# SIP Azure, my flare monster



## Tourmaline (Nov 23, 2015)

I've suffered my first heartbreak today.. It's very hard. For me even more so. I lost one of my favorite Bettas today to my ignorance. I failed him, and I can't take it back. He's gone forever. Please, people, jump proof your tanks. If you don't have a lid, get a lid. Make some kind of lid, please. If your lid has gaps, cover the gaps with craft mesh or something. Don't make the mistake I made. Even if you've never had a Betta jump, just get a lid.. A good lid with no gaps. Just don't risk it. 

5 months ago I went into Petco to get my third Betta. I had just gotten into the hobby a month prior, everything was still new to me. I picked up this little white speckled EEHM, with these gorgeous blue eyes, and I fell for him. He was almost begging me to get him out of that molded food and poop filled cup, he was so handsome, he didn't deserve to be there. He came home with me on December 2nd, 2015. The ammonia in his cup was off the charts.. He was clamped and unhappy, but the second he was in his tank, he was a little flare monster. The first time I put my finger to his tank, he puffed up and showed me just how gorgeous he was. The first name that popped into my head was Azure.. He had this light blue iridescence that shone in the light. 
View attachment 792866​A few days later, I finally caved and went with my first choice, his name was Azure, and boy, was he was a menace. Man, he was fiesty. There was no calming this fish. Everything was his enemy, me, my dogs, a pencil, a plant, his filter, food, everything.. And I loved him dearly for it. The fiesty Bettas are the ones that can steal hearts. He'd flare at my phone a lot too. He always seemed to pose so perfectly for me as he got older. He turned into one of my most gorgeous Bettas. Long flowy fins, and the show off personality to match them. He's the Betta that truly made me admire halfmoons, and how gorgeous they can be.
View attachment 792874​Sometime today, the one Betta of mine who has never tried to jump out, jumped. The one day I wasn't home, when I'm never gone for long, he jumped. The one day I couldn't save him, the one day I stayed out all day, the one day no one was home.. And now he's gone. I don't know why he did.. Maybe he was trying to get a bug, maybe he saw something, maybe something spooked him, but he jumped.. And he was able to jump because I was careless and jump proofed every tank but his, thinking he would never do something like that. 

I'm going to miss him.. I have been frustrated with him lately, he turned into a fin biter, and I've frustrated myself trying to figure out why for the last month or so, and I wish I could take it back.. I got upset over aesthetics, and now he's gone and I'll never get to wake up to his little monster behind flaring at me ever again, or get to see his still gorgeous short messy fins. I'll always have the image of him dried out and stuck to the table burned into my mind. 

Swim in peace, Azure, my flare monster. Sorry I wasn't careful enough, and sorry that you had to be a lesson to me. You didn't deserve to die like that.. I wanted you to grow old and go on your own terms, not like this. I won't ever fail another Betta.


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## LittleMan (Jan 16, 2016)

oh no !!!!
So, so sorry to read this. 

This is all such a learning curve to us newbies. 
We do the best we can and THANKFULLY we have not only intelligent support on this site but emotional as well. 

So sorry for your loss of this handsome baby; all our destinies are written in the stars. We take away what we can from our experience and do better as we go

Please dont beat yourself up, you did a fine job, this is something that just happens, we cannot ever predict. 
So sorry.


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## Tourmaline (Nov 23, 2015)

I know.. Thank you. I just wish I would have prevented this. I was so careful with my others, covering every gap, but not his. I can't help but feel bad.


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## DangerousAngel (Mar 26, 2015)

Oh my gosh! I'm SO sorry. I just lost Buttons to jumping too. It's hard to not beat yourself up, I know, but I know Azure, and Buttons don't blame us for what happened. He knew how loved he was, and I'm sure if you could see him, he'd give you a big flare. SIP beautiful boy <3


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## firewood04 (Dec 24, 2015)

I am so sorry that he decided to make that jump into the everlasting River when you weren't expecting it but now he can flare at all the other wonderful things there under the Rainbow bridge. We can never be sure that we are doing everything for our fish all the time. We try really hard to protect them but we can never be 100% all the time. It was a very hard lesson for you but you will never forget again. I am so sorry he made that jump and I am so sorry that you feel so responsible for it that you are beating yourself up about it. Azure wouldn't want you to feel so guilty about it. Azure Loved you and loved what you did do for him. He would have given you a break here because unexpected things sometimes happen that we don't expect! SIP Azure! Be comforted Tourmaline!


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## Richiko06 (May 2, 2016)

Poor Azure I feel the same about Namine..if only I had been there😞 but they wouldn't want us to feel guilty. Peace be with you and may the force be with you


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## mingking (Mar 7, 2016)

Azure was beautiful and he was definitely happy, especially because of you. Thank you for sharing his story with us!


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## Francis the Docile Dragon (Apr 20, 2016)

​​​​​​​​​​​​​( ◡ _ ◡,) So sorry.


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