Meet Bubbles

One of the gifts that Hubby surprised me with for christmas is a new betta fish.  He knew how much I missed being able to watch Fishy swim around in his bowl on our coffee table while I talked to him at night on Skype and I had put a new fish on my Christmas wish list so a few days after we arrived home from visiting my family Hubby suggested that we go to the pet store to pick out a new fish friend.

Hubby had given me permission to get a new fish the day that Fishy passed away but I knew that I was going to be visitng my parents for Thanksgiving and I was planning to bring May, my official fish sitter, with me and I didn't know who else to ask to care for my pet so I had purposely put off getting a new one.  However, holidays past, I was excited at the prospect of getting a new fish.  While there had been more room on my coffee table for Christmas decorations, I was missing my buddy.  This probably sounds dumb and way too sentimental since as many have told me "he was just a fish" but I enjoyed his silent company and I look out the window to where he is buried every once and awhile and miss him.

I told Hubby that if it was ok with him, that I wanted to buy our new fish at PetCo this time.  Hubby had purchased Fishy as a surprise for me one night at Walmart on the way home from work and I had walked by the bettas in Walmart several times over the past few months only to notice that each time, most of the bettas looked dead or dying.  This did not seem like a good way to start out to me and I have wondered if Fishy's Walmart origins somehow contributed to his neurotic tendencies.  Hubby laughed at my rationalization but agreed since fish are generally the same price regardless of where you buy them.

We went to PetCo one afternoon and as we walked into the store Hubby suggested that we look at the other animals before we picked out a new fish.  We looked around at lizards, turtles, and bunnies, gerbils, mice, and hampsters.  I think we even saw a guinea pig.  Hubby wanted to look at puppies since he knows I want one some day but unfortunately they did not have any.  They did not have any kittens either.  Eventually we made our way to the fish section. 

I asked the guy working there if it was normal for bettas to jump out of bowls and if I needed to purchase a bowl with a lid.  What he told me surprised me a bit.  I had known that bettas are fighting fish but he told me that one of the reasons why bettas are so hardy is that they live natively in asia.. in muddy hoof prints left by cows.  He said that when they run out of food in one hoofprint or need to avoid being stepped on they jump to a new print/puddle.  The employee told us that sometimes bettas just get it in their heads to jump.  He said that we could get a bowl with a lid but most people don't.  He said that he would advise filling the bowl up a little less but he said that the bowl we were using was plenty of space even with his fake coral deocoration.  He did tell us though that bettas usually live two to three years so Fishy did live a shortened life.  :(  I think Fishy jumping out was just one more of his neurotic tendencies but that could just be me trying to make myself feel better.  We also found out that there are several different types of bettas and Fishy's species is the hardiest of them.  We were also told that it is recommended to only feed a betta once every other day.  We had been feeding Fishy twice a day every day.  I guess this was too much? 

Armed with our new info we went to look at all of the different bettas.  They was quite a big selection. I didn't know how to choose.  I knew that I wanted a male and the same type of betta that Fishy had been since it is the hardiest variety (and also the least expensive!).  I also told Hubby that I wanted one that seemed healthy.  Most of the fish at PetCo looked pretty good compared to what I had seen at Walmart but I was still a little nervous about picking one that was unhealthy. 

At first I was drawn to the dark blue/purple fish that looked like Fishy but Hubby suggested that we get one that looked a little different and I knew that he was right.  I didn't want to replace Fishy; I wanted a completely different fish.  The red fish didn't spark my attention.  They just didn't seem right and Hubby and I searched the containers for the right fish to keep me company when Hubby went back overseas. 

After a few minutes Hubby held up a container for me to see.  "What about this one?" he asked.  I looked into the container in his hand.  The fish it held was smaller than Fishy had been but his body sparkled a teal green and blue coloring as the light hit him.  I knew this was our new fish.  I excitedly agreed with Hubby that he had found our new fish and we paid for him and took him home.

