Rainbow, my Betta fish, appears to have dropsy, a very serious condition. Which ironically set in shortly after he was dropped. Technically, he jumped out of the little fishy net I was using to move him from one container to another while I was cleaning his tank, but regardless of how he got there, he dropped and landed on the floor! I felt absolutely horrible, and still do, especially since dropsy is apparently usually fatal.
Rainbow and I could really use your positive and supportive prayers, vibes, Reiki and love for his complete recovery to happy health. Rainbow is my little buddy! He keeps me company while I work, and normally is perky, energetic and friendly. He’s very cute! But right now, he’s swollen and kind of gray, rather than his usual sleek gorgeous blue.
So, my prayer is that he returns to his normal healthy cobalt blue in all the right places, that his body, particularly his kidneys, is able to flush out all the toxins properly and returns to its healthy shape, that he regains his healthy appetite, and his fins fan out happily.
As I started taking the pictures and video for this post, he started swimming around more than he has in days! So hopefully, the positive vibes are already working! I’ll keep you posted, and please feel free to leave prayers and well-wishes in the comments section below, as well as any advice if you know what you’re doing with Bettas, because I’m still learning.
Thank you!!
Here are some pictures of Rainbow today:
Here are the sites I’ve found with what seems to be the best information on Betta dropsy:
- http://www.bettatalk.com/answer129.htm — bloated betta
- http://www.bettatalk.com/answer123.htm — signs that a betta is sick
- http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm — common betta diseases
- http://www.bettatalk.com/answer125.htm — healthy food suggestions for bettas, which include peas, avocado, and freeze-dried blood worms! In very small amounts, of course!
- http://www.nippyfish.net/dropsy.html — some really disheartening pics on this page, but you can really see what dropsy looks like
Peacock & Paisley Blog
PS Midnight: You gave Anchovi a good life. He was lucky to have you, and you know you were brought together for the better of both of you.
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j117/soloclover/AnchoviinhisNeontank.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j117/soloclover/Anchovisfirsttank.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j117/soloclover/methere.jpg
I hope I linked these right, if not, try try again. Here are a few little pics, my little anchovi (BIG anchovi, he was the biggest betta ever!) I got him from the back of a shelf at a dollar store near a pizza shop I had worked at, he stayed there for a while as a moral booster, he was loved. realizing he needed more love, and more room, he was brought home to live in a 5 gallon tank like a big boy. he absolutely loved it. see those reads? he LOVED those reeds. would play through them all day, and really loved it if you played too. would jump at my finger, and come swimming over so fast to see ya you’d think he would hit the side of the tank! lol. a great stress relief , I recommend a betta for anyone.
PS From Heather: Thanks, Midnight, this is a really nice tribute to Anchovi. Thank you for sharing. I miss Anchovi and I’d never even met him in person. And I miss Rainbow. If you feel like it, keep us posted on how you’re doing, what you learn, any ways that Anchovi says hi to you.
Oh, Midnight! I’m so sorry!!!
Sending you and Anchovi Love and Light! I will be thinking of you both, praying, and Reiki-ing. I’m only glad that Anchovi is no longer suffering — he’s been released from that.
I’m super glad that you are looking after your health and your path in this life, and very happy that I’ve helped in some way with that. Anchovi helped you alot, and with kindness and grace as well as love. The timing of his transition was meant to help you, which you are aware of, one final this-life message. Once it was clear that you know what you need to work on right now, he was able to leave. Our animal companions are really loving, sensitive, kind, gentle, insistent, persistent helpers.
If you’d like to send me some pictures, I’d be happy to put them up.
Heather;
To the last seconds Anchovi was by my side, us telling each other how much we cared. He died shortly after 2:30 this afternoon. Keep him in your thoughts now, he has a long journey ahead.
And thank you. Your words, thoughts, and healing have touched me. And your words struck another cord. I have always had kidney problems, my entire life, and lately, have wondered how healthy I really am right now. Not to mention life’s other stresses. I have always had a strong spiritual connection to the energy in this world around us, and maybe I had lost perceptive on my energy, my spirituality.
As we know death is the sign of changes, not endings, Life has been leading toward a lot of changes lately, I am not sure I was paying attention. Your words where almost a smack on the back of the head for me, a good one. Your words, so prophetic, where part of a change for me. Today I told my little guy How much I loved him, I feel that he said the same. Taking your message to heart I promptly went to brew up a tea my mother always gave me, a mixture of chamomile mint and Valerian ( yuck Valerian) with a drop of lemon. Then came back to see my little guy, and he had passed. A true sign for me.
Such a shock, this starts another chapter for me. Along with paying attention to general heath, I think it is time for me to start my path. My Astrology, my readings, they have always pointed to me being an older soul, ( while I am only 23) I feel my journey here is to find strength in my spirituality ( as different as it may be) , and maybe I am even one of the lucky few put here to guide others, as you have for me.
