Saying goodbye is never easy.
It’s not what we want to do.
But sometimes we find ourselves in that position…
… of finding a fish we love has passed on, or having to euthanize to end its suffering.
The pain is so real, so intense.
That aching knife-in-the-gut feeling when you think about it.
Now:
Some people find it hard to believe that you can experience any kind of grief over the loss of a fish.
But the truth is, fish aren’t toys or decorations.
They are pets.
We fish owners bond with them, grow attached to them, and when they die, it can deeply affect us.
Like all pets, they become like part of our family to us.
People who think otherwise might not understand this. They might say things that only pour salt on the wound, trying to help us feel better.
“Fish are short-lived anyway.”
“Just get another one.”
“There’ll be more like it where it came from.”
“It’s only a fish.”
It can be hard to hear those things while we are suffering, but remember – they didn’t ever have the amazing experience of loving a fish like you did or the sorrow of losing one.
If they did, they wouldn’t say that, so don’t be too upset about it.
Coping With the Pain of Loss
A word of advice:
It can be tempting to try to totally smother your emotions so you don’t feel the pain.
But bottling it up will only affect you negatively, and will come out sooner or later in ways you might not realize.
Don’t be afraid to go through the grieving process. In fact, actively go through it – don’t run away from it, trying to deal with it later. Embrace it as part of the journey to healing.
Here are some ways to do that:
- Let the tears run freely. Crying is a very good way to release all those feelings inside. Don’t be embarrassed or feel guilty for having a good bawl.
- If possible, find a sympathetic loved one or friend to cry or talk with. Sometimes we just need to tell people what we’re going through. If that person likes animals, even better.
- You might feel angry or frustrated. This is totally normal. Maybe let yourself vent a bit doing something to let off some steam, like exercise.
- Write down your thoughts in a diary. Sometimes we don’t want to talk to other people because they don’t “get it.”
- If you don’t have someone to talk with, join a goldfish support group. These are people who have most likely dealt with fish loss and have gone through exactly what you are going through too. And they won’t be as likely to give you a hard time about your feelings.
- If you still have fish or other pets, spend some time with them and think about being grateful you still have them in your life. It can really help lift your spirits.
- Bury your fish in a special way. Honor the influence they had on your life – don’t just throw them in the trash or flush them in the toilet. Find a special burial site, such as in a garden or below a tree and commemorate it with flowers or a marker. (You can see more ideas for honoring the passing of your deceased fish here in a special way)
“I’ll never get another fish again – they will only die!” You might say.
You might want to protect yourself from ever having to experience this again.
People have this response to grief in relationships too. They think they can never let themselves get too “wrapped up” in someone else in case they let them down.
My friend, please don’t give up.
Losing a pet actually teaches us two important and valuable life lessons.
- Don’t go through life afraid to love for fear of the pain of loss, or you will never know the joy of true companionship and intimate relationships.
- On the other extreme, don’t put so much of yourself into someone else that you would be completely dysfunctional without them.
Pain isn’t always pleasant. But it means you loved well.
Here is a little note you can write to bury with your fish:
“Name_of_Your_fish_here, I loved you. I loved you enough to give you the best home I could, to take good care of you while you were mine as best as I could, to enjoy every moment spent with you. I hope you knew that during your time with me. And when it was time to say goodbye, I loved you enough to go through the sorrow of having to let go – it hurts because I loved you so much, and because I wanted to see you live for many more years to come. You were my friend, you brought a smile to my face whenever I was lonely or sad. You cheered me up after a long day. You captured my heart from the moment I saw you, and I never did grow tired of watching you swim through the water. Your kisses on my fingers made me laugh. You had a personality all your own; you were special, so special to me, and I think you loved me too. And I will always miss you. It hurts to think of you right now because I miss you so much. Though the hurt will go away in time, I will never forget you and the difference you made in my life.”
You Will Feel Better
It might not seem like it now, but in time, you will heal.
Maybe it’s hard to think about your pet right now. The memories only make tears well up in your eyes.
Memories can be bitter initially.
It might take a few weeks or months, but the memories will be sweeter once the pain is gone.
Right now you are probably thinking about the last part of your fish’s life, and those can be some sad memories, especially if you were dealing with an illness. 🙁
But take heart:
You will be able to remember things about your fish that are pleasant instead of painful. So keep their photos or videos and don’t give away everything you see that reminds you of them. Later on you can come back to these without the same heartache and even enjoy them.
You’ll remember the good times of their life in time.
[Edit: Even now after 3 years of writing this, I still feel a little sadness mixed with sweetness when I think of my fish I lost during this time. It actually took me a full year to feel almost all better after grieving for my fish. Everyone is different though. Having other fish has really helped. Since I’ve grown fonder of them, sometimes I find myself worried about losing them because I know how hard it will be, and I know there will come a day when that will happen, but it has helped to teach me that life is a precious moment, so short and special, and to appreciate each day I have with them and those around me.]
Dealing with Any Guilt
There are various things that cause a goldfish to die – some you probably didn’t even know about.
If you lost your fish due to a mistake on your part, you may find the feelings of guilt to be very strong mingled with grief, which only makes everything worse.
People make mistakes.
We don’t do our research soon enough.
We act too soon or too late.
We get lazy or busy.
Whatever the reason, it’s good to recognize when you could have done something better, but don’t beat yourself up about it.
You may have done all that you could, and it was time no matter what. There are situations like that where it really wasn’t your fault.
Either way, you loved your fish and wouldn’t have wanted anything bad to happen to them.
And one thing about fish is they don’t harbor any bitter feelings.
What About Getting Another Fish?
It can be comforting to think of getting another goldfish or other fish. After all, it’s always exciting to get another pet.
But quick tip:
Give it enough time.
It can be tempting to try to get a new fish as quickly as possible to fill the void, but give yourself the space to fully heal before getting another pet.
Getting a new pet too soon can make it hard for you to love them like you should.
Now:
Some people try really hard to find a fish exactly like the one they lost.
Really, they are trying to replace that fish because they want their old fish back so badly.
This is just my opinion:
As hard as it sounds, you can’t bring that fish back.
Even if you find one that looks just like it, the personality is totally different and you might find yourself feeling resentful to the new fish, placing unrealistic expectations on it. No two fish are ever the same.
If you do decide to get a new fish, you could end up disappointed and unhappy if you are trying to do that.
It’s important to appreciate your new fish for who he or she really is 🙂
How About You?
If you feel like talking about things with others, don’t forget to join our support group.
Has this article helped encourage you?
Let me know what you think.
So glad that I’m not the only person to grieve over a loss of goldfish. She died on Thursday age approx 13 . It’s like losing a family member yes I know it will get easier but at the moment I am heartbroken
It is very hard. I’m so sorry you lost your fish :'( You’ll get through it, hang in there <3
I set my tank up 3 weeks ago and this Saturday I was so excited my water was finally ready for a fish!
