Too Hot

So yesterday, I got my roomie a new betta fish as hers had passed away a couple of days earlier and she wanted to replace him.

Didn't think much about it after I gave her the fish, beyond the typical hope after I give people fish, that it doesn't die. 

But then later tonight.

My roomie came to me saying that her fish was weird because he was swimming upsidedown. 

O.o

Upsidedown....isn't a good sign.

Though usually when I see fish swimming upsidedown it's a swim bladder sort of issue.

So I came upstairs to check out the fish.

And found him upsidedown on the gravel, gills flaring rapidly as the fish struggled to breathe.

It was...odd. 

So I had my roomie get a net so we could poke him and get him to move just so I could see how he was acting.

And he spazzed for a second before going back to the bottom....still upside down. 

I don't quite remember what I did next.

But I did end up touching the side of the tank.

And it was very warm to the touch.

Warmer than it should be. 

As even with a heater in the tank, the water usually ends up still feeling cold to the touch.

So the fact that the water felt warm....

Meant that the tank was probably far too warm for the betta to be able to survive.

As I've made that mistake a couple of times doing betta water changes where I'd made the new water too warm for the fish to be able to survive.

Which meant that I now had a solution.

The solution.

Cool down the tank.

Put the fish in cooler water.

So I had my roomie unplug the heater so it wouldn't be heating the water anymore.

And then I did multiple water changes in the tank.

Taking out a cup of water, putting in a cup of cold water, taking out a cup of water, putting in a cup of cold water, until I got the small tank feeling cooler to the touch.

The betta was still acting oddly when I left the room, but he wasn't acting as odd as he had when the water had been warmer, so at this point I'm just hoping that the cooler temperatures in the tank helps him to recover. 

I think he will.

But time will tell.

Until you next read these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi