Uh Oh... Boss out of town, and her fish is dying.

[Shellhead]

My boss has been pretty happy with the quality of my work in recent weeks. She has even left her pet fish (cobalt and turquoise-colored betta) on my desk lately, in his glass bubble fish tank. She still does the regular maintenance of cleaning his bowl... not quite often enough to keep it clean, imo, but she lets me feed him.

She went out of town on a short business trip with the other corporate officer to drum up some new business, and will be back tomorrow. In the mean time, her fish is suddenly not doing well. His fins look pale on the fringes, and he is alternately lying on his side on the bottom or madly lunging at the surface. I think that he is suffocating, but I am certainly not an expert on fish healthcare issues. He was still recovering from an eye infection that caused his eye to swell up like a big bubble, although it's almost back to normal now.

I tried to feed him, but he's not hungry. I put some fresh water in to get the water level back up to normal, and that seemed to help a little. Right now, his tail is sticking slightly out of the water and his head is somewhat lower. His gills are working visibly and his fins are moving slightly... oh now he just lunged for the surface again and is slowly swimming laps around the edge of his bowl at surface level. And now he's sinking again and turning slightly sideways.

I would like to clean his container, but I can't find my boss's net and other gear. Nobody else is at the office this morning, and my boss has a busy schedule today.

Should I just flush the fish and get it over with? Call her and risk interrupting an important meeting? Attempt to clean his bowl without the proper equipment? Do nothing and hope it gets better? My boss is mildly fond of the fish, but I don't think she would get upset over this.

[west3man]

Should I just flush the fish and get it over with? Call her and risk interrupting an important meeting? Attempt to clean his bowl without the proper equipment? Do nothing and hope it gets better? My boss is mildly fond of the fish, but I don't think she would get upset over this.
If she can be "text"ed, I'd do that or something else which allows her to receive a message while causing as little disruption, on her end, as possible.

If this is the same boss who flies off the handle for little things, I'd frickin' call her. The loss of a pet may or may not count as a "little thing" or something worth flyying off the handle (the HELL does that MEAN??), but better safe than sorry.

Btw, I don't care HOW sick the fish is, I wouldn't dispose of his body (dead or not) without speaking to her, first.

[Slick]

but she lets me feed him.
She "lets" you feed her fish?

Shellhead, I know that you're trying to stay on your boss' good side, but you giving a rat's ass about her fish seems a bit much. I'd say you're kissing up if I didn't already know how much you're afraid of her.

[Shellhead]

Max (the fish) is, um, sleeping with the fishes now. He went to Fish Heaven. Max kicked the proverbial bucket. He's dead.

His final hours were both tragic and comic. He repeatedly lunged at the surface (for air) and then would drift sideways to the bottom, sometimes landing upside down. At other times, he went quite vertical, either face down in the rocks like a tree, or face up with his mouth at the surface. And his whole body went partially rigid during this time period, with his tail bent off to one side at about a 45 degree angle.

For the last two hours, he has been lying on his side on the bottom, gills no longer moving. I assume that he's dead, even though he hasn't floated up to the top yet.

I emailed my boss this morning, and she said I could add some fresh water but otherwise not worry about him until she got back tomorrow. I sent her an email about 15 minutes after he died, but have not gotten a response yet. I think that she will be okay, because she was kind of joking about replacing him sometime soon anyway.

[Cotton]

Oh well, you've already told your boss but I was going to suggest replacing the betas with new betas that just looks like the original. Yes, it's crazy, and yes it's dishonest, but think of the hilarity that would ensue. It would have been like some kind of bad sitcom.

[Shellhead]

Oh well, you've already told your boss but I was going to suggest replacing the betas with new betas that just looks like the original. Yes, it's crazy, and yes it's dishonest, but think of the hilarity that would ensue. It would have been like some kind of bad sitcom.

One of my co-workers suggested this, too, but it was too late. Another co-worker suggested that I leave the fish in his bowl until this morning, so my boss could view the body before the funeral, but when I got here this morning, he was covered with some kind of grayish silt. So we disposed of him right away.

My boss was okay with it. She is going to take the fishbowl home to thoroughly clean it and then buy a replacement fish. Not sure if I want the new one on my desk, I stopped owning pets a long time ago because I couldn't stand it when they died.

[Typo Lad]

Thow the damn bowl OUT. That fish had ICK!

[boolean]

I agree with Morts. Tell your boss to throw the fish bowl out.

Whatever disease the fish had that caused it's eye to swell was probably what killed it, and the bowl could be contaminated.

[west3man]

Thow the damn bowl OUT. That fish had ICK!I agree with Morts. Tell your boss to throw the fish bowl out.

Whatever disease the fish had that caused it's eye to swell was probably what killed it, and the bowl could be contaminated.One of my co-workers suggested this, too, but it was too late. Another co-worker suggested that I leave the fish in his bowl until this morning, so my boss could view the body before the funeral, but when I got here this morning, he was covered with some kind of grayish silt. So we disposed of him right away.

Already done.

[Typo Lad]

I agree with Morts.

No matter how many times I see that, it just makes me smile.

[darkkeeperjr]

something worth flyying off the handle (the HELL does that MEAN??)



you out in the woods with a bunch of other guys chooping a tree or some wood -work with an axe.you got a hard spot on the wood so you hit a little harder....Then the axe flies off the handle.o my god you killed kenny! :eek:

[west3man]

something worth flyying off the handle (the HELL does that MEAN??)



you out in the woods with a bunch of other guys chooping a tree or some wood -work with an axe.you got a hard spot on the wood so you hit a little harder....Then the axe flies off the handle.o my god you killed kenny! :eek:
So, that's where that came from?

Hmm... How does that relate to ANGER?

[darkkeeperjr]

So, that's where that came from?

Hmm... How does that relate to ANGER?

I'm pretty sure about the origin of "flying off the handle".but why anger? I think your guess is as good as mine. :o

[Nitmo]

Thow the damn bowl OUT. That fish had ICK!

Yup, white spots = Ich which is a parasite, tell her to go to the local PETCO and get some RidIch (for a betta, she only needs a small $3.49 bottle) and tell her to ask their specalist what she can do next time.

[west3man]

I'm pretty sure about the origin of "flying off the handle".but why anger? I think your guess is as good as mine. :o
Maybe they figure the axe has an axe to grind when it blows its top?

:p