I was conflicted about what to name our new pet.  I knew that I would more than likely call him Fishy a few times without thinking about it.  After all... that is how Fishy had gotten his name.  I had begun calling him that and it stuck.  What was I going to call this new fish without feeling like I was replacing Fishy?  My sister wanted to name him Fish Face and I thought this would be cute.  I also thought Bubbles would be cute since bettas make bubbles.  Hubby told me that I could name him whatever I wanted but finally admitted that he was not fond of Fish Face.  So the name Bubbles won.  I am a little worried that it is to feminine of a name but he doesn't seem to mind.

In the few weeks that I have had Bubbles I have noticed a several things about him that are different in comparison to Fishy.  First off Bubbles is far more active than Fishy was.  Not only that but he was also very curious about the coral decoration in his bowl and was able to explore it without hurting himself on it.  Bubbles also likes both types of betta food that we purchased for Fishy.  Fishy was afraid of one of the foods and refused to go anywhere near it.  Bettas are supposed to like food variety which is why we bought the second food but Fishy only liked his pellets.  Go figure.  Bubbles however likes both types and attacks them with a fervor when he is fed.  Bubbles also does not spend excessive amounts of time at the bottom of the bowl.  He loves staring at me and during the day when the light plays with the water in his bowl he likes to fight his reflection.  I think Bubbles is smarter than Fishy was or maybe Fishy really did have neurological deficiencies!  I still loved Fishy but I am glad that Bubbles doesn't share his oddness.  I think each fish probably has his own personality like people do.

Oddly enough... here is one more difference between my two fish.  Whenever Fishy went to May's house when I was out of town, her cat liked to drink from his bowl.  The cat never tired to eat the fish and in fact would run away if Fishy swam to the side of the bowl he was drinking from but for some reason her cat really loved fish flavored water.  Last week Bubbles went to stay at May's and when I came home she told me the oddest thing... her cat doesn't really like drinking out of the bowl anymore.  He tried it but apparently Fishy tasted different.  How weird!

All in all I am happy to have Bubbles and I am hoping that I am able to keep him alive and happy longer than I was able to do for Fishy.  Thanks for the gift Hubby.  Welcome to the family Bubbles!



Fishy

If you read my previous post you know that my beta fish, Fishy, jumped out of his bowl last night.  Although I rescued him and he seemed to be swimming around the bowl before I went to bed, he must have been been injured from being out of water too long.  He passed away around 3:00pm today.

When I woke up this morning, I was dreading going into the living room to check on Fishy.  I was afraid that I would find him dead in his bowl after what had happened last night.  When I finally went to check on him I was greeted by the sight of him at the bottom of the bowl.  This is not uncommon as he often likes to sleep on the bottom.  However he did not come to the surface to eat when I sprinkled his food into the bowl.  I knew this was not a good sign.  He didn't seem his normal jewel blue color either but rather seemed to have taken on a grayish hue.  He was still alive but I had a feeling that he was dying.

I tried to do whatever I could to make him comfortable.  I didn't want him to suffer.  I took the tulle off of the top of his bowl, little chance he would jump out now when he could barely move, and opened the shades so that the sun would warm his water.  I watched him as I ate breakfast.  He feebly tried to swim to the surface a couple of times but each time it seemed as if he had to expend an enormous effort to get to the top only to run out of energy and sink back down to the bottom, gills flapping laboriously as he struggled to breathe.

I felt awful but there wasn't anything else I could do.  I decided that the best thing I could do was to let him be and let him rest.  I checked on him every fifteen minutes or so as I did my household chores.  After awhile he stopped trying to reach the top of the bowl.  He just sat on the bottom  slowly moving his front fins and trying to breathe.

An hour or so later he had moved from sitting on the bottom by the side of the bowl to laying on his side on the bottom.  He was still alive but I didn't think he would be for much longer.  He only had enough energy to move the one front fin on the side of his body facing upwards and his gills flapped open and closed very slowly.  He was quiet but I knew he was struggling to breathe.

