Farewell to Oscar

Well you may already know, but Oscar died last week. I knew it was coming. He had been getting pretty old (I think). I had him for about 18 months, which is pretty good I'd say for my first ever fish. And I think he was already at least a year old when I got him becuase he was already pretty big for a beta.

Oscar was a funny fish. He would get really excited when he saw people. He would flare and show off for you too. When you gave him food, he would jump up and attack it. If you made faces at him he would make faces back (puff his gills out). He was a good fish. He was pretty too. When I first got him he was a pretty teal color with a dark face. As he aged, he developed some red on his fins in addition. As he got old, his color started to dull and his face started to turn grey. It really did!! His scales were a silver color. I don't know if that is normal, but it seemed that way.

A couple months ago his swim bladder failed...meaning he lost the ability to float. So he would just sit at the bottom and stare at you. I think this made him depressed becuase while at first he would still eat and get excited when he saw you, he couldn't swim very well. Eventually he stopped eating as much and took to laying in the oddest positions, sometimes on his side, sometimes his nose pointing strait up. I knew it was getting close the last couple days before he died becuase he started laying upside down (belly up) and couldn't figure out how to turn back over. That can never be good right?

Farewell Oscar. He is in fish heaven now.