I recently got out of a long term relationship where he kept our dog and I was so looking forward to having a companion I could talk to and take care of.
I fell in love with a galaxy koi betta. But it turned out that he has a spinal deformity making it hard to swim. I thought this made him even a better fit for me. I brought Finn home and had the best time just watching him. He really helped with the loneliness of a breakup.
I came home tonight and I couldn’t find him anywhere. It turns out he couldn’t swim well enough and the filter got him. I had to say goodbye to my new buddy 4 days after bringing him home.
Thank you so much for writing this! It truly helped me not feel completely crazy for being so upset about a fish I’ve had for less than a week.
Thank you thank you thank you!
Aw sorry Hayden for your loss of your betta.
I just lost a my goldfish and it is just so painful to even think that its gone. It taught me so much bout life and I m still in tears
I’m sorry Anshika :'( Goldfish do teach us about life. They give us so much happiness but it is so hard when they leave us…
My fish Drake age 7 was so sick and was suffering so bad it hurt to watch so u decided to euthanize him and I feel so much guilt for not being better .. it hurts but I feel a little better reading this
I’m sorry for your loss 🙁 It truly does hurt.
This is all so true, My black moor may die, He has a bladder disease, I have had him for four years. Im 15 and I feel like such a wuss crying, but I can’t help It, I love my little guy…
Don’t feel bad about crying Emerson. Losing fish is very hard. Hopefully he will make it.
Emerson. My fish had the same problem as yours! :'(
My fish Finn was the most unique fish I’ve ever seen and I loved him so much! My family grew so very close to him and I woke up this morning to see my beloved pet lifeless in the tank. This site is very helpful to get over a loss. Thank you.
Sorry for you loss of the well loved Finn!
Your page gave me incredible comfort today. I am on vacation and found out from my friend that my telescope fish Apollo died. It was so unexpected he was such a happy, loving fish. He shares a bowl with Newton and they loved eachother. We only have had them since March but they are such a part of our family. I surrounded their bowl with toys so they always had fun things to look at. I have been crying nonstop today …I feel awful about his death. I can’t help thinking he was living his happy fish life and had no idea he was going to die. I am heartbroken and worried for Newton. We loved him so much , took videos and talked to them nonstop. He knew us …was so excited and would pucker at the top of the bowl whenever we were in the room. It’s such a loss , to have a page like this has been such a comfort. Thank u , from my heart
I’m sorry for your loss, Melissa. Glad the article could help some <3
I feel your pain. It makes me feel better that my betta died a while ago and I didn’t get to spend a last day with him. I only noticed when he wasn’t in his tank. I asked my mom and she said he died a while back. Sorry for the rant, it’s just nice to find someone you can relate to.
I lost my cheery (my goldfish ) today and its really hard …..its even hard to see her friends missing her and finding her in aquarium …..I can’t even explain the feeling of how cheerful she was
Swim in peace, Cheery!
im so sad.
benjamin is gone 🙁
rip buddy…………….
My black moor died today from a bladder disease and I feel so sad. I’ve had him for years and he was like a best friend to me. It killed me the last couple of days seeing how much pain he was in 🙁 I miss him so much. I just want him back :'(
That really is so sad, Holly, I’m sorry for the loss of your moor :'(
My betta Ahi died today and it hurt me so bad he was so petty and then he got fin rot and it was so sad seeing him sick I tried BETTAFIX and it didn’t work and he died and I’m too sad to go to school today I buried him and it hurt I wanted him to get better??
So sorry for your loss of Ahi, Jacey. It sure does hurt when you lose them.
My betta died today too. I didn’t want to bury him before school so I left him in the tank when I got home from school he was still there which was horrible to look at I don’t know what was wrong he has not been swimming all week really?
My Amazing Black Moor Pablo died today, he was poorly and I came home from work to check on him during my lunch break and he was dead staring through the bottom of my tank. I am absolutely devastated & I cannot stop crying.
I have plenty of videos and pictures, but it’s not the same. I feel ridiculous getting this upset over a fish but I am heartbroken.
He had such a personality, always coming to the front of the tank and enjoyed listening to music.
I’ll always love you Pab x
So sorry about Pablo 🙁
I lost my fantail named Ying yesterday. Very sad. I loved her.
I’m sorry Julie. RIP Ying <3
I lost my calico ryukin Kelly yesterday…i feel like my heart was being torn out watching her die, she had dropsy that could not be treated. Ive cryed so much… 🙁
I’m sorry Sophie, Kelly will be greatly missed! Dropsy is so horrible…
I am truly heartbroken, today i had to euthanize my baby goldfish named Bacon…. i think it was my fault she got sick 🙁 hard to deal with it…
I’m sorry for your loss of Bacon, Athanasia 🙁
My last 4 goldfishes are slowly dying due to disease. One of them used to always look at me, curiously checking out what I was doing all the time. Now he’s floating sideways, but seems like he’s asking me for help yet I’ve done everything I could already. It’s so upsetting knowing he could be gone when I wake up in the morning. Never thought I would cry over pet fishes but it’s been 2.5 years…they’ve become something so normal to see everyday, similar to checking our phones in the morning when we wake up. It’s gonna be so strange with an empty tank…but thanks for the article, it really helps
I’m sorry Jacky, glad the article helped.
Thank you for writing this article. My dwarf gourami, Prominence, died yesterday :'( and reading this really helped me deal with my grief.
I’m so glad it helped you Sophie! So sorry about your gourami Prominence.
ray I go to bed every night hoping my goldfish is ok in the morning- I love it so much I’ve had it over four years. Is tank is next to me I talk to her none stop every day I pray I can look after her for a long healthy life I love it so much as I love all animals being are vegetarian l don’t like to see any animals suffer thank you for your comment page-
Pets have such a special place in our hearts!!
I loss my betta fish today. His name was Blue. He was the first pet my wife and I had. He Always followed my finger when it’s near him. He used to swim everywhere when I come home. Sad to see him go 🙁 miss him already.
I’m sorry about Blue, Michael. You really can get attached to betta fish just like another pet. They have their own personalities that make us love them so much.
My fish is on the verge of dying from fin disease. I’m trying to prepare for it but it hurt to think of love without my little Archie. He’s my baby I hate to see him suffer like this I feel horrible, like it’s all my fault I can’t take it I want him to be happy and healthy and I know once he passes he will be in a better place but I can’t live without him. Losing a fish that you have cared for is like losing a part you will never get back
It is a very painful thing for sure. If the fish is suffering though it may be best to euthanize as hard as it is, because even though its very sad and heartbreaking you won’t look back regretting that he suffered so long. So sorry 🙁
I just lost my fantail Roger a few days back. Had him for 2 years, hard to believe he’s actually gone. It’s hard looking at the tank and not seeing him swimming around and coming up to the glass when he sees me.
