I lost Fiero :-(

[nj2tou]

I'm so sad. I thought I did everything right. I researched like crazy, made sure I had a nice big tank, made sure the water quality was as close to perfect as I could get it, got the best food I could find, test kits, everything.

I know he had the ich from the pet shop, as it showed up the day after I got him. Just a couple of very tiny spots on his tail fins. So I researched again and it seemed salt and a raised temperature was the way to go. I didn't want to mess with chemicals.

He was fine yesterday morning, swimming around his tank, flaring at his reflection, even though I noticed a slight bulge around his lower back end. Constipation?

I bought some peas on the way home, but when I got there, the bulge seemed to be gone, but so was his energy. I knew something was wrong. He just stayed at the top of the tank, taking a gulp of air every now and then. He even let me touch him and came towards my finger when I put it near the water surface.

Was the salt too much for him?? He didn't seem to be breathing hard, he just gulped air a fair bit. Did I accidentally get something in the water before I left for work? I wish I knew what I did wrong. I only had him since saturday.

He was a beautiful red spade or pin tail. I didn't even get a chance to take a picture of him. He was floating vertically with all the beautiful color blanched out of his body, but still in his perfectly shaped fins. sigh...

Well, I'm going to clean out his tank and then wait a couple of weeks before I try again. I'm going away for a week and don't want to have to worry that my old aunt downstairs will be able to handle taking care of a new one while I'm gone. Especially if it's going to be hot.

I'm off to have my coffee and a good cry.

[abm]

I'm sorry you lost him just when you were getting to know each other .

Without a bit more detail it's hard to know what might have been the problem. Heating the tank too rapidly can be dangerous, and I'm not sure about the salt concentration - usually high concentrations are used briefly as salt baths then the fish is replaced into his regular water.
Also remember, Fiero was ill before you got him...it's possible that you could have nursed him back to health, but don't beat yourself up that you "killed him"...poor conditions in the pet store and earlier in his life most likely caused his illness . It's probably not much comfort, but try to remember that you at least made his last days and hours comfortable for him
Good luck with your next adoption

[Rachel]

He sounds like he was a lovely betta. That's great that you did your homework ahead of time to make sure he would be taken care of properly. I don't think it was anything you necessarily did...unfortunately the fish was already sick when you got him. Since you don't know how long he was ill or what conditions he had been living in, it would be tough to bring him back to health. That's the problem with buying fish from pet stores these days - they're often already sick or have been living in less than ideal conditions which shorten their life span before you even bring them home.

nj2tou said:

He was fine yesterday morning, swimming around his tank, flaring at his reflection, even though I noticed a slight bulge around his lower back end. Constipation?

Just for reference, I saw you mentioned this in a few places. It's probably just the fish's swim bladder and nothing to worry about. It slightly sticks out towards the rear of the body more distinctly in some fish. Betta anatomy from bubblenest.net: .

[nj2tou]

Thanks so much for the kind words. I'm getting teary again just thinking about him. He was such a sweet fish. And especially thanks for the illustration - that's exactly where he was bloated a bit, in his swim bladder.

I still feel I might have somehow either gotten something into his water or that the salt was maybe too strong, although I used the dosage I read in several sites, not just one. I also don't think I raised the temp too fast - the light on the tank did it even though it's flourescent and not supposed to be hot like incandecent. He seemed just fine when I brought him home and even with the couple of little specks that developed, he was all over the tank and eating just fine until I came home last night.

Maybe I'll just use the ich meds next time - IF one should develop it. I sure hope I don't have to deal with it again, that's for sure!

[abm]

I think the main problem was that he was sick before you got him You did your research before you got him, so you'll be that much better prepared the next time you bring a betta friend home