After  having your pet fish for a while and bonding with them as they become part of the family, one of the most devastating thing is to watch them die or to wake up one morning to see them not moving. This is my experience of losing my beloved pet.

Some pets die suddenly, while others go through a slow painful process. I sometimes wonder which is better. When you love your pets, you don’t want to seem them suffer, but also don’t want to see them go either. From experience, I’ve come to realize that it’s better they go quickly and painlessly as possible, than to see them suffer for days. However, there’s no guarantee what their fate will be.

Some of my pet fishes died slowly, and it was painful to watch. I think they just didn’t want to leave me. I had one who always swam up to me when I went to visit him at the tank, even though you could tell he was in pain. It was so touching to know that a small little creature can have such love for his owner.

Does Pet Fishes Show Emotion?

Fish loyalty is real. I didn’t know that until I experienced the loss of my beloved pet fish. I had two fishes in the tank, and they were best buddies. When one of them got sick and looked like he wasn’t going to make it, his friend stuck by his side. He would lay down with his sick friend as if to comfort him in his time of need. This photo spoke for itself, that fishes can be loyal, even more than some human beings.

The orange one is healthy, and the other one is dying. So, the orange fish stopped playing and laid on the gravel facing his sick friend, who died three days later. His fish instinct must have kicked in, telling him to be there for his best friend and brother in times of need. This is what you call “friend till the end”.

Happy Memories to Ease the Pain of Losing a Pet

I try to only think about the great times we spent together. They were all so special in their own ways. All my fishes had their own individual personality, which made them unique.

I remember when I just got them from the pet shop, I was so excited to wake up in the  mornings to see them, and they were just as excited to see me… well, it did take a while for them to get used to me. After they got used to me feeding them and giving them fish treats, they looked forward to seeing me come to the fish tank to visit them.

To keep my beloved pet fish memory alive, I transplanted a little house plant and placed it near the fish tank. It was a plant that my fish loved to look at when he was sick. I am pleased to say that when the plant was transplanted it was almost dying, but now it’s flourishing with many leaves. I think my little fish is pleased and smiling down from wherever he is right now.