Sorry for your loss of Roger, Sarah!
Our best friend Naira, a small koi living with goldfish in our outside pond is so sick from fungus and will go to the pond in the sky soon… a wonderful place with lilies and bubbles and lots of other happy fish… such a little character and we will miss him terribly . We got him almost 5 years ago as a rescue fish when he was already 3 and he’s part of the family. Safe journey Naira, it’s been a privilege.
Naira sounds like he will be very missed.
I lost my fish that I had for a year and it makes me sad knowing I could have prevented it ? I had just cleaned out her fish tank and I just put her in the water without letting her get used to it I’m gonna miss her ??
Sorry for your loss Amaya. :'(
My platy fish called Jim died yesterday. I am heartbroken and the worst thing is I don’t know what killed him. I followed the books and leaflets I got from the pet shop but he still passed. I have another fish who is helping me get over the loss of Jim. I am blessed that Tim is alive (my other fish) and thank you for this article it helped ease my pain.
I’m happy to hear it made you feel a little better, Ali.
I only had my fish for like a month and I can’t even think about him without tearing up, it’s been a few months since his death and I still can’t stand it.
It is so hard, I’m sorry you’re going through this 🙁
My sweet little Betta named Midas died today. I never thought I would come to love a fish like I loved Midas. He was my special guy for over 2 years.
He was a crazy little fish. Before leaving for work, I would feed him and tell him “See you later Midas the Tidas; be a good fishy. I love you”. When I arrived back in the afternoon, he would swim around, flared his gills and glared at me as if he was mad that I left him alone. Usually when he heard my usual hello greeting, “Hi Midas the Tidas, were you a good fishy today?” He would stop being mad and swim around his tank like crazy. As I settled down for the evening, I would sit next to his tank and watch TV. He would swim to the corner closest to me and stay there until I said “goodnight fishy, I’ll see you in the morning.” After saying goodnight, he would swim to his sleeping corner. I’m sure going to miss my friend. Thank you for reading.
Sorry for your loss of Midas Rita, he sounded like such a neat fish.
It’s so hard all I want is my baby back in the tank he was 4 years old I had to end his suffering he had dropsy his head was an inch away from his tail the vet told me to buy clove oil, she said he was in pain but I can’t stop cry I didn’t want to do it. Want him back dose it get any better? Im in such a mess it’s happened yesterday.
It does get better over time, it’s the worst initially. Sorry for your loss, dropsy is a horrible disease!
My betta, Cosmo, just passed away only a couple of days ago due to a sickness. Even though I didn’t really have Cosmo for very long, I really miss him. I get a sad feeling whenever I enter my room knowing that Cosmo isn’t there in his tank next my desk. I also feel like Cosmo’s death was my fault, I knew he had a sickness and was suffering from it, so I tried treat him, but nothing was working. I felt like I was doing something wrong and if I knew better he would be alive. I just wish Cosmo got to live a longer life, he really was a great betta, he was so energetic, curious, and made me smile. Thanks for the article, it made me feel a little better.
I’m so sorry for your loss of Cosmo Jordan, he sounds like such a special fish.
I’m so glad I found this site – I am devastated after discovering a heron on our pond this morning who has taken half of our beloved pet koi. My partner had been cleaning the pond at the weekend and forgotten to put the protective net back on :-((
I opened the blinds to see the huge heron at the pond so I rushed down to discover a horrible scene of pools of blood and one of our fish dead on the side. It looks like we have lost 7 or 8, but I hoping that a couple of the smaller ones may still be hiding but these hopes are quickly fading. Our particularly cherished babies were Budgie and Ariel – who were only a couple of years old and were becoming such beautiful kois with their own individual personalities. Budgie had always been a very brave fish from day one with bags of energy so I know he wouldn’t have gone down without a fight… I’m struggling even more because the more I think about it, I think that it might have been him I could see in the herons mouth as he flew off when I ran down. :-((((((( I know it is nature, but I feel like we have let them down so badly as we should have protected them better. Am heartbroken.
I utterly adore all animals and our pets are every bit as equal as every other member of our family. I”m finding it so hard to take it in and very thankful that this site exists to get some support. Love to you all x
Thanks. I had to euthanize my little fish yesterday and tried to use clove oil, and it did stun him, but then when I gave the final dose he woke up and panicked, so I felt pretty terrible about it. But I know I did the right thing since he was going to suffer soon due to the tumor he got, if I didn’t let him go. It was way harder than I realized and I felt a lot of guilt that his last moment was panicked, but I think on balance he knew he was loved and had a good life in the tank for over 5 years, so his life was good still. Thanks for posting that.
Sounds like you did the right thing for sure, even though its hard!
I just lost my betta, Dragon. His filter’s plug fell out of the socket (my house isn’t the best) while we were on spring break. I live in Chicago and we got hit with a heckton of snow. We we’re going to take him to my grandma’s but if we had gone out that far (she lives in the suburbs,) we might have all died. The guy at the pet store told me to put a little bit of one of those long-lasting fish feeder things in and suspend it with a string, he even recommended me a brand. He gave me one specific instruction, don’t let it pollute the water. The filter got unplugged and the water
… I’m guessing you can put it together. He was such a beautiful, vibrant, dark blue boy. He was brave and fiesty, a little grumpy at times. He would follow my finger and keep me company at night (I get super nervous during certain hours of the night). Everytime I here a noise I get up and run over to his tank just to see him lying there dead (we discovered him like theory minutes ago and I don’t have any other fish, Dad won’t let me burry him until tomorrow. I’m super distraught. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to him, he was dead when I finally got home. I only had him for less than a year, maybe 10 months. I’m a seasoned pet owner, I’ve obviously had someone die on me before, but this one hurts so much because I know I could have prevented it. I don’t want to tell my grandma because she loved him but I know I have to. People keep telling me that it’s ok and that it wasn’t my fault but.. that’s not really true. It’s not ok. Dragon died and there’s no way to get him back. I don’t know what happens when we die but I hope there’s an afterlife so he can be there.
I’m so sorry to hear about Dragon 🙁 He sounded like such a special guy who will be sorely missed.
My fish probaly died over easter weekend I was with my dad on easter weekend, He was a half moon male beta named sniffy because when I got him he looked liked he was sniffing auround the little petco container, I blame my sister for this I told her to feed him while i was gone and this morning I saw him floating near the top he was also rotted, I’ll miss him can you help me
Sorry for your loss of Sniffy 🙁 Probably not your sister’s fault, bettas can go for up to 14 days without food before starving to death.
