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Post by siobhan on Mar 11, 2015 10:54:12 GMT -5
My older betta died on Monday. He ate a good breakfast and was swimming around in perfect health when I left for work but was dead on the bottom when I came home. No visible symptoms. And his tank mates are all in perfect health. I went to a fish forum to see if anyone had any clues about what could have happened, though with bettas, you buy them at Walmart or pet shops and God knows how long they've been there, whether they've been fed, how they've been treated. They keep them in those little cups and they don't have heat and get jounced around. Opie was with us for close to a year. Anyway, I described his appearance both before and after death on this forum and of course, there's always somebody who says "It's all YOUR fault, you did everything wrong and now he's dead." Hammering me about testing the water and how it was dropsy (it wasn't) which is due to nasty water (which is clean and clear and changed weekly) and essentially accusing me of killing my fish with neglect and my own stupidity. I've had two die of dropsy. Both were recent acquisitions from Petsmart and yes, that's caused by bacteria, but they didn't get it at my house; they had it when I brought them home and it just hadn't manifested yet. It can take weeks to show up. Opie did not have symptoms of dropsy and I have seen it firsthand so I know what it looks like. He had been hiding out for a couple of days but came out to eat and chase the other fish a couple of times a day, too. At least it seems to have been quick and I hope he didn't suffer. So once again, instead of being helpful over there on that forum, they chase people away with rude and nasty behavior. In future, I shall get my advice from elsewhere.
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Post by easttex on Mar 11, 2015 17:36:24 GMT -5
I'm sorry about Opie. You've had some tough times lately. I don't know why so many people are like that on public forums. They must be little people who get some smug satisfaction out of feeling superior in anonymity. I think I've mentioned my rather low opinion of the human race elsewhere, animal lovers excluded, of course.  |
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Post by cnyguy on Mar 11, 2015 20:03:52 GMT -5
Sorry about Opie. You gave him a good home for the year or so he was with you. I can't imagine that you could have done anything wrong in taking care of him, contrary to what those forum fools had to say. I belong to some forums related to other interests I have, and there are too many nasty and sarcastic people on them, along with the resident know-it-alls. The QP Forum deserves some sort of recognition for being free of such sorry individuals. The two other parrot forums I belong to are nearly as good as this one, so maybe it's just that parrot people are typically kinder and more willing and able to offer constructive suggestions instead of baseless criticism. |
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Post by Jan and Shah on Mar 11, 2015 21:21:44 GMT -5
I am so sorry to hear about Opie. As you say, you dont know how long he has been at Walmart so it may have just been old age that killed him. You gave him a great life that he would not have otherwise had so dont listen to the negative stuff other people say.
I only belong to this forum - have heard too many negative things about forums in general and can do without it.
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Post by siobhan on Mar 11, 2015 22:44:25 GMT -5
The fact that the other fish in that tank are perfectly fine confirms my opinion that he just died of natural causes. Poor little bettas have a very rough time between birth and finding a home, and a lot of them have it pretty rough even after they find a home. People think they can live in tiny containers with no heat or light or filter. I've seen them kept in VASES, for crying out loud. I told that person to get hers another container, and why. But kindly, not snarling. People on this fish forum regularly "fast" their fish. Two or three days a week! Freckles may not get breakfast in the morning because I accidentally gave him too much food for supper and he still has some left and though his snail and his ghost shrimp ate some of it, there's still a few pellets in his tank and he can eat those for breakfast. But I wouldn't dream of not feeding him if he didn't have some left over.
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Post by biteybird on Mar 12, 2015 5:52:13 GMT -5
Even though I know nothing about fish, I know something about you, Siobhan. Those negative, controlling, fish forum people should be ashamed of themselves for trying to point the finger of blame. You look after all your companions meticulously. I am like Jan, this is the only forum of which I'm a member. I don't do social media because it seems to attract certain types of personalities.
I am truly sorry you lost Opie.
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Post by aaron on Mar 12, 2015 8:51:20 GMT -5
Really sorry to hear about Opie. Those fish forums are scary to me for that very reason. I read them sometimes, but I know they would probably tear me apart if they knew my fish situation, which isn't that bad but it's not ideal. Those people rip you a new one when you aren't treating your fish perfectly. This is not to say that their complaints toward you are even legitimate in any way, I'm just commenting on the frequency that I see people get accosted on fish forums.
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Post by siobhan on Mar 12, 2015 11:55:38 GMT -5
Thanks, all. It doesn't seem productive to me, when those nasty folks know you're already upset at having lost a fish, that they would then pile on and accuse you of being a bad keeper on top of it. I know I did my best by Opie and no, I don't test the water constantly. I go by the same signs I watch for in the birds: appearance, behavior, poop and appetite. I know what's normal even in the snails and notice if something's "off" and since nothing was off with Opie other than the hiding -- which for him was actually normal, he often took spells of anti-social hiding out except at meal time even when he was alone in that tank -- I had no idea anything was wrong. The wizards continue to be healthy and happy and frenetic, which is normal for them, and were very busy chasing each other around the tank when I left for work, after a hearty breakfast which disappeared between the time I gave it to them and the time I came back after feeding the Horde. Freckles popped out of his pineapple cave when I turned on his light and went straight for the leftover food from last night, which was on his tank floor, so I didn't give him breakfast. He can only eat two or three pellets at a time and he had about six or seven left, even after the ghost shrimp spent all evening trying to clean up. They can only eat a little at a time, too.
