Blackie died today. He was a Black Moor, a fantail type
fish with a chunky body and a flowing tail. These are
hardy fish but prone to swim-bladder problems. He would
swim upside down when he got tired of trying to swim with
his buddies. There was nothing to do but put him to sleep
in a small container of tank water with sodium bicarbonate
(found in Alka-Seltzer or Eno).
Don't flush your fish down the toilet. That is cruel because they die slowly under mean conditions. Also don't buy fish from crowded tanks. That would encourage the keeping of these poor creatures under stress. The rule is one gallon of water per inch of fish.