Thank you
I am so glad I found this article. I know this article is for goldfish but Sodapop (named after a character in a really good book I recently read) , my orange Mickey Mouse Platy recently passed away and I feel horribly guilty as a cruel monster. I was cleaning my tank this afternoon and while vacuuming the sand, I thought it would be a good idea to take off the intake off my Hang-On-Back filter to suck up all the floating poop and leftover food. I didn’t think that any fish could swim up or get tangled up in it. The 3 orange platys I got were meant for a fish in cycle, which I didn’t want to do, but they have survived a month in the cycle, and I am fairly certain it is over. I forgot all the warnings people like Cory from Aquarium Co Op told me and it really didn’t look like a fish that big could get sucked up. Well, about 10 minutes after I clean, I hear a weird noise, but I just figure it’s a weird noise the filter makes all the time. When my family points out where all the fish were, I got confused. I have a 60 gallon tank with a ship in the middle with crevices the fish usually like to hide out in. So I pulled it up and only see 2 fish. I have no other decoration in the tank and I start to panic, fast. I lift up the sponges in my filter only to see a head of my Platy staring back at me. I was in horror and shock and I cannot stop crying. I took the severed head and body and buried both of them in the soil where my tomato plant was growing. In the midst of my sadness, I have few moments where I stop and feel dead inside, with no emotion for some reason and think to myself that I’m such a horrible person and they would’ve been better off without me. I’m going to admit, my Platys were still stressed out and began acting funny and erratic a few days ago, far before the incident. I’ve been reading every forum and watched every video on Platys and alike, but I didn’t find much in why they suddenly started acting weird, which was the spark to clean my tank today. I feel horrible just to imagine the pain and helplessness being blended alive. It feels weird to even write this as all the posts on here are mostly diseases they couldn’t stop, but I am sure mine had no disease, and my other 2 Platys are surfing the glass and I am starting to think to return them to my local fish store as even though they will not have such a terrible fate, I see them coming to an end soon if I don’t do anything. I can’t believe my laziness got my Platy killed, and in such a bad way. I was so attached to them and would watch them swim and beg for food. I was so worried about them that I actually kind of neglected them while trying to set up a QT tank. They also never nipped my hand or anything else and all 3 were pretty shy. I was just thinking to give them some vegetables today as I have been just feeding them Tetra flakes and knew they needed more in their diet. My dream was to have all 3 Platys survive and have them live with all the other fish I planned to stock my tank with. I just hope I get through without getting rid of my other fish. All I know is that Sodapop is in a better place. I am truly thankful for this article as I am already feeling better reading other people’s positive comments. The only problem right now is that I’m not sure if I’m going through the whole grieving process. I know that Sodapop’s in a better place with all the food she could ever stuff into her tiny mouth, and she was the smartest of the 3, always getting to the food minutes before the others saw. Thank you.
Wow, I’m so sorry about that Preston. Please don’t be too hard on yourself. As fishkeepers we all make mistakes, and you never would have wanted something like that to happen to them. It was an accident and accidents happen to the best of us. The fact that you care so much shows you are not a bad owner and you were trying your best.
It was probaly just his time to go
I was so thankful for this article. My goldfish “Fish” died He was 15 years old. We bought him as a feeder fish for my son’s lizard. The lizard never ate him. After a year, living in the pond of the lizard’s habitat, my son talked me into buying him an aquarium. We kept his name “Fish” because we always called him “the fish”. I never knew I would grow so attached to him. I read everything I could about taking proper care of him. Fish grew to be so beautiful and had so much personality. He knew me from anyone else who approached him. I did feel like he loved me and I loved him. I would brag about Fish to anyone who would let me tell his miraculous story of survival and adoption. I am heartbroken. I will remember him forever. I had the best fish in the whole world. I didn’t know anyone could understand my grieving process so thoroughly. Thank you.
Glad the article has helped you, Carma. Fish sounded so special. It is amazing how we get attached to them, isn’t it? I guess, only when you’ve been through it can you understand it. He will live on in your heart. <3
My betta, Buddy was killed by my filter… really sad that i didn’t notice it before it was too late. I think it might be time to invest in a sponge filter 🙁
Swim in peace, Buddy! :'(
Five Stars this made me feel a lot better about my fish named Jet Thank you
I had my beautiful Goldie for over 10 years. She was so little when I got her & grew to be so big. She didn’t look sick her eyes were clear her body felt good and no swelling. I don’t know what killed her 🙁
I’m totally devastated. The other day I saw 3 of them side by side & I laughed & thought you all look like sardines in a can 🙂
Maybe they were holding her up right………….I’m going to miss her so much.
Thank You all for understanding.
Sounds like it could be just old age. Swim in peace Goldie!
My goldfish Peanut died yesterday, I was changing her bowl water and it got a bit to hot, I was tired so I didn’t fix it. She died within the hour, because I got tired for a bit, she died. I feel so guilty knowing it was my fault.
I’m sorry for your loss of Peanut, Morgan. All fishkeepers make mistakes.
My lil comet Bugsy passed this afternoon. I got her and my lil boy Tipsy at a college event I’m 2016, and I was the only student able to keep their fish alive for over a week. They’ve been there for me through some of the worst moments and best moments. Bugsy’d been super lethargic the last week and no matter what I did, I couldn’t help or figure out what was wrong. I thought last weekend was going to be it for her, but she gave me a few good days before she went, and I’m so grateful for the time I had to say goodbye.
I still have Tipsy to cheer me up, but looking at the tank right now hurts. I know the hurt will go away in time, and I know it’s going to be okay, but I can’t help thinking of everything I could have done differently.
Thank you for this page. I’ve felt so dumb and like I’ve been overreacting over it, but reading through this, I had the first good cry in the steps to being okay again. My dad made her a small little box and we buried her after work in the garden next to where we buried my parakeet from 1999. Tomorrow I’m maybe going to paint a picture of her, to keep her with me longer.
So sorry for your loss of little Bugsy! I hope you feel better soon.
My baby betta named Gretta the Betta passed away yesterday morning. My friend was over when my parents told me. I thought she could help ease the pain as she has MANY fish, but all she said was, “It was just a fish!” “Get over it already!” “Just get another!!” I had Gretta for about a month and got her a few days after she was born from the aquarium club I’m in… she was so sweet and friendly! Every time someone walked into the room her tank was in, she’d race to the surface to say hi! I miss her so much….. Thank you so much for this article, it really has been helping.
Sorry you lost your fish, and that your friend wasn’t very sympathetic 🙁 Some people try to detach themselves from getting attached to their fish so they don’t get hurt if they lose them.
I lose my bettas Jhasa and Luna 2 weeks ago. I cried my eyes out. The very night my girlfriends got me another pair of bettas to console me. I was shocked and not ready for this surprise. It was too soon to replace the loss. I thanked the girls and named one as Joy and the other as Juggy.
The last few days I noticed Joy was always lying down at the bottom. It didn’t feel right. I still have not overcome the lost Jhasa and Luna. Even yesterday tears welled up. I could see them in my head. Their memory is too fresh in my mind.
Today Joy got worse. He looked very weak and frail. I kept gently knocking on the aquarium to wake him up. I knew he’s going to leave me today. He just died moments ago. I feel so numb. I can’t cry. Juggy is swimming joyfully inside the other tank. I lost one and I have another one. Life is so weird and unpredictable…sleep well my dear Jhasa, Luna and Joy ❤️
I lost both my orfe this weekend (one on Saturday and one today) suddenly. From seeing them every day being playful and seemingly happy to having both just die, I can’t really make sense of it. It annoys me when people say things like “it was just a fish” or similar about other animals, as if they’re lesser than say a cat or a dog, but this article at least makes me know I’m not alone in feeling their loss.
Couldn’t agree more, Carl, sorry for your loss of your orfes – I must say I didn’t know what they were until I looked them up, they are beautiful fish.
Hello!
A huge note of gratitude to you Meredith, and to everyone who has contributed and shared their precious \\\\\\\”tailed tales\\\\\\\” on this blog – I am so moved, so touched.
I found Blueberry, my sweet Bette boy, dead this morning (7/13/19) at 6:30 am. I cradled his jar (where he had been quarantined due to sickness) and cried an cried. I am beyond heart broken. He has my first fishy friend ever. His little life, his teeny soul lit up our lives with joy and so many silly giggles. Bettas sure are goofy – and smart! Right?!
The frustrating part was that I sensed his changes immediately. Ten days ago or so, and rushed around town doing everything I could to save his life; still, I FEEL I FAILED HIM.
He had become lethargic and anti social, but I had hope. I asked experts at in different shops, watched endless Betta YouTube videos, tried different fungal and herbal remedies – I kept changing his water, getting him the best of the best care – but nope, he continued his downward spiral.
On one hand, I am (of course) ridden w/ guilt at being a first time fishy owner who did not understand all of the intricacies of caring for such a fragile lil thing; on the other hand, I understand the cycles of life: life and death. Life wonderful life, with all of its fragilities, nuances, high and lows. Every soul, small & large has a mission. As a trained Death Doula and hospice volunteer (who sits with the dying each month) I am \\\\\\\”supposed\\\\\\\” to understand the concept of death more holistically, and I do do do – but still, this sadness, this grief, this longing to have Blueberry here with me is all very real.
The deeper we love, the deeper it all can hurt…
.
Death is not the opposite of life / Death is the opposite of Birth. And life is so magical and mysterious and glorious – that death is the price we all must pay to be here and to love and be loved.
I want to say a little prayer for Blueberry, and for all of you who are hurting today.. It\\\\\\\’s OK not to feel OK.
Thank you Meredith and for this lovely blog & post (which has comforted so many) – thank you all and may your hearts be on the magical mend.
As Ever,
Rai
Thank you for sharing your comforting words, Rai! Sorry for your loss of Blueberry! Bettas are so special.
My gold fish…the thing I loved no matter what is gone….I believe it died today….at the morning…but I was asleep…-19.7.19- it was swim bladder! It so sad, seeing my fish go into loops knowing it’s bad for him,I was scared freaking out in the morning…when I saw he was acting unlike he usually does ,he was sitting at the bottom of my tank,I felt hopeless.(as you know or don’t you can’t feed your fish for three days if it has swim bladder later on u feed it peas) maybe I found out about the symptoms to late…but when I did, that exact same day he passed away…I cried screaming in sorrows, remembering every words my friends said about fishy “kill it already” “ go kiss ur orange fishy” and what my parents kept on saying “ur fish is ugly u should get a better one” “ I’ll throw ur fish away” it’s sad..alright rlly sad. I buried my fishy and I just wanna see the grave again for the fourth time in four hours or so….I’m sad…i miss him…so much, no one ever understood this connection I had with him. And that’s it -I cried while writing this— ( fishy is the name of my fish ) will be loved
Sorry for your loss of Fishy, Nasim. He held a special place in your heart.
I feel like a complete idiot as I’m completely heartbroken and so upset by the passing of my 4 goldfish yesterday. I believe the extreme hot weather we have just had made their pond water too hot too quickly and killed them all 🙁 Looking at an empty pond breaks my heart. This website definitely helped me realised I’m not overreacting and hearing everybody else’s experiences and how upset they are made me feel as if it was okay to feel this down over a goldfish. Thankyou!
I’m so sorry Emily, thank you for your kind words too! Feel better soon!
I am so upset about my Betta’s death. I saved him from a terrible life back in November since I found him on the brink of death due to multiple infections caused by poor water conditions. I took him in and gave him the best life I could, his personality was amazing. Unfortunately, when I came home today after being gone nearly all day, I found something on the floor. I could barely tell what it was until upon closer inspection I realized it was a fish. I looked up to his tank and he wasn’t there. He managed to jump out through a tiny hole the lid has. I feel so guilty for not being there when it happened. It’s all I can think about “if only i would’ve been there i would’ve been able to put him back in his tank and he could’ve lived”.
Aw I’m sorry to hear your betta jumped out Fernanda 🙁 He sounds like he had a great owner though!
Thank you for writing this.
My betta just passed and I was beating myself over it but reading this has really helped me
This was my first time raising any fish and I wanted the best for him, but I have to admit I wasn’t well prepared enough for it
I noticed he was lethargic, but I thought it was because of stress or overfeeding, but when he stopped eating I started researching and guessed that he had an infection.
The worst part and what I’m beating myself over is that I was going to go buy the antibiotic solution today on my day off, but it was too late.
In my mind I keep thinking, if only I had bought the medicine yesterday or did better research and prep I could’ve saved him
Just looking at his empty tank is breaking my heart, but I don’t know if i’m ready to get a new fish. I keep asking myself if doing this is just me trying to replace him and if I’m prepared to take care of another life and eventually have to go through this guilt and sadness all over again
But thank you for this, I truly feel a little better after reading this and I’ll take your advice to heart and give it some time before i decide whether to get another fish or not
The worst part of having pets is losing them for sure. I’m glad the article helped you, and truly sorry for your loss!
My betta fish died last night. And I feel like it’s all my fault. I didn’t check to make sure the decorations I had in the tank were safe for him so he got stuck and I wasn’t at home to notice or help. I couldn’t help him. I feel like it’s all my fault
I’m so sorry Zoe, please don’t feel guilty because mistakes happen. None of us always do the right thing in fishkeeping.
