So, apparently, bathroom breaks are another thing that I can no longer do alone. As I used the bathroom, my 3 yo son climbed onto our bar where our fish bowl was kept, and accidentally knocked it down. The bowl shattered on the floor, and the fish was out of water for about 7-10 minutes. I thought he was dead, but after securing my son in a different location, I went to clean up the mess and the fish started flopping around. I picked him up and put him in clean water, but it's tap water and I know that it's not the best for the fish. So, a few questions....
1) What's the best way to care for my fish right now, and what should I watch for?
2) If the fish dies, how should I tell my son about it. I want him to understand that his actions have consequences, but I don't want it to sound too harsh or blaming.
3) What do you think an appropriate age is for keeping fish? Since I did all the feedings and maintenance, I thought it'd be ok to have a fish at his age, but I guess he's still too curious right now.
I have placed the fish in a different room where I can lock the door, and I did not tell my son where I put him so that he doesn't try to go looking for him. I never thought I'd feel so guilty and empathetic over a fish, but I'm really bummed out right now and feel rotten for letting this happen.
So Pete the Fish is still alive and doing quite well. Those Betta's are very resilient!! Thanks for the great suggestions!
i have about 6 big tropical fish one time one fish jump out the tank and he was maybe like 10 min and he died 3 days later you need to see how he is swimming if he is doing in different way like always so he is gonna died if not maybe he is gonna make it is just wait and see .don't feel guilty about a fish
Beta can be good in an size container. Tap water should be fine unless there is a chlorine in it. Then I would use bottled water.
Watch him and see if he is still swimming around.
M.
How old is the betta? Their life span is not that long (3-5 years and they are 6 months to a year when you buy them). Set out some fresh water and let it sit at least overnight and use that for a 25% water change. You can also buy additives to neutralize the chlorine.
If the fish dies, I wouldn't worry about telling your son that it was a result of his actions (it might not be; it might be a combination of that, the water, age, and who knows what else). The fish will die at some point, and this is actually a good thing for them to learn about. Better to learn about death on a gradient.
I remember when I was pregnant with my second child, one of 3 goldfish died and I sobbed to my husband "how does anyone expect me to keep 2 children alive when I can't keep a fish alive?" LOL! I understand why you are bummed but it's one of those things. Having fish when they are little is fine as long as you factor safety in. A larger more stable tank might be a better choice. And if you put it up high he will try to climb. I have a 5 gallon Eclipse hexagonal tank that I keep on a table tall enough so that he can see the fish but not reach the opening.
My 3 yo daughters betta died a little bit ago. It was from being put in tap water (I did treat it, but either it was too cold, too much chlorine, etc.) or a new tank (that may not have been cleaned enough) too quickly. He was barely swimming, not eating, then he started semi floating sideways and upside down. It was about 3 days after the accident that he died. Our tank broke. I also felt guilty because I felt it was my fault. My daughter cried and cried. She still talks about how she misses Mr. Fishy. We told her that it is ok to miss things that we love when they die. We also had a type of funeral for the fish. She got to say goodbye to him and tell him that he was a good fish friend. We referenced the movie Finding Nemo and said that Mr. Fishy needed to go back to the ocean. All drains lead to the ocean in Finding Nemo so flushing him down wasn't as traumatic for her. Good luck. If you get a new tank, I would make sure that you have a stable one. While you are setting it up, mention that we don't want to break this one so we don't hurt our fish. That is part of taking care of animals. I would also start letting him help you feed the fish so he has some ownership in taking care of him.
I think your biggest concern is that your son understand that climbing is not safe because he can get hurt, glass can break, and broken glass can hurt us. I think he is too young to understand that fish die when they are out of water. I wouldn't mention any sort of actions and consequence at this age (about the fish). If he dies, you should just be honest and say the fish has died...keep it simple.
