quite a sensitive subject...

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jenny cookie

I am supreme in my OWN BACK YARD!
Oct 14, 2004
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Alberta, Canada
Okay, my boyfriend and I were just discussing the death of my betta of 2 years. He laughed because when it happened, I called him from another room, while i was holding my tank, yelling at sonic to wake up. Then i came to realise that he was in fact dead, and then my boyfriend fishes him out with the net, takes him to the bathroom and flushes (all the while im about 10 steps behind him bawling my eyes out). Maybe I am a little bit of a drama queen, but it is truly heartbreaking to see them just lifeless. I was just wondering if I am a super-wuss, or does anyone else love their fish that much? FTR... I don't cry over every single one, but ones that i have had for a few years, I can't stand to flush them.

PS any stories would be great because then i could just tell him "once I heard that someone..." and so on to "ITS JUST NOT ME THAT LIKES FISH" :sad
 

chunksofpoooo

sloth loves chunk
Sep 16, 2004
346
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Los Angeles, California
well.....being a dude i have to say right off the bat, give your boyfriend a break :)p).

with that out of the way i can safely say you're not alone. Plenty of people develope strong attachments to their pets, no need to feel bad about it. On the other hand there are plenty of people who dont understand that attachment and will find it rather odd, if not funny (cough...your bf). If flushing your fish is a bit harsh, consider making a makeshift headstone and burying it. That might sound stupid, but the effort that you put into it generally helps (or it did w/ my sister when i suggested the same).
 

SubH8U

AC Members
Nov 7, 2004
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N.S.W Australia
Worst case

Its worse when they have somthing wrong and its very visible

one of my groumies had pop eye or a becteral infection in its eye and i couldn't affored the meds

it was very visible and he was swaying and lieing on his side barely breathing.

Poor lil guy RIP
"All drains lead to the ocean" even thought this was a freesh water fish i beleave he is in a much better tank becasue in fishy heaven they would never skimp on heating or filtration...... or lighting for that matter.

he died in 72 hours aprox and i only left the Q tank for coffie a few times
needless to say i am now stocked with most meds

SubH8U
 

Blinky

Gone
Jun 22, 2004
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Toronto, Canada
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When I was sixteen I had an oscar. I named him, took the best care of him I could - I loved that fish a lot. I kept him in a 35g, not knowing it wasn't enough room, but I did my best for him with the knowledge I had at the time. I remember digging in the backyard for worms to feed him, chasing crickets around, trying to catch minnows in the creek for him...
One day he got sick, and nothing I did helped. When he died my parents realised how heartbroken I was, and they went with me to a nice spot on our farm where we buried Julius under a tree near a stream.
It's okay to love your fish, even if everyone out there doesn't get it.
 

Leopardess

Everything's eventual.
Aug 13, 2003
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Yep. I miss my betta who died in January. And yes, there were tears. Bettas have such a little "person"ality.

I don't flush them though, and I find it helps. Just go out and bury them.

Sorry about your fishie:(
 

Ishin

AC Members
Nov 14, 2004
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funny how as i have gotten older i get upset over something like a fish dying, guess its cause i feel so helpless, and not knowing what to do when they die. glad to see others feel the same way, i am glad i found this forum, thxs to whoever creeated it and pays for it.
 

Bryanfykes

AC Members
Nov 6, 2004
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Fruitland, MD
Okay, so I'm a dude, and i cry. call me a wuss, but i love all of my pets, no matter what size or shape they come in. 2 recent events come to mind.

First the happy story:
Last week my wife was getting ready for work (4:30 am! geesh!) and she noticed something brown on the rug in my office. thinking that the dog had pooped in the carpet she walked in and turned on the light. she screamed loud enough to wake me upstairs. i ran downstairs (thinking rightly that something was really wrong, i was right). Lying on the floor was our Pl*co, which we have had for 4 years. Angie was crying and yelling "is he okay?" over and over. he was till a little damp, so i picked him up and rinsed him off in a bowl of tank water (i have no "Q" tank... well i do now!) i placed him back in the tank... and floated head down in the middle of the tank. my wife began to cry hysterically,and i teared up. all of a sudden, he righted himself and slowly swam to his normal hiding place. we both let out a sigh and really started crying! he jumped out probably because of lack of oxygen, i had WAY too many fish in a 10 gal and my wife was going to buy me a bigger tank for Christmas. We promptly went out and bought it early. the Pl*co now has a new name; Harry Houdini!!!

Now the sad stuff..

I had a snail i picked up at walmart (bought at the same time as harry the Pl*co) when i was first starting out in the hobby. no matter what things i did wrong to the tank (and god knows i went thru enough neon tetras) Wong foo (funny name, i know, he was a hermaphroditic snail.. i never found out wht kind he was) never seemed to mind my abuse. I had that snail for almost 4 years, and through him, my wife also learned a love of our wet friends. being a herm, he of course spawned babies, (thousands it seems... none of my friends are without one of his kids!)
Well he died this summer, and as i buried him under the cherry tree in the back yard, my wife and i looked at one another and asked each other if it was silly to cry over a stupid old slimy snail. it isnt silly, it shows that that creature meant a lot to you, and in turn you had to have meant a lot to it. maybe not in the same way, but love isint always cerebral, care=love. Fourtunatly, we have all of wong foo's babies to remind us of him/her.

I gotta go. im getting misty, seriously.

Bryan :sad
 

Swimfins

This is as good as it gets.
A moment of silence for those we loved.

I love my dojo loaches, and watch them winding themselves around each other and chasing each other through the 'woods'. They are always together. I have no idea if they are male and female. But, there is clearly a bond between them.

I would have some emotion at the death of any of my fish. And if itwas because of something I did to cause ignorance/neglect I'd feel worse.

Yes I'd cry...ok there I said it.
 
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