Around 3:00 when I checked on him again I noticed that his fin seemed to have stopped moving and his gills didn't seem to be opening either.  I had a feeling that he had passed but I half hoped that he was just resting.  He never moved again.

I hope he didn't suffer too much.  I really enjoyed having him and although he wasn't a pet that I could cuddle, he was company that made me feel less alone with Hubby gone.  Part of me is still in denial.  I keep checking his lifeless form to see if he might just wake up and start swimming around the bowl.  I know he won't. 

Both Hubby and May told me that a year is a pretty good life for a walmart fish but I still feel sad.  I know he was only a fish but he was still special to me.  I still remember the day Hubby brought him home to surprise me like it was yesterday. 

I want to bury him in the yard.  I can't bring myself to flush him or throw him in the trash.  I had to borrow a shovel from May but by the time I brought it home it was too dark to see.  (All I had to dig with was a spoon.)  I poured most of the water from the bowl into the sink.  I poured Fishy's body and the remaining water into his cup.  Just to prove to myself that he really was gone I poked his body with a straw.  There was no reaction.  Now I knew for sure he was gone.  I put the lid on the cup and put the bowl in the sink. 

I plan to bury Fishy in the morning when it is light again and I can see well enough to dig a small grave beneath one of our trees.  I want to make sure that the grave is deep enough so that a feral cat won't be able to dig him up very easily. 

I keep looking at the place where Fishy's bowl usually sits.  I miss him already.  I miss watching him swim around and the way he liked to watch me.  I know it sounds dumb but I feel that much more alone.  Now I really am completely alone here in the house.  I caught myself looking at the cup on the counter a few times hoping that Fishy had come back to life.

Hubby said I could get a new fish and I suggested that maybe we could pick one out together at Christmas if he is able to come home.  For now, I am just sad.  But I know that Fishy is in fish heaven.  Rest in peace Fishy.  I loved you.

My Neurotic Fish

Shortly after my husband and I moved into our house last year my husband suprised me by bringing home a beta fish.  I was excited, although a fish is not a dog, and although he isn't very cuddly I have grown fond of our fish.  When we first got him I started calling him Fishy.  I know, not very creative, but I could never think of anything better and the name stuck.  I am pretty anal in making sure that I care for Fishy.  I feed him twice day and change his water once a week.  I am also very careful to make sure that someone cares for him when I am out of town.  However, Fishy has a terrible habit of jumping out of his bowl.  Yes, that's right, he likes to jump OUT of the bowl.  Only I would have a fish that doesn't stay in the bowl. 

In the past he has jumped into the sink and onto the floor while I have been cleaning his bowl and he has been swimming in his cup.  Luckily hubby was around to help me save him.  Fishy has also ripped his own fins in the past too but that's another issue.

Anyways, when I was washing dishes tonight I decided that the bowl could use cleaning so I put Fishy into his cup as usual and washed his bowl.  I left Fishy in his cup on the counter while I waited for his water to warm up.  He freaks out if the new water is too cold.  I do this every week.  A couple of hours later I walked into the kitchen to put Fishy into his bowl only to discover that he was not in his cup.

WTF?  I thought.  Where is the fish?????  I looked around eveywhere and finally spotted him laying on the counter.  I have no idea how long he had been there.   I quickly scopped him up and put him in the bowl.  He seemed pretty dry and I thought he might be dead but after bout 5 seconds of floating in the bowl he sprang to life and starting swimming vigorously around the bowl.

He keeps varying between swimming like crazy around the bowl and laying on the bottom.  I'm not sure if he is ok or not.  I am paranoid that he will jump out again tonight because he is acting so crazy so I put a piece of tulle over the bowl with a rubber band.  I am hoping that this will keep him in the bowl while still allowing him to breathe.

Who thought I would have to devise a way to keep a fish in water??  Only my fish and of course Hubby isn't hear to help :(  Go Figure.

Here's hoping that Fishy is still alive and swimming in the morning :-/