why do fish die?

Question

yeah... basically all my female bettas are dying except 3 (one of them is currently breeding). the three are fairly new, one's probably 2 yrs old, another is probably about 1.5yr and the other is probably right around 1yr old, maybe younger, I only got her a month or so ago.

anyway, they older ones aren't sick or anything, just old. well over 4yrs old. they're pretty beasty. this year they've slowed down a lot, and now the younger ones have started picking at them and taking over (especially the "pet/favorite" of the alpha, she's really following in her foot steps, I guess it's good they still have a leader). they mostly sit on the bottom and they just look awful. I know the alpha is going soon, she can barely swim long enough to eat, which was her favorite activity.

makes me sad, I wish they didn't have to die. anyway, anyone else have sad dying fish stories? I could use some sad stories so I don't feel so crazy to be so attached to "just fish"

Answer 1

i am sure you have provided the best life for your fish you can provide (being the commander in chief of the betta camp) so you can't sweat their passing too much -- you gave them better care than anyone else. there are too many juveniles waiting for your salvation at the petco.

its hard getting over the loss of anything you have become attached to but at the same time you have to know that you did your best as a betta mom and thanks to 4 more years of hard work on the part of betta breeders you have a lot to look forward to.

i have been having a rotten june with columnaris. most of it is the water where i live will make you sick if you drink it. who knew it could happen in the united states? i think i should own stock in emoxycillin and ampicillin just to make up for it.

at the same time i go to the store and i am amazed at how inspiring the new betta stock is. life is a cycle. the old passes and the new begins. a friend of mine had a grandmother that taught me a very important lesson -- accept the bad with the good. it is important to remember on many levels. as a start you can't fully appreciate the good times if you have never experienced the bad times.

anyway -- i am rotten at this emotional stuff. i wish the best for you and all your current adopted kids. i thank you for being there in the past for me and hope for nothing but the brightest of futures for you and your betta kids.

Answer 2

Why does anything die? Old age, human folly. There are lots of reasons. Sad fish story, yes. When I was 10 I got 2 goldfish for a 1gal tank, yes I know now that that's too small of a tank and too many fish, but then I didn't know better ok? They were named rasperry and black spot....I was imaginative at 10. Black spot killed raspberry and grew, and grew, grew out of the 1 gal, put her into 5gal. Called her Big Orange now. took pride of a fish that was almost a foot long.....grew out of the 5 gal, into a 10gal now.....was about 14inches when she died while I was at college, 10 years later. Very sad.... Haven't had any luck with fish since then. Hope you have better luck than me. Sorry about your loss....

Answer 3

That reminds me of the first time a female betta died on me. I literally cried at work the next day. They have as much of a soul as anything. I have read your posts and Iknow you take good care of fish. Under the right conditions, at four years old they are living longer than any of mine had :( now that I am learning more. Your little souls will always be with you. Please take care! You are NOT crazy. Fish have beautiful souls and each one touches me, and I just lost one recently all of a sudden -- I can't stop thinking about it and blaming myself over it. :( good luck!

Answer 4

I think you have been doing a great job with your fish. Four years is good life for a betta. Don't beat yourself up about it.

For most fish deaths it is usually poor water quality but in your case I think you are on top of your water quality.

Answer 5

If you got a betta to live for four years, you are a most excellent betta momma! I'm sure that fish's life was way better with you than it would have been with the majority of fish keepers out there.

As for sad stories: When I was in college, I had two little orange comets, named "Twisted" and "Sister" (hey, it was the 80's - what can I say?). I'd had them for about two years. I also had two zebra finches named George and Gracie. George and Gracie's cage hung from the ceiling, about two feet above and two feet over, from Twisted and Sister's tank. Well, my brother had two cats - a nice, orange and white one we called "Miss Kitty" and then some devil cat that we just called "the black one."

Well, I was out on a date one night, and "the black one" tried to eat George and Gracie. It jumped off the table to try to grab onto their cage, but he slipped and fell off, knocking Twisted and Sister's tank off the table in the process. Well, the tank broke, water went everywhere, and my poor fishies were left to suffocate on my bedroom floor.

My little brother (granted, he was only 10 at the time) saw the whole thing but didn't say anything to anybody because, since it was his stupid cat that did it, he was afraid he would get in trouble. So I get home around midnight, walk into my bedroom and flip on the light, and am greeted with a scene of total chaos - George and Gracie are freaking out, my carpet is wet and full of aquarium gravel, and poor little Twisted and Sister are all sticky and gummy on the floor....

OF COURSE I am very upset and start crying and yelling at my little brother (I just KNEW it was his damn cat!). My mom comes in to see what's wrong, and she tries to comfort me and tells my brother to "take care of your sister's fish." He goes, "How? What am I supposed to do?" And my mom says, "I don't care - get a paper towel or something and wrap them up so your sister doesn't have to do it!"

So I go into my mom's room, I'm still sad and crying, and little brother does as Mom says - he goes and gets a paper towel. But, instead of wrapping Twisted and Sister up and throwing them away/flushing them, he brings them to me with paper towles wrapped around their bottom halves, with their little fishy faces poking up out of the paper towel like little orange icecream cones!!

Not funny at the time, but slightly humorous now, looking back. I've never had goldfish I liked as much as those two....

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

I guess no matter if we like it or not everything has to die.I have had betta fish before one I had for a while and when he died I was sad.I defiantly don't think you are crazy.It is very normal to be sad when anything dies.

Answer 7

I had a beta named Bue and he lived for like 3 years! he was my best friend, tha good ol' fish.... and when he died no kidding i burried him in my back yard and had a funeral with all my friends built a small white cross and put his name on it. "Buecephalus 2003-2007 RIP" and i can see his brave from my diningroom window!

Answer 8

there not just fish and only good fish owners will no that. my died yesterday and i was very upset about it. seeming as i had him for just over a year. you get attached to them. But he just disappeared, i think my eel ate him.

Answer 9

That is kinda depressing...

Scientifically, when the body's metabolism is slowed to the point where not enough blood reaches the brain for the brain to receive input from the senses... in case you were wondering...

Answer 10

There was this one girl who was convinced her fish died of a broken heart, her fish partner supposedly died and thats why she died.

Total crap but still funny.