Leopold

Wanh! My beta fish, Leopold is sickly with the Dropsy. Poor thing! He's bloated and can't swim very well, so he either lays at the bottom or sits in his plant. He does have an appetite and his scales aren't pineconey yet, but I researched this illness and I've found it's almost always fatal unless you catch it early. He's been imbalanced(physically of course) for a few weeks now, maybe 2 months, but I've only just noticed his belly growing. I wish for the fish version of the immaculate conception, but I don't think this is it. I can't afford to fix him cuz I'd have to get another tank and a heater..tho I think I have one somewhere and some meds and blahbitty blah. I do love him dearly, as he always greets me bowlside when I enter the room and seems to enjoy me serenading him: Le-ah-pold - swimmin' in yer bowl- Le-ah-pold - you betta grow old -with meeeee. Well, I HAVE had him for 2.5 years and their life expectancy is 2-3 years....so ....I just have to find out how to kill him! All the info I find is conflicting(& cruel for MY mental health:throwing him agains the floor, chopping his head off - and cutting out the brain!) but I think the best option is to put some drops of clove oil in his bowl, its an anisthetic & as long as you don't return the fish to clean water they're supposed to drift off to the ocean in the sky...or whatever. I will be ridden with guilt if I have to kill him ~ and if I let him suffer. If I find out he just had gas, I'll be so pissed. Let's have a moment of silence for my lil buddy *sniff*sniff*I LOVES HIM!