why im crying (non-death related (actually, it kinda is DX)
i got surgery done on my legs a couple of days ago. i don't know what it's called, but they cut my femurs(thigh bones) in half and turned them in. i got home last night. i am in terrible pain, but im not cying because of it. the night before the surgery, i convinced my mum to let me get a betta. but there's something you should know about my mum- she's horribly misguided. she got a .5 gallon tank, and refuses to get another, bigger one. i forced my self into my wheel chair and went to her room. i tried to convince her to get a bigger tank, but she had already opened the $4 tabk and was determined to use it. i then began to cry, thinking of the fact that i will be murdering a helpless fish. can anyone PLEASE help me convince her. i have an idea that i can save up the money for a few months and buy every thing i need.
I'm sorry you had to go through surgery!! Your mom should award you of how brave you've been. :')
WELL, a long finned Betta can actually live in a .5 gallon it's whole life. It's not ideal, but they survive.
Just tell her that it'll make you happy. Or tell her that the bigger the tank, the more fish you can get. Or even threaten her. :l The point is, Bettas are just like any other living animal. They need space, food, and love. If you show LOVE you need to get it a bigger tank and not make it seem miserable. Those .5 tanks are just the same as those cups they come in! >:[ She needs to understand that every animal is worth it and their life does matter.
I'm sorry, hun, that things are so hard for you right now. I hope you heal up well.
From a parent's perspective, if that was my little girl in wheelchair, crying to keep her pet in good health... I would not be a hardhearted tightass about it. I am poor, and I do without things for myself when necessary to make sure my girl's pets have what they need.
BUT - taking a more politic approach, I'd like to show her all the sick betta threads here. Most sickness on it comes from people keeping their fish in small tanks and not changing the water enough to keep the fish healthy.
It's WAY more work to change water on small tank. More expensive to buy medications when they inevitably get sick.
Half a gallon is simply not enough water to keep a fish in.
I'm so sorry you had to go through that and your mom should be more compassionate. Show her the requirements, explain why the four dollar crap kit is no good and even show her alternates to official tanks. Like large clear glass jars.
Hope you feel better soon. Keep your fish in a warm room and have the water changed often. He should be fine. Maybe you could ask for something bigger for Christmas.
Tell her 'mom i can't get up every day to do the water changes, its hurts too bad, and with a tank that size i would have to, or i guess YOU would have to, thats why i need a bigger tank, so that i wont have to do water changes so often, and so my fish will have a happy life" :)
I'm so sorry you had to have surgery and I wish you a speedy recovery. If you can't convince your mom to let you have a bigger tank then you'll just need to work with what you have. A betta can live just fine in a half gallon provided that the proper amount of water changes are made.
You can get a 3-5 gallon critter keeper for really cheap money at the chain stores like Petco and Petsmart. You can put 25w submersible heaters in them with no problem. Your biggest issue right now is to keep the fish warm enough and the frequent water changes that will be needed in the .5 gal.
Omygosh...I hope you feel better soon, that is a tough surgery! I can't give any more advice for mom than you already have here, but yeah, the water changes will have to be every day. There are some great inexpensive larger tanks out there. I pray you feel better soon. Hugs
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