Sniff. I'm feeling so sad.

[Emma-Liza]

One of the zebra danios in the aquarium I keep on my desk at work is dying. I usually don't witness their deaths...they just "disappear." (As in, the other fish eat them, for those of you without aquariums. ) It is really having a tough time, and I wondered if I ought to sequester it, but my aquarium expert friend says that unless the others are going after it, it's best to let it go without interference. It's painful to see, though. And I can't concentrate on work, or eat or anything.

I keep thinking "cycle of life" and since that will leave 3, it will be time to get 3 more (6 seems to be a good number for my 5-gallon tank, but I need to get at least 2 at a time, so they have allies). Zebra danios are not flashy fish, but they are lively and playful and happy. All of mine have lived for 2-3 years, which is a darn good longevity factor in such a tiny creature!

[Veganforlife]

Awwww, I feel for you. That bothers me when anything dies...

[beckx]

i'm sorry about the fishie. you must be a very good steward of them to give them such long healthy lives.

if you do decide to go the route of speeding up his passing, i've heard that one of the more humane ways is by putting it in a dish of water in the freezer... they just go to sleep.

best wishes to you and fishie.

[Emma-Liza]

beckx, I'm not sure I could do that! maybe...

Right now, I'm just telling him what a happy fish he has been and sending him love and reminding him that the universe surrounds him always with love and he can just pass when he's ready.

He knows I'm there because he responds a little when my face or hand is near the glass (I'm not touching it or getting super close, in case it would startle him.). They all associate my nearness with food. :)

[Emma-Liza]

Oh, man. That was excruciating, watching him struggle. But it's over now. I took him outside, scraped a little bit of soil up and put him under a tree. My friend found a rock and wrote in sharpie on it, "he was a happy fish." We put it down as a little marker, a bit under some ivy so it won't show! Very nice. And nobody got eaten.

Still. Sniff.

[Eva]

So -- not to be insensitive -- but did you freeze him, or what did you do?

What a sad thing to deal with. Sorry.

[Emma-Liza]

No, he didn't freeze! Anyway, I was only getting the cup to keep the other fish from nibbling on him while he was still alive. They keep their tank pretty clean.

My friend had suggested letting him spend his last hours safely in a cup, but I felt that he was going to go soon and wanted to be at home when he did it. I was turning to check on him every 10 minutes or so (the tank is behind me when I'm at the computer). He was "panting" and lying on his side and then the next time I turned around, he was upside down and motionless.

I'm really grateful to all my fish for their happy zest for life. They're good company, whether they know it or not!

[VibinOnLife!]

I'm so sorry that you lost your fishy. I had an experience like that with a beta once, and I vowed never to have fish again. I have an entirely different outlook now on holding things in captivity, and making a business/market out of holding the creatures of this earth hostage in small containers. Just my personal opinions, but I have come to believe that it is somewhat cruel to take something like a fish and place it in a quart or two or three of water for the rest of it's life. I do like the outdoor ponds and things like that where there is a larger community with more space to move around.

Anyway, sorry once again for your loss. I had to watch my fish die over an extended period. The pet store kept telling me things to do and guessing as to what was wrong, and in the end he died while I was out of town. My first and only fish. And he was beautiful. His name was Bahir, which is Arabic for "sparkling". He was a brilliant, dazzling blue.

[Emma-Liza]

vibin,

Your viewpoint is certainly logical. And I see that it comes from a very caring place. :)

I truly believe that no life is accidental; and some of us, human and nonhuman alike, have come here with the intention of interacting intimately (meaning "living with") with other species. And by the same token, many of us haven't.

The ones who want to will find each other. It feels inevitable to us. If this is not one of your life intentions, it might not make too much sense. If it is, even when they die, you don't stop wanting their presence in your life.

[Moretta]

Sorry to hear that. I hate to see anything die.

[Eva]

Aw, I actually got teary over here reading about the last moments. Sounds like it was at least a reasonably long life and certainly good company for you...