My little guy, Mr. Flash, died after 2.5 years of us together. I remember when I got him. The backstory: I rescued a crown tail betta in a cup on the shelf of a desk in a group home guest room I lived in for a while — this fish was bought for a little granddaughter who was only there for a bit, meant to make her happy by her grandpa, the landlord. My roommate told me a fish was in a cup on a desk in a guest room and needed rescuing; could I do something about it? I didn’t know how to care for bettas or fish generally. I made all the mistakes in a well-meaning way — bought a 2.5-gallon drum, gravel, silk plants, water conditioner, and a few betta foods. Mr. Gigi didn’t make it after a month in this set-up. During that time, I researched how to make bettas happier and had started cycling a 10-gallon tank, hoping to make a good home for Mr. Gigi. I was heart-broken when Gigi didn’t make it. My tank was nearly cycled and then I rescued Mr. Flash from the shelf at PetCo. Flash was nearly colorless and dead (I’d learn later when he recovered), but he had the most personality of all the fish on the shelf. He was curious and tenacious. He wasn’t the most handsome/beautiful, but he had a sparkle in his eyes.
Flash became a deep cobalt and black-blue with golden edges to his fins days after I rescued him and I prayed to God my tank would suit him (yes, I cycled and did water tests with spreadsheet data as a novice). I believe he was a “mustard gas” betta from research. He was so funny: he’d look up at the surface, then at you, then at the surface. He talked a lot with his eyes and body; he’d flare and poop at the same time; he burped in objection to seeing his reflection. Wherever I went in the room, he would occupy the side of the tank closest to that place. He’d bump up against the glass now and then, as if to say, “Can’t I come join the bigger tank out THERE?” I realize I am probably projecting or personifying. But I believe these creatures are more intelligent than we can ever know. They are conscious and sentient, absolutely. The pet industry treats them like disposable commodities. You can even order them in the mail, like lipsticks or pairs of socks.
Mr. Flash and I survived two moves in Washington DC, one carefully managed tank crash after an electric outage, fin rot, some shrimp mates that he didn’t get along with too well (who eventually died), and many redecorating changes. I babied him but still don’t think it was enough because I hoped he’d lived for a few more years. He snapped at my fingers for garlic-soaked pellets or grabbed frozen blood worms from the tips of tweezers. Shrimp/spirulina weren’t his favorite, but he’d calmly eat it up without having a fit. His favorite time was dinnertime. That, and seeing his mama come home from work each day, greeting me by the door with a big s-shape “wiggle-wag.” Like clockwork. He also loved to perch on his belly and listen to me play guitar at night. If he didn’t care for that, he wouldn’t hang out, but half the time, he’d hang out until midnight or so. Very compliant by civil law and when he wasn’t up to it, he wouldn’t. He was half-interested in fish tv — videos of butterflies or deepwater sharks on youtube. He would put himself right up front of the tank as if to express, “I. Need. Your. Help” if he didn’t feel well. If he felt fine, but just not into something, he’d tuck himself into the anubia leaves for a nap.
He died today at 10 AM. After 3 weeks of “fighting” — in spite of not being able to lift his body to the surface for air or hold it up, eat, or anything — he thrashed in the middle of the tank after barely moving for most of that time as his last statement. I turned on an air stone, tried to feed him with a turkey baster — before all of that, thought he had dropsy and needed medication — but in this time, no solution helped. I gathered him up in my hand this morning, raised him to the surface, where he looked at me on his side and spasmed once or twice. Then, was gone. I had a job interview by phone today hours later. I have been unemployed for months. This was my only true friend and companion day to day. I broke down when it was safe to cry. I will miss him dearly. I can’t talk about it with most people. I wasn’t a fish person to begin with, but that isn’t true after knowing him. I hope he has gone to the bubble nest mountain in peace. I will never forget him.
Fish are not decorations or disposable items. They are not accessories or consumer commodities. They have all their senses (some more evolved than ours, I bet), and are conscious, too, as individuals while also being social creatures (even if bettas are not thought of in that way). Bettas are fighters to the end.
We can do better by them. I personally wish all animal sale/trade should be better regulated or even eliminated. Sorry for the rambling, but nobody would care about what I have said above, right? Fellow fish people: the hobby is rife with mistakes and missteps, same with cats and dogs and so forth, but few think about fish unless they’re on the dinner plate or pretty objects. My personal hope is that we won’t precipitate more breeding that leads to fish dying, even by the most ardent lovers who mean well. There is no legislation to end these trades, even for cats and dogs, but I hope we get there someday. even if it will be harder to pull off for fish We can start by not regarding fish — consciously, unconsciously — as disposable items. I hope we can make homes the best we can for those who ask us for assistance and that we do the best we can to help them (I know that we do) in the meantime. Peace.
Sorry for your loss of Mr. Flash, seems we get even more attached if we save them from certain death.
I’m sorry for your loss. I absolutely agree that fish, particularly bettas in my experience, are smarter than we realize. It sounds like you shared great memories with Mr. Flash, and remember that you did everything you could at the time for him. I recently lost my betta after 2.5 years also and hope that I can share my knowledge to help other betta keepers.
This made me real emotional because my first ever Betta fish died and as you said no one else bonded with him.his name was Zoomer.????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????I loved him?????????????????????????????????????????
Sorry about your loss of Zoomer! We really do bond with them don’t we.
My sweet little Sunny passed on this evening. He was so sweet, and perky from the first day. He was the first one of his siblings to trust me, and he was so sweet. He was always the perkiest, and even though he never grew as big as the others, he never let it stop him. I don’t understand why he died, but I made sure it was peacefully, and painless as possible. Thanks also to Meredith, for trying to help on the sick page, but in the end, there wasn’t anything we could do. I gave him the best home, the gentlest care, and all the love I could. It hurts right now, his passing so fresh, but I am comforted knowing I gave him the best I could, and he won’t ever be hungry, or cold, or sick again now. I really appreciate this article, it helped me.
I’m so sorry to hear that BeautifulButterflies, swim in peace little Sunny. :'( Sympathies to you too!
My cichlid of 6 years just passed away yesterday. He was very intelligent and had a fun personality where he would come up and greet me whenever near him. He’s helped me get through many hardships. Feels heavy knowing that he’s gone now. I miss him so much.
Sorry for your loss Asin! He sounded like such a special guy!
I lost a Bette named Brutus last night. I know this is for Goldfish but I needed help with the grief. I do feel like everything you described. I appreciate being able to vent a little. I miss the little guy. I feel like I didnt know enough to keep him healthy. I hate it when any animal dies. I know they aren’t meant to live forever but it still hurts that he is gone. All of my feelings you have described above. Thank you.
Aww so sorry about Brutus, Kel.
I lost my fish this morning. I found her stuck in the filter and it broke my heart. I do not know how to cope because I feel like it is my fault. I am very sad and I looked at her more than just a fish. She was apart of my family. She was very young and I had just gotten her. I dont know what to do. Please comment how I could get over it
It may not be your fault, Lilly. Pet store fish have been through a lot before you get them. There is a high death rate that makes hobbyists blame themselves.
