This was my new betta fish
I went on spring break vacation for a week and asked my roommates to just feed three pellets of food a day to my betta while I was gone. I come back to this...
I am very upset to say the least. I thought such a simple task wouldn't be much of a request. I even told him that if he missed a day or two it would be fine. I grew very close to my betta fish as its the first pet ive had in a long time and even upgraded his tank to a 5 gallon in the first few days of having him.
They got another male betta fish (two times the size of mine) and put it in the tank with him to watch them fight. Now my betta can barely swim and he lost lots of his coloring. They obviously overfed him and the tank is contaminated with leftover food. I removed the new bigger betta to my old tank. What can I do? Will he live? I am so upset I struggle to even type this post.
Oh my god. I'm so angry I think I'm actually shaking a bit. How DARE they do that to a living creature-- to a living creature that YOU OWN, no less, that is YOUR LEGAL PROPERTY-- and just for the purpose of such disgusting amusement.
I am not impressed. What a horrible, horrible human being. If I was there I would quite honestly smack him-- and then give you a hug because I'm sure you need it right now.
Obviously the most important thing would be to get him in some warm, clean water so he doesn't get any infections. I know it's good to always age water overnight before putting a fish in, but maybe in an emergency just using water conditioner and leaving it for a few hours before you put him in would be alright? (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong! I just feel it would be better to get him in some fresh water rather than leave him in that disgusting mess for the time it took to age.)
That is barbaric. I would absolutely let rip at them for doing such a cruel thing, and possibly report them to some authority. At the very least, destroying your property (I hate calling animals that, but in law they are) is illegal (sorry, law student).
All you can do is keep the water as clean as possible (I would do daily 25% changes) and as warm as possible (between 82 and 85). The extra warmth will encourage faster healing, and the clean water will mean he isn't having to fight other nasties like ammonia etc, so he can put all of his energy into healing. If you can get Indian Almond Leaves (oak leaves will also work), it may help him feel more comfortable. StressCoat is another alternative. :)
I really hope he recovers! I would be on the lookout for a new room mate.
To the above poster: ^^ You don't need to leave water out to age if you add conditioner. :)
I have used water from the tap, treated and placed into tanks in a pinch (actually all the time, I never age mine). But I would add a tsp of aquarium salt per gallon and slowly get him used to it before putting him in. The salt will help him heal. No chance you can get your hands on some Stress Coat water conditioner??
Yes, AQ salt for sure. His fins are torn but I can't see any major body damage in the photos.
I get how sometimes you let your friends get away with doing stupid things you don't approve of..
But WHAT kind of friend would TRY TO KILL something that you care about?!
I would be terrified of my room mates! GET OUT OF THERE D:
Next time you go on a break, take him with you. :(
What are you going to do about the new boy? Keep him?
It's stupid that now you also have to take care of that fish too. Is he all ripped up as well?
Oh my god, you don't need to age water if you use conditioner?
SWEET HEAVENS ABOVE, I think you just solved all my problems in life. Here I am trying to find clean buckets to age water in for four different tanks. Why did I not know this before?
(Are you absolutely 100% sure? I mean, I just don't know why I never heard that before-- I've been taking care of bettas on and off since I was like. Four or something. This forum was such a good idea to join.)
Gosh, sorry to derail the thread! +1 to the aquarium salt, and +10000 to reporting him to some sort of authority.
I'm so sorry that your roommates were so cruel as to try such a thing to you and to your betta.
You've been given some good advice on his care. Warm, clean water, and AQ salt as advised above.
Definitely find out who you can report this to. If you're on campus, there might be someone there who can advise you on what to do, if not help get you out of that room.
I'd highly suggest moving rooms if that's a possibility..
Like even if they get offended, if you barely know em, no big deal right?
If they say you care about stupid fish too much, just be like, yes I care about my pets.
Yeah. I think it's time for new roommates. I would REFUSE to live with someone capable of that. :(
I know just your run-of-the-mill rips and tears will eventually heal, even if they don't look good as before. But I'm not sure about tails that have been eaten off like that. I'm not sure how much they would heal. :/
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
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