. I know how terrible it is to just lose one, I can't imagine losing this many in such a short period of time!

 

[Mina]

No, I just kept the heater in that one tank because I have to keep it right below the big A/C vent in the den and it gets very chilly there. Everyone else has stable temperatures though so I let them be and they don't get cold in the winter because I like keeping my house at 75 F year round. My boys (Spangle and Bubba) both died because they were geezers...I think they were at least 3 years when I got them and they lived another 9 months so...They had a good splash, but it's still depressing. (I think they came from the same spawn, they looked alike and were from the same store and then the same person.)

I just need a hug right now.

 

[Booboo puppy]

((((hug)))) Sorry for your losses