So there I was, Saturday morning, sitting at the table with the kids eating my bowl of frosted Special K (it was a hybrid). Emily had gone upstairs to set out clothes for the kids so we could take them sledding. She was also going to change the water for “Mr. Fish”, my son’s (roughly) 2yr old betta.

Then I heard a somber voice… “Mike, can you come upstairs?”
“Sure, can I finish my cereal?”
“Yes…”

Maybe 5 minutes went by, and she called down again.
Me (wondering what’s the deal): “I’ll be up in just a minute…”

By this time the kids had gotten up from the table and moved on to other things, and Emily came downstairs. Quietly she whispered “I think Mr. Fish is dead… he’s been on his side for like 15 minutes and didn’t move when I knocked on the bowl! He’s not moving at all.”

Great. I headed upstairs to see for myself, and confirmed. “Mr. Fish” was most definitely dead. He was laying on his side, and did not move a fin. His fins (we assume it’s a he) were all compressed. The only thing short of proof was that he was not floating.

After a few moments of discussion, we called my son upstairs. Emily called him over to her, and broke the news as gently as possible. Honestly, I didn’t think he would be as upset as he was. He probably cried for a solid 5 minutes before we segued into discussion about whether to flush (no!) or bury him (yes!). Then he asked if he could go look at Mr. Fish. Well, sure…

We watched as he tearfully tread over to his dresser. He pecked on the bowl once. Then we watched as his eyes moved upwards and around. “What’s he doing?”, my son asked.

“What do you mean?” we countered.

“What’s he doing? He’s swimming…”

And just like that, the fish that played ‘possum’ for nearly 20-25 minutes had stepped back into the world of the living. Needless to say, we were astounded and my son was a much happier boy. I only hope we didn’t suffer him any mental anguish that he’ll use against us someday (”Remember when you told me my fish had died…”).

Of course, I had to do a little research today. According to ebetta.com, “Many Fish will slow down, float or hover in one spot. But Bettas seem to lounge. Many of them will lay down in a “L-Shaped” position (head up, body to the side). Some will look like they are dead. And others will just stay at the top of the water.” Interesting information that sure would have been nice to have known before Saturday!