I felt I had to euthanize my fish as it was dying and being eaten by the other fish. I feel so bad as the the knife was not sharp enough and I saw him gasp after the first cut and had to quickly do it again. I feel terrible that I made him suffer and cannot forgive myself.
I’m so sorry! But if it makes you feel any better, one of the most respected fish vets in the country believes that fish lack the necessary biological abilities to feel deep pain.
My oscar Tiki passed away peacefully today, He lost the battle to fin rot and fungus, it was a slow few weeks of pain, and I feel angry with myself for giving wrong medicine and not noticing the illness earlier. I may also have been impatient with his recovery. He was such a lively and happy fish, he brought me immense joy and I’m so sad he’s took a turn for the worst, and now he is no longer here. He would swim over to greet me whenever I approach his tank, yet always patient for me to feed him. He always looked at me with bright eyes. He was tiny but had big heart and soul. Will love him forever. Thank you all for letting me share my story.
Sorry for your loss of Tiki the Oscar, Genny! He sounded so sweet!
Thank you so much for this. I’m new to the hobby, and my first fish after years of not being around fish was a plakat betta, named bruce. Everything was going well, and I had an algae bloom. Decided to use AlgaeFix, as it claimed to be safe for fish. It wasn’t, with my fish getting more and more lethargic, until last night, when I turned off the lights, he was spastic, unable to swim upright and he just… died. I haven’t cried that much since my grandmothers calico cat died, and im absolutely heartbroken, I cant even look at the tank anymore. His death was born of my ignorance, and I feel horrible about it. We buried him last night, in a box my father made, padded with the plants and substrate from his tank. Reading this has helped me a lot, and thank you for letting me share what I did wrong. I’m not going to get another fish for a number of months, but I’ll be replanting and scaping the tank, to try and keep my mind from spiraling.
So sorry for your loss of Bruce, Hutter. This isn’t the first horror story I’ve heard about AlgaeFix or similar products. Makes me wonder what’s really in that stuff and doubt whether such products should be allowed on the market. Try not to feel too bad about this, I don’t blame you for what happened.
I’ve had a goldfish for 5 years which is over 1/3 of my life so I grew really attached to it but for some reason 24 hours ago it jumped out of its tank and killed itself. I don’t know why it did this but nothing like this happened before. I don’t know whether to replace him with the same looking fish to remember him or not since I have no pictures of him at all.
I did a water change in my tank and came back two hours later after putting my goldfish and algae eater back in and they both died. Im so distraught because i had them both for over 6 years. I feel like i killed them. I never had issues with ever changing their water before. They were my friends. I am a 35 year old woman and cant stop crying over guilt.
I have a real bad situation guys. I had a black moore but his colour kept staying all gold and i suspect the water conditions was bad. I am not allowed to use a lot of water where i live. I tried to sell him to give him a better life because my finances was worsening and couldnt get all the care items any more. A day or two back the pump stopped working and i unplugged it to get it better but didnt have time to get to it. Tonight when i wanted to feed him i noticed he passed away. Im so sad and feel like i failed him. Feels like everyone and everything is dying around me. I lost two parents to cancer and several pets to death. I now support my grandma and she is all i have left and one dog. Im a 25 year old male and feel misserable for causing him to die. I didnt know it would be this hard. It was such a joy to feed him. I just feel depressed and want to cry the whole night. I wish i could turn back time to save him.
Wow so sorry to hear that Johann. I made a similar mistake one time and felt so bad after I lost my 2 wiggle babies. We all make mistakes but you didn’t mean to and I’m sure you gave him a great life while you had him.
I had 7 fish but one day I was horrified to see 3 of them dead floating at the top. It was like a knife going through my head and I can’t help to feel like it’s my fault. I didn’t have time to clean the tank I was going to on that day but now I only have 4. Whenever I look at the tank it just feels so lonely and sometimes when I think about them I can’t help crying. But I know they are in a better place now and I loved them.
Aww sorry Alono. It’s a horrible feeling. At least you still have the 4 to enjoy
I lost my Betta today, he’s been absolutely insane for the past six days I’ve had him, he jumped into and then out of the filter cartridge, got stuck under a statue overnight because he went in and then couldn’t get out, got his fins stuck in the filter, and then was ultimately taken by slime disease. I was late to work to rush home and give him treatment, but it still wasn’t fast enough. I cried a lot, and I’m still really sad but I’m glad this was here to let me know I’m not crazy. Thank you <3
Sorry for your loss of your Betta Kriss. Glad the article helped you feel a little better.
So sad lost our goldfish of 6 years this morning my other goldfish is so sad in his tank seems lost they been together for over 6 years always swimming together and resting next to each other. It’s always hard never gets easy. Only a fish person would know ?
True. Sorry Nicole :'(
I lost my Oscar Cichlid named Busby a few days ago. I also lost my betta fish a week prior. I rescued Busby from walmart and instantly fell in love with his sassy personality. He was with me for three years, he was there to give the whole family a laugh. He’d blow kisses and splash around, he’d make a noises with the water. He was really sick when I got him. He stopped eating, we spent $100+ trying to save him, I spent two days calling veterinarians to see if they could see Busby. He got worse over the weekend, I made the hard decision to put him to sleep. Alone in my garage I filled a small container with water and some clove oil. He swam around violently, I put my hand in there and held him. Just like I did when he couldn’t keep afloat when he was sick. He rested in my hand and passed on. My whole family was really sad. I’ve been in and out of treatment for my PTSD and I feel awful that I wasn’t there to look for any warning signs. I feel really mad at myself for the loss of both of my fish. They both had amazing personalites. R.I.P Busby and Chase Atlantic.
RIP Buspby & Chase Atlantic, they will be sorely missed
I am so so sad right now. I feel extremely guilty and sad because I was changing the water, and the fish accidentally jumped in the sink, I tried to catch it but failed, and it just jumped into the tube, I couldn’t save it instead I killed it. I wasn’t meant to do that. It feels like I kill a creature, which is my lovely pet. Now there is only one fish in my fish bowl. (Last time, my another fish jump out of my fish bowl when I was sleeping, and I was so sad. I found out it’s because of lack of oxygen, then I fixed the problem. However, I still think of it from time to time.) But this time, I saw the fish left me in person, it’s extremely guilty and I don’t know what to do now. I think about the scene over and over again. I’m so afraid. Karma or something. And I love my fish. It just went away so fast. I’m overwhelmed by all the things I’ve experienced during such a short time.
Don’t blame yourself too much Kate, accidents happen. You loved your fish and didn’t want anything like that to happen on purpose <3
My Boyfriend and I bought a koi fish together and it was our first pet and he was happy but we thought it would be nice to expand the fish family so we got a bigger tank and more fish and he seemed happy but it’s been a week and I looked and he’s losing his color and he is starving himself while the other fish eat and swim together he isolated himself.. it makes me sad because I feel like it’s my fault that he’s stressed or feels left out. I don’t want our first little baby to die. It breaks my heart to slowly see him suffer.. all I can do is watch him sit at the bottom of the tank alone and sad. I’m trying to come to terms with his death before it happens because I see it happening very soon ??