Tonight and in the many days ahead I will be spending some time for my meditations, Thinking about Anchovi, and the positive change this is for his soul. He will is a strong energy, a great one, and will be something more. I will also be thinking about Myself, trying to bring things back down here, to earth. Please, Hold both of us in your thoughts and meditations. I have a lot of bad feelings and energy swelling right now, please pay extra attention to that when sending your heart. I feel that with that little extra bump of help things can be cleansed.
Thank you heather.
Unfortunately, My wonderful little guy anchovi is showing a lot of bad symptoms, it is Dropsy. I am utterly devastated over the little guy he was such a trooper and a very social one at that. always came to say hi, He always fanned out in a way that was almost flirty or just saying hi! Right now he is very lethargic, lost color, and isn’t really trying to move much, i have fashioned a little sling in his hospital tank to keep him close to the surface, although he seems content with swimming up to get his air still, and still tries very hard to get to my side of the tank to say hi. This is killing me, I would love if someone out there would send the little guy some Reiki and think of him and his journey ahead. thank you for posting your story too~Midnight
Hi Midnight,
I’m so sorry! I started sending Anchovi Reiki before I’d even finished reading your comment, and I’m sending you Reiki, too.
Anchovi, even in his struggles, loves you so much that he’s reassuring you that he loves you no matter what, no matter where. Hopefully, he’ll recover, but if he crosses over, be open to receiving signs from him, letting you know he’s in touch even if he doesn’t have a physical body here to do that with. Color, music, something to do with his toys, or his favorite food….. Rainbow’s favorite food was something we here in New England call “minges” — teeny little black flies. He wouldn’t eat mosquitoes or houseflies, just these minuscule little things. Took quite a bit of “Karate Kid” mind control for me to catch them and bring them to him live, but I did, and he loved it. They’re out of season here, but as soon as he died, they started showing up. I know they’re his (now not-so) secret way of saying hi to me, all is well, and we’re still connected.
I’m so sorry that you and Anchovi are going through this, and hopefully he’ll recover. But these things always help us start thinking about life, our connection with Spirit and other living things, and our attitude and approach to death and what’s on the other side. And, Anchovi’s illness gives you time to clear things between you, settle any issues, and prepare yourself for what will happen eventually.
The other thing you may want to consider is that often our pets will take on some of our physical illness in order to help us. Dropsy, from what I could find in my research, has to do with impaired kidney functioning. You may want to look at how your own kidneys are doing. And, underneath that, are you “pissed off” at someone, even yourself? Are there things you need to clear in yourself? Be careful with your own health, too, and drink a lot of tea and clean water and lemon juice to help flush toxins out of your body. If you think that kidney issues may be going on for you, ease off the animal-based protein for a while and eat more beans, tofu, and legumes instead. They’re easier for the kidneys to process.
Sending you and Anchovi Love, Light, and Highest Healing,
Heather
Hi Brenda,
Rainbow crossed over in the wee hours Saturday morning. When I woke that morning, he was gone.
I had lowered his water level at one point, but he didn’t seem to like that — less room to swim around in, I think. And he wasn’t having any trouble swimming or surfacing or going down to the bottom. He liked hanging out at the top of the jar, where it curves over. I also had seen that info about salts, which seemed like maybe it made sense, but it was on a very commercialized site which was selling such salts. The most reputable and informative site I found said that nothing had ever worked for her. I also talked with a friend who has huge extensive complex tanks of more exotic fish, and he said also that nothing had ever worked for him. So, I hoped he would recover, but chose not to experiment on him with nasty chemicals.
I buried Rainbow with two morning glory blossoms under an apple tree, right near where I had buried my sweet kitty a few years ago.
Thank you for asking, Brenda.
All the best,
Heather
I was just reading about this – seeing that pic on Nippyfish.net almost made me burst into tears. I’m sorry – I didn’t see an update, so I hate to ask if Rainbow is OK, but I know Dropsy is not good…
In the meantime, I saw some good advice, that according to your pics, doesn’t look like you have implemented yet. Might be worth a try and will make Rainbow more comfortable for whatever journey he is on right now.
“Lowing the tank water level and placing plants in the tank will allow him easier access to the surface for air. Some aquarists will fashion a sling out of netting and place it just below the water’s surface allowing the betta to always stay near his air supply”
and
“to relieve the discomfort of bloating add 1/2 tsp aquarium salt per gallon of water. This will help to draw some of the fluids out and relieve pressure. Aquarium salt can be purchased at your local fish store.”
Sending good vibes that he is OK.
Please let me know. As a fishy lover myself, I will wonder.
xoxo
Brenda
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