Death of a blue angel

She wasn’t the first Betta I bought or the second or third, but she was special to me. I experimented with two female Bettas, one blue and the other red. The red was smaller than the blue one, so naturally, it was target practice for blue. It started with nipping then chasing one another around the tank. The two later became the best of friends after natural enemies.

After my initial Betta attempt went awry after an hour's drive from Fort Wayne, I took a chance on the two colorful beauties. There are many choices of Bettas at Pet Smart, and I can’t describe why I choose certain fish over the other, but I chose those two females. Feeding the two was war, and space was limited, which I didn’t know at the time contributed to the tension.

The two were placed in a rightful 10-gallon tank filled with pink substrate, artificial caves, and natural plants. I tried separating the two with one of those tank dividers, but I found the red fish had somehow made its way to the blue Betta’s side of the tank. I still can’t wrap my head around that Houdini monstrosity.

"I knew it would be better for her here rather than sitting on a shelf in a small cup. I will miss her very much."

A couple of additional tank mates later, and it was one giant family cohabitating wonderfully. During her final months, she stopped eating and hung out by the tank filter 24/7, to the point where she began losing scales from her body producing white spots. I brushed it off as she continued swimming around and poked her head out of hiding spots every so often.

I moved the fish into separated fishbowls to make cleaning much easier. She died May 27 where I found her facing downward and not swimming. After cleaning the bowl, I couldn’t bring myself to put away the bowl as it symbolized more than a piece of fish supplies. I like to think I gave her the best life possible away from the natural waters. The empty bowl still sits on the shelf.