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I don't have a picture of Blue Boy or Nemo available, but they were both a beautiful blue color. I had never owned a beta before, but I had always found them lovely to look at. I saw a home improvement show where they showed how to make a hanging aquatic plant and put a beta inside. I was really into growing plants in water so I decided to buy one and give it a try. I had seen a guy at work, who had a red one in a large vase with plants at his desk, so I found a similar vase and proceded to bring my new friend Nemo to work. Technically we were not supposed to have living pets at our desk, so I creatively hid him behind other plants I had at my desk. All of my co-workers knew of his presence and would come by periodically to visit. I even had a couple who would feed him if I was to be gone for a few days or a week.

Meanwhile, I decided to purchase another one to keep at home. This one I named Blue Boy and my 3 cats found him very entertaining to say the least. Blue Boy was like a cat in one particular way. He had more than the expected 1 life of a fish. Not content to have him on the windowsill above the kitchen sink, where I only got to see him when I was cooking, I moved him into the living room to a table set against a wall. The vase, when filled with water was substantially heavy and I didn't believe the cats would be able to move it. I was wrong. One night, while in bed, I heard a thud and upon entering the living room, I found the table knocked over and his vase lying on it's side, water soaking into the carpet with him lying on the wet carpet. I immediately scooped him up into my hands and deposited him back into what was left of the water in his vase. It took him about 36 hours and he was back to his normal self. Now he was living on life number 2.

I have forgotten exactly how much time passed, but it was significant and I came home one day from work, walked into the kitchen as I always did to feed him. Walking up to the kitchen counter, where I had again placed him after the previous incident, I looked in his vase and didn't see him. Now we all know how the shape of a vase can cause a fish to appear gone and I proceded to turn the vase around in search of him. When that did not make him appear, I pulled the vase down from the sill and placing it on the counter, proceded to look down into the water. Still no Blue Boy could be seen. I began taking out the plants in order to see more clearly. I had never turned on the kitchen light, so I was going by the light coming in through the kitchen window over the sink. While I was standing at the counter, I happened to glance down onto the floor and much to my surprise, saw something. Bending down, I discovered Blue, lying on the kitchen tile. I had no idea how long he had been there like that, but considering none of the cats was nearby, I assumed it had been a recent occurance. Once again, I scooped him up and plopped him back into his vase. Much to my surprise, he was not dead, though I didn't hold out much hope for his survival. He didn't seem to want to eat and over the next 2 days, he was lethargic and non-responsive to me. Never-the-less, he did survive and was back to his old self. Now he was living on life number 3.

Meanwhile, back at work I had been on vacation for a few days and when I returned, it was to find Nemo lifelessly floating around in his vase. No life left in him at all, he received a burial at sea, courtesy of the ladies bathroom. Everyone was in mourning and encouraged me to get another one to take his place. I decided however, to bring Blue Boy to work instead. He fit in with his new surroundings quite well, despite being discovered by my boss, who wasted no time in telling me I would have to remove him from my workspace. I just camoflouged Blue better and he never noticed him again. We eventually moved to another state and Blue had to endure a 5 hour car ride in his vase. I carefully covered it with cellophane and put a rubber band around it to keep the water from sloshing over the side. However, his time was running out and within a year of moving to our new house, he was showing signs of fin rot. I didn't know it was fin rot at the time, I only knew his tail fin was slowly disappearing. I could see little white spots on it, but had no idea what it was. I did some research into beta diseases and tried a few treatments, but it was not to be. He eventually passed away and we said goodbye to Blue Boy. He had lived for a good 5 years; longer than most betas are known to live.

Not content to live without a beta in a vase, I searched around to find a store nearby that sold them. Much to my surprise, there were none. I had to drive 45 minutes, through 2 states to find a store that sold them. That is how I became the proud owner of my 3rd beta, Rufus, who can be seen in the introduction thread.

Rest in Peace Nemo and Blue Boy. You will not be forgotten.

Alpha was my very first betta fish. Well, actually, he was my second betta fish, but the other one really doesn't count. He was a beautiful veiltail betta, I think you would classify him as a butterfly betta because his body and a small part of his fins were red and the rest of his fins were cellophane. I remember how I put him in a large tupperware with a banana plant for a while because I had no place to put him before I got a one gallon Kritter Keeper. Blue was a blue (duh) combtail that I brought home a few months after Alpha. Later I bought two 2.5 gallons (one of which I still have) for them. They were thrilled with the space and the live plants.