I spend too much time on Facebook, but a while back I decided I wasn't going to put up with annoyances there, either, and started deleting people if they annoyed me. Forums and FB are supposed to be fun or at least not add to the stress, after all. This forum IS fun and informative and I don't know why they can't all be like this one.
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Post by aaron on Mar 12, 2015 14:12:03 GMT -5
I know that preventable water quality problems cause the vast majority of deaths in fish tanks, and that there is a great deal of ignorance in fish owners when it comes to water quality requirements, including myself for a long time, and I've killed a ton of fish that way. So all of these fish forum people are perpetually angry about it, because they see it as people basically killing/torturing their pets because they don't know what they are doing and haven't bothered to learn. But like you said, it isn't productive to attack people about it the way that they do... especially if these frustrations aren't even really applicable, like in your case. And it certainly isn't going to help or motivate anyone to be called a "bad keeper". This forum is definitely an unusual one in this regard. It takes a pretty mature and level-headed person to be a decent bird owner, so that probably helps. I'm pretty tired of internet forums in large part. I actually co-founded, developed and managed a social network many years back (before Facebook got popular-- it's still up but basically not in use any more- www.cybersocieties.com ) -- but at one point we had 20,000+ users and got hundreds of thousands of hits a day... The various forms of maintenance of that site totally took over my life.. It was enough internet forum-like interaction for a lifetime. People are emboldened by the anonymity of the internet and often that results in the worst, most indignant aspects of their personalities being most prominent in the way they present themselves. |
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Post by Jan and Shah on Mar 12, 2015 15:31:43 GMT -5
Biteybird is right - we all know you and what you do for your animals. Stay off the forums and just google information if you need it. You dont need that rubbish in your life. You do a wonderful job with all the animals in your care. Dont be put off by such ignorant people. Their negativity serves no useful purpose - you go to them for help and advice and you get slammed for it - what is the point? What IS the point?
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Post by siobhan on Mar 12, 2015 16:10:39 GMT -5
LOL. That's what Jade would undoubtedly say.
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RIP Opie
Mar 21, 2015 18:39:08 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by rickygonzalez on Mar 21, 2015 18:39:08 GMT -5
For what it's worth, I bred bettas for several years. They are funny, they sometimes just die with no warning. Most times fish from an lps are old. All you can do is give them the best care you can, which it sounds like you did. So, don't beat yourself up over it. As long as you know you did all you could. If you have any questions in the future I would be happy to help just let me know. I have kept fish for over 25 years. Fresh water mostly. Just ask. Have a great day.
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Post by siobhan on Mar 21, 2015 19:27:23 GMT -5
I went to get Freckles a new tank today since Petsmart had 5-gallon kits on sale, and I moved him, his snails and the ghost shrimp into the new tank. When the clerk was helping me get the new tank, we were standing next to the bettas discussing which color of gravel I should buy and ... there were the female bettas, who aren't as spectacular as the males and not likely to get chosen with their more gorgeous brothers right next to them, and the clerk said "You know, you're going to have an empty tank ..." so the upshot is, I brought one home. She took Freckles' small tank since she's a little thing and it's plenty of space for her, and Freckles and the gang moved into the new bigger tank. I think everyone is happy and she's a lively little thing, very curious and energetic. She had to be wedged onto a shelf because I didn't have any space for yet another tank, but she has a light and heater and filter and a Cinderella castle, so I think she'll be okay. Every time I lose a betta, I swear I'm giving up on them and will stick to hardier fish, but I can't resist them in those tiny cups and when I have an empty tank and see them all on those shelves, I end up bringing somebody home.
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Post by biteybird on Mar 21, 2015 20:02:38 GMT -5
Maybe you could have your own fish store...but the resulting buy-up of land and spacious fish tanks would probably break the bank!  It's great that you got another betta. Now we need to think of a name for her! |
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Post by siobhan on Mar 21, 2015 20:46:56 GMT -5
I watched her for a while and came up with Belle, from Beauty and the Beast. She's a sort of royal blue and her color made me think of Belle. She has Ellie's Cinderella castle in her tank and since I already used Cinderella for Ellie, I thought another Disney princess name would be appropriate. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney princess film, so Belle seemed appropriate. Poor little Ellie didn't live very long, and I hadn't had the grit to get another female betta until now. But then, I've learned a lot about betta keeping since I had Ellie and I hope Belle will benefit from that.
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It's great that you got another betta. Now we need to think of a name for her!