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Please excuse the rant in this post...

Yesterday, as you know I was not at school, and had a substitute. When I got back today I noticed Margarito's tank water had the bluish appearance that the medicated betta cups have at the stores. This was aggrivating so at lunch/conference I started removing the water and emptying the tank, going to do a water change. Due to the fact I was disturbing the water and gravel, I found that some nitwit had chewed a piece of gum and put it in the tank with him.

I immediately caught Margarito in the cup I was using to dip water out (actually a votive candle holder) and dumped out the rest of the water, then rinsed, rinsed, rinsed, and rinsed the tank some more...

I refilled the tank, treated it with chlorine remover, and Melafix...I floated him and did the aclimation thing, and finally let him loose.

Since then Margarito has not been moving and swimming as he normally does. He doesn't seem as responsive as he usually is to those around, and he usually is an active fish.

Of course this concerns me. It is the weekend, and I won't be back to class until Monday.

So should I take him home? Should I leave him? Folks what should I do? Which would be best? Would the trip (about an hour to an hour and a half roughly, and the truck's aircondition isn't working) be overly stressful for him?

Someone please help He really is a good betta. I'm going to start sending kids into search and kill mode, and when I find out who did it they will be sent to the office, and I will be demanding a parent conference.

Also I have some more chlorine remover stuffes, melafix, and some aquarium salt handy, and of course i can run to the lfs here if need be...someone please help

Thanks folks,
heidi

PS here is a picture of him from a few minutes ago. excuse the quality, i'm using the cell camera...heidi



houston attached this image:


"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Even at the risk of stressing him some more I believe I would take him home where I could keep my eye on him. He may just be stressed from having a little set of hands in tank. Who knows what the person did while inserting gum!!! ]:| You'll feel better if he's at home with you this weekend. You won't sleep a wink thinking that he'll be dead when you get back on Monday!!!

Just MO! Hope everything works out!!!

---

~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

take him home, when i get some bettas during a rescue mission i am about 3 hours from home, and they travel with me for like 3 days, but(they are probably the only bettas living large in the bath tub in a 5 X * hotel in altantic city, they love it, they dont get to stressed out, so heidi they do well in a hot environment so thjat car ride wont be too bad, go for it.

Ok for now I left him there since my truck inside was easily over 110* degrees, and there is no a/c right now in the truck Ok no big deal I know, I know...it's fall who needs a/c crank up the heat No thanks, it's hot enough without...the trip home tonight was a nice casual 2 hr drive of stop, go, floor it, slam on breaks, creap, creap, floor it, slam on breaks...i don't think he would have made it home His tank temp runs about 75 or so...I think going up to 90*+ degrees in that little bit of time then dropping the temp again once we got home would have done him in...as do some others out here I guess for now I have to hope and pray he makes it through...right before i left i gave him a small pinch of food and he did come up and get some, so i take that as a positive...I guess I'll know tomorrow morning one way or another Here's hoping....

Oh and the Assistant Principal has encouraged me to find out who did it or who i think did it and write them up, he will be sure to take care of the nimwit...and after looking to see who all was written up from yesterday and who was there, there is only 1 obvious answer]:|I hope he's ready for CEP (alternative school) he's soon to go if this doesn't push him over the edge]:|

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Hi everyone

Good news found me when I finally made it to school this morning (only took 2 hrs]:|--would people please learn to drive, and that no you can't suddenly decide that you want to drive the other way on the highway and jump the guardrail)

Anyways, once I got to school this morning, I found Margarito alive in his tank. He seemed a little sullen, and peeved at the world. (I don't think he really enjoys the weekends alone) So once I got the kids started on their assignment I fed him, and he flaired up and did his little betta dance telling me how happy he was I was back. He seems better than Friday thankfully, and hopefully with the new tank I'm going to put him in (Eclipse 6 Gallon I bought at the auction yesterday) the kids won't be able to easily get into the hood

So alls well, that ends well...and I've got a reward of a goody bag for whoever can give me information to prove who did this Figure I'll get something with that offer

heidi

Last edited by houston at 25-Oct-2005 12:51

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

I was wondering earlier how Margarito was....I'm so glad your little fishy friend is okay. If America's Most Wanted won't post your story then the goody bag reward should be the next best thing!!!

Glad he's okay

---

~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

Good news that your Betta is Ok.


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Hi happy to hear your betta boys doing better! I have a betta at school I share with my teacher and we have a big problem with the football players in my class taping his tank]:|

hmmm, would it be possible to set up a webcam or something on the tanks? not only would you be able to see her on the weekends you would be able to catch the culprit in the act.
just a thought

a webcam sounds like a wonderful idea, but i can see a couple of problems with it

There are many parents who would flat out have a flipping cow about their *cough* innocent little angels *cough* being filmed Doesn't the computer have to be on to do this? And well of course I wouldn't trust leaving it at school without me being there, knowing my someone would take it or break it and of course there is the fact that my school computer is way outdated kind of sad that it's "a new wonderful computer" and it's running windows 98

Anyways Margarito is doing well, and swimming happily though he still goes and hides behind the filter (HOB) when this particular class comes in

heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle