Betta Fish: This lil dude made me a better person and pet parent

Alright kind of a long sappy post. So I bought this little man after my previous betta of four years, Wernicke (Vern-ick-key) passed away. Wern was a wonderful fish. Angry as all heck, full of energy. He would come greet me fully flared every morning until I gave him a teeny pellet. Then he would wiggle all happy and he’d make the biggest bubble nests ever. He was about a year old when I bought him from my LFS. He also had a shorter tail and the store said they were struggling to sell him (cause he wasn’t the prettiest – their words). But I loved that fish for four years and gave him the best life I could. It was really really difficult watching him slow down. It’s crazy how you can see them aging; he looked elderly by the end. It was upsetting. I lowered the water, I bought him a little floating 3D-printed house. I tested water parameters daily. Time comes for all of us though: I couldn’t out-pristine old age. He passed and I felt just shattered (and that whole time was difficult as I had just lost my grandmother).

I would wake up and instinctively look at his tank and wince when he I wouldn’t see him. So when my friend came to visit and decided I get a new betta idk, I should have waited maybe… but at the time I thought it would help for a bunch of reasons. What I failed to realize was that I wanted Wernicke back! And these fish are personable. I wasn’t gonna just be able to replace him. Anyway. I got to the LFS and I see this guy. All they have are long tailed splendens and then this single alien hybrid. And there’s a reason he was still there… he was definitely sick. But he reminded me the most of Wern and I wanted a “special,” betta. Idk. So stupid in hindsight! (I promise this story has a great ending).

First few days… he’s sick (looked like a swim bladder issue). And ofc he’s scared. Hiding and fleeing from me when I approached. I was struck with regret. Not only was he nothing like my previous betta, but he was also like genuinely at the time struggling to swim. I thought about returning him but felt horrible at the idea of him going back to a small glass .5 gallon vase, probably to be passed up on just to wither away. So I did some research on his condition. I treated him, accepting that there was a chance his wonky genetics meant he was permanently disabled.

Every day he got stronger. Every day his personality came through a little more. No. He’s not Wernicke. He’s his own fish. He doesn’t have the same “I want to watch the world burn,” rage of Wern. But he’s curious and nimble and absolutely swims up to me now. He’s a little cheeky (I must sound crazy). And he’s a GLUTTON! A single pellet will not satisfy my boy. But I’m being strict with not over feeding even if he’s so cute when he wiggles. I love him. He made me realize that buying fish can’t be for the human. It has to be for the fish. He made me realize I need to think way more before committing to an animal, even if I had the exact same species before. He made me appreciate his uniqueness. Meet Thomas!