About a year after I got those two I decided to buy a female, a red cambodian. She had very odd looking eyes that made her look either angry or sleepy. She really freaked my sister out because she said she looked so pissed off. I called her Moony because the Pokemon Metapod has eyes just like hers and the Pokemon is shaped like a crescent moon. Very convoluted, I know.

It shames me to admit that I got very lax in taking care of my fish. crying Alpha was alright and healthy, but when I took a good look at Blue I was horrified. It was grey and so thin I could see its fishy bones. I moved it to a hospital tank of sorts and gave it medicine but it never healed and for a month it was suffering before finally its pains were eased with eternal sleep.

A few weeks pass and my uncle's mother said she wanted a betta fish. I knew I had Alpha so I suggested that I bring it to her and she could have it. But that very day when I got home, my little Alpha had died. I was shocked. It was in great health and I had had it for nearly two years. I went and bought a fully red combtail for my uncle's mother and put it in Alpha's tank (having cleaned it, of course). Even in the toilet, he still looked every inch as beautiful as he had the day that I bought him.

About a week later I had bought a ten gallon and Patriot, Cherry, and Chartreuse. I wanted to have them and Moony together in a sorority tank, and for a week everything went great. But then one day I came around and found Moony floundering around weakly at the bottom of the tank. Her fins were torn apart. Hastily I filled her old gallon bowl and treated it, but I think I must have put her in too quickly because in a few minutes she was dead. I felt horrible. It was all my fault that she had died, and I could have saved her had I not been so careless.

So in a month all three of my lovely little fishie friends had passed away. I never realized how much I took them for granted before...they were dead. cry


ISF

crying So dropsy finally got him? /mourn
I hate flushing my fish. It seems so... undignified.

Hopefully your luck will change soon smile

R.I.P.
Kisame
June 23 '08 - June 30 '08

I got him last Monday. He never really was well, never ate (not even once), got increasingly pale. I think he's been sick since I got him (even at the store he wasn't as fiesty as I've now seen they're supposed to be). Bought on a Monday, he died on a Monday one week later. About 12 hours ago I found him dead. And even though I didn't know him long, and sort of thought he'd die pretty soon anyways, it's still sad.

Today I got another. He looks much healthier, and he eats. He's Kisame II. Because Kisame wasn't aroudn as long as I wished... and I can't resist those pale blue betta fish.

RIP Myrrdin and Ikaiki, my first two boys.
They made it for three years in small, unheated bowls on the shelf back when I was a total betta n00b, and lived their last months in much bigger bowls in a warmer area of the house.

Myrrdin died first, the signs of it had been coming for about a week... and then, the very next morning Ikaiki dropped. cry
There wasn't the slightest sign of ailment with him, it was almost like he wouldn't live without his sparring partner.


---

RIP my dear Sephiroth, he only lasted a few months, he was sick when I bought him, and it kept going down hill.

;-;

I wish I could've saved him...

and finally, rest in peace Bleu, who spent her days in the big joint tank. It's a little lonelier now without her zipping around.

I meant to come here and post this sooner but....

crying

I've been abit too heartbroken since last week when he started going down hill.






R.I.P. Jizabel. I'll miss coming downstairs to feed you in the morning, and finding you curled up in your little flower.

I'll miss the way you zipped around the tank whenever I came close.

And I'll miss the purple glow under your little scales when the light hit you just right.

I hate to say I picked a favorite.... but you were it. cry

Sunday I noticed my dear betta Mesarthim(Mes for short) was not looking well.I talked to people on tetra forums and posted pics,they said it appeared he had dropsy.So I went to petstore and got meds.I did what they told me to try to save him but sadly Monday evening he passed away.I buried him in front garden next to my other betta TheViper(passed July 31st 200 cool .In his cup from store filled with water from tank,with some gravel and flakes so he is set for the afterlife.

Mesarthim was bought for me by a friend on August 2nd 2008 to try to cheer me after TheViper passed. No fish could replace either.They were my dear little boys and I will miss them both. Mesarthim is named after star in Aries constellation

TheViper passed suddenly.I put him in small bowl filled with water while cleaned his tank,as I always did.I came back to get him to put back in his tank and found he'd passed away.TheViper was named after friend's (that bought me Mes) screen name.

TheViper

Mesarthim