Finding Flakey........

Cleaning a Beta's tank can have its difficulties. Ashlynn has a dual compartment tank for her two Beta fish (Flakey and Isabella) and today was the long overdue day to clean it out. It started without incident, but neither of us has noted the small hole in the net as we poured out one side of the tank. As Ashlynn tried to deposit Flakey into the bowl, she realized that he was MIA. Frantically, we searched the sink and looked into the garbage disposal and there he was, flipping and gasping for air unaware of the danger that could have occurred if the switch was flipped on.

We turned the water on to keep the water flowing and back filled enough to keep the little guy hanging on to dear life. Still, we had this dilemna--how in the world do we get a fish out of a +3" diameter hole? As the water ran, and the various attempts failed, our time was running out. Would we be able to save Flakey or was he destined to be ground up and dispersed though the sewer system.

After nearly ten minutes of swirling in the sink certain death was upon him, Ashlynn finally donned some rubber gloves and was able to scoop him up. From there she dropped him into his clean tank where he swims free of anxiety--seemingly unaware of the dangerous situation that he faced. Yes, we found Flakey and today we learned that the next time we clean the tank, we'll be sure to apply the sink stopper.