# Owen died :(



## Harrison and Owen (Jun 12, 2014)

Owen died last night and it was kind of sudden. I definitely did not expect it. He had been exhibiting some strange (for him) behavior in the last few weeks, but I treated him with an antibiotic and he seemed back to normal. He ate well the night before and the morning of. I did a water change and I know I didn't forget his Prime conditioner. He was dead by the evening when I went to feed him and noticed him behind his cave.

Poor Owen. I nursed him back to health about a year ago from a hideous case of fin rot and he seemed to be doing well. But the fact is I only had him for a year and 3.5 months so I feel like I wasn't as good a fish keeper as I thought. Our other fish Cherry is still alive but I don;t anticipate a robust life span as he has never been a great eater.

Goodbye Owen. For such a little fish you sure had a big personality.


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## Betta44 (Aug 9, 2015)

SIP Owen. I am sorry for your loss. Maybe it was just his time to go. Sounds like you were keeping a close eye on him.


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## Harrison and Owen (Jun 12, 2014)

I was trying to. The behaviors he exhibited that were out of the ordinary were not finishing his food or eating a few pellets and then darting away to hide like something startled him. He never did that before. He also had moments of lethargy where he would just hang out on the bottom of the tank. But that was about three weeks ago and he had seemed to bounce back after the antibiotic. 

I think the stress of the water change is what did it. He always was a super stressed fish.


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## BettaFire682 (Apr 27, 2015)

Hope you feel better, and a piece of advice, before you populate your tank after a water change you have to let the tank set for at least 12 hours so the water does not kill them.


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## PurpleJay (Jan 4, 2015)

Condolences. It's always bad to lose fish. May he swim happy and free of illness.

BettaFire, that isn't true. It takes at most 15 minutes for water conditioner to settle in, and then your betta can go straight back home. However, I always wait 30 minutes or more, just to be sure. There is no reason to wait as long as 12 hours, though.


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## Harrison and Owen (Jun 12, 2014)

I never removed him from the tank for water changes. Too stressful for him. I always let the water sit before gently adding in the new water. 

It's been a few days and while everyone else in my family is over it, I am not. I miss Owen. He was a great fish.


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## Betta44 (Aug 9, 2015)

Keeping in you thought. I am sorry for your loss.


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## dannifluff (Jul 5, 2015)

I'm sorry for your loss Betta44. Sometimes it's just their time, no matter what we do.


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## Betta44 (Aug 9, 2015)

Hi. I actually haven't lost a fish. But thank you. I dread the day when I do, though. It's amazing how quickly we get attached to these little fish, isn't it?


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## dannifluff (Jul 5, 2015)

Betta44 said:


> Hi. I actually haven't lost a fish. But thank you. I dread the day when I do, though. It's amazing how quickly we get attached to these little fish, isn't it?


Oh, apologies! Name confusion. My condolences to *Harrison and Owen*, and I completely agree Betta44, I hate the thought of losing any of my three, even though I know one day it will come.


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## Scottjwilson1987 (Sep 25, 2015)

Good morning everyone, I'm a new member here but the new member thread was "invalid" and this is the first thread i've read. Sorry to hear about Owen. I was gutted when my Betta died, they have so much personality. After my Betta passed I bought a few Tetras instead rather than getting another Betta, wish I hadn't, I miss having a Betta!


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## Betta44 (Aug 9, 2015)

No worries, Dannifluff.  It's good to know that there are people out there that get how much our fish mean to us.


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## Harrison and Owen (Jun 12, 2014)

I just wish I knew what he was sick with. An illness? Just a compromised immune system? Age alone seems unlikely, I didn't have him that long and he couldn't have been more than a few months old when I brought him home.


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## dannifluff (Jul 5, 2015)

I think that a genetic propensity to illness is a little more common in Bettas than it can seem at first due to the way they are bred - like any species bred for looks above utility, it can result in some genetic issues. As long as you are on top of your husbandry, you can't beat yourself up about it. If you're interested, there's a thread on Tropical Fishkeeping about mycobacteria and how common it may/may not be, as there are many strains of it and it's possible some sort of unexpected bacterial infection caused your little guy to pass. It's a bit of a 'scary' thread but I recommend reading it with an open yet critical mind... not to scare yourself or panic about catching anything, but it may help you to understand that the Bettas we buy have unknown pasts and breeding histories... and really, we have no way of knowing what issues they may have. Even experienced fish keepers get caught out with sick Bettas.

My biggest advice is to research and care for your fish properly, to treat illness as sensibly as you can at the earliest opportunity (without panicking) and to have a bottle of clove oil on hand at all times, and not be afraid to do the humane thing if your fish is clearly suffering. Life is fragile and precious, and no matter how short or long your Betta's is, if he's in a nice tank with warm clean water and plenty of soft decor and tasty food, then you've given him a good one


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## Harrison and Owen (Jun 12, 2014)

He was in an Aqueon tank as well. I removed the carbon from his filter because I always had Indian Almond Leaf in there and I didn't want the carbon to neutralize the benefits. But our other fish, Cherry, is in a Fluval tank and it just seems like a more sophisticated tank. I don't know. I will check that thread out. I am beating myself up for not dosing him with Kanaplex again. Maybe he just needed another dose. I just didn't expect it. When he was very ill a year ago with terrible fin rot, I came very close to euthanizing but he was so full of life and eating so well, I decided not to. He was in such bad shape though, that I guess nursing him back to health gave me confidence that I knew my fish keeping. The sudden death really caught me off guard.


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