Sorry to hear that, Amanda 🙁 There might be some things you can do to help him, depending on the cause. Have you looked into treating for internal worms?
my fish died today, and unfortunately i couldn’t give him a proper burial which makes me very sad. He was my first fish and i’ve had for a couple of years. He devolved a tumor and i didn’t know what to do. it made me feel terrible that he was in constant pain. This really helps me cope with what happened today ik i will be neeeded more time though.
Sorry for your loss Tyler. It does take a good while to feel better.
ISHU THE FISH ❤️?
I brought this fighter betta fish home last year on February 11. Although i thought I’d take care of the fish, it was my elder sister who took over the responsibility and loved the fish like a child. Over the course of time, everyone who came in the house only loved the fish and my sister gave it the best of environment to live, time to time making changes in the fish bowl, making it prettier and the fish happy everyday. ❤️❤️ With this much care and love our fish completed a year of it’s homecoming 10 days ago on Feb 11 2020.
A year ago all of my close friends bought pet fishes but unfortunately none of them lasted for long. So as our fish completed 1 year i was so happy thinking that we achieved a milestone. No one could have loved the fish more than my sister.
As the fish was a fighter betta fish it was kept alone in the bowl as fighter fishes tend to kill other fishes when kept together.
On february 16 I randomly got another fighter betta fish from the market thinking that may be they’d stay side by side and see each other and have some company. If not together in one bowl, atleast betta fishes can be neighbours and stay indulged that way.. so i brought another one home and placed it next to ishu the fish.
2 days ago when i got back home, my sister was sitting with ishu and she told me that the fish was ill and the symptoms are of this illness known as dropsy. Ishu’s belly was totally swollen and her scales were too visible.
There are no fish doctors in particular here in India. My sister did all the possible research and we kept her in salt water as suggested. Although the fish was swimming in it’s pot, it wasn’t ready to eat anything.
12 hours ago at midnight my sister came and said the fish isn’t anymore. Since then i am only crying. I wish i knew earlier i loved you this much ishu. Can’t believe you are not here anymore. My mother buried the fish in our garden this morning. I feel so so heartbroken now. I wish i could have spent some more time with you. After my sister got engrossed in ishu, i sort of didn’t take that much care of her as I didn’t thought of disturb their bonding and was in the belief that both of them were doing perfectly fine together and i would have never been such a good fish mom. But how i wish i would have seen you a little more, played with you a little more, sat near you a little more. ??? I just can’t stop crying. My heart aches terribly.
Maybe i shouldn’t have placed the new fighter fish near ishu. Maybe it all happened as she got stressed with the new ones presence which affected ishu’s immune system and she caught dropsy. I am in so much grief and guilt right now.
To my sister, there can never be a mom as good as you. ❤️?
To my new fish, i promise to love you a lot more and be around you all the time. I won’t miss on your moments this time. ❤️?
To Ishu the Fish, I love you kid. Sorry for not being there. I’ll pray wherever you are you stay in the best. I’ll always love you. You’ll stay with me forever. I miss you. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️??????????????????????????
Sorry for your loss of Ishu :'(
I know this is mainly for goldfish, but I just found out my beautiful betta Shimmer, of 5 years has passed away tonight. She was older I knew it was coming but when it finally happened I cried and cried I was heartbroken. I’m really devastated and healing. But this article is definitely very helpful and comforting. She was a beautiful betta fish who is no longer suffering and I hope she lives on in a better place. I love her that much.
Sorry for your loss, Caley. Shimmer will be sorely missed.
I appreciate this article very much. I felt silly and even apologized to my husband for crying when our betta died. I didn’t know how attached I was to him until he passed away. I feel so bad because he died from too cold of water. I didn’t realize the heater wasn’t working and the thermostat was giving me a false reading. I am thankful for having him in my life through studying for the NCLEX and being my buddy in this pandemic. God really did make creatures uniquely, especially humans, by making us yearn for relationships. God hates death, and I can’t wait for Him to take it all away one day when Jesus returns!
Sorry for your loss of your betta. Couldn’t agree more!
I lost my 14 year old goldfish one week ago today. I never had any issues with sickness until the last month and then I frantically researched and reached out to pet stores and people on line and made mistake after mistake and it resulted in Cleo\’s death. I was so uninformed. i am upset beyond my family\’s comprehension and feel guilty for failing my fish – who fought so hard to get better. I miss my fish.
So sorry to hear this Susan – you tried your best, don’t blame yourself.
my betta passed away tonight. his life was so short but he was a truly special fish. his name was bo and I had raised him from being a baby. we suspect he had ammonia poisoning. he stopped swimming around like he usually would. his tank was next to my bed and every morning i would wake up and see him looking at me. I cant help but blame myself but I also loved him so much. I’d take pictures of him everyday and write him messages for holidays. i really feel too sad to comprehend, but this helped. thank you❤️
Sophie, I’m sorry for your loss of Bo. He sounded like he had a great, spoiled life while he was with you.
My two Betta fish Peachy and Lightning died. It was so painful to see them lay on the ground in the tank. I really miss them so much ?? I’ve been crying for months. I really hope your fish don’t go through the same thing mine did. Thank you for your posts it was a comfort to read them.
Sorry for the loss of your bettas, Pet Lover. It’s so hard to say goodbye.
My betta pandora just passed away a couple days ago. It hurts so bad, and I can’t help but cry when I think about it. I had him a little under a year and he started getting sick. He was floating at the top of the tank constantly and I can’t help but fell like it’s my fault, because I didn’t know what to do. He was my first pet that I could call my own and it hurts knowing he’s not with me anymore. He would always cheer me up and he would follow my finger around the tank, and I even had a little work on a string next to his tank that he loved. We buried him in a Pandora’s box with his friend yesterday. This post has helped a lot. Thank you so much ?
Sorry for your loss of Pandora. You will feel better in time.
Thanks for this article. My first betta fish, Mino, died this morning by jumping out of his tank while I was asleep. I\’ve been feeling really guilty about not covering the sides of his tank or getting a lid for the tank, and I just really miss him. I only got him in December and I hate thinking about how he must have suffered. I\’ll try to think of the happy moments we shared, like when I would show him YouTube videos and how he would eat from my finger.
Sorry for your loss of Mino. Thinking of happy moments is a good way to overcome the grief.
I am so sad, my betta has swim bladder, he has lived for 3 years and I don\’t know if he will make it.
Sorry to hear that Joy 🙁 Hopefully he will pull through