oh, no, I killed my son's fish!

[heymom1]

I can't believe I did this...Yesterday my son scooped his betta Jeff out of his tank to check his gills...since he was out of his tank already I decided to change out the water. I cleaned the tank, added the water, floated the cup and later, let Jeff back into his tank. Guess which step I forgot? Yes, the dechlorinator. I didn't realize it until we found him dead this morning, and then I realized what had happened. I don't even think he was sick. So there was no need to take him out of his tank in the first place.

Talk about guilty! I didn't tell my son that I had killed his fish by chlorine...I feel like a murderer today. I'm sorry for bringing it here but I had to talk to someone about it...my son thinks Jeff just died suddenly. You don't think they feel pain, do you???

Now we have 0 bettas left, they have all passed on. We have one african dwarf frog. I don't know if we will start over with the fish, because we may end up traveling a lot in summer of '05. So it's doubly sad to have no one to watch and love.

Thanks for being here all the way through...gosh I feel like crap!

[abm]

Heymom,

I'm so sorry . I know how guilty you feel - but can chlorine kill that quickly? I've read of bettas being kept in chlorinated water literally for weeks while their new owners tried to figure out what was wrong....
I would not elaborate with your son. You may never know for sure if it was your fault. And it's fine to come here to talk about it - that's what we're here for.

~abm

[amanichen]

but can chlorine kill that quickly?

Labyrinth fish last slightly longer in chlorinated water than those that aren't able to breathe from the air. Yes, chlorine (and chloramine) do kill fairly quickly.

I've read of bettas being kept in chlorinated water literally for weeks while their new owners tried to figure out what was wrong....

There's more than one thing going on in these situations. First, if it is chlorine (and not chloramine) in the tap water, then it will outgas, and will usually be safe after a day or two. Some people's municipal water supplies have more chlorine than others. The size of the water change done also matters. A third thing to take into consideration is any residual water conditioner in the water. Seeing as how many people typically OD everything they stick into a fish tank, chances are there's still extra conditioner floating around and can make the water just safe enough for the fish (and by this I mean won't kill it within 24 hours.)

[Cheart99]

How is your son Jeff doing with the passing of his fish?