In a viral set of videos, a woman shared her journey to save a betta fish she found at PetSmart that she says appeared to be in rough condition.
@perfectbloomdesign opens the video with a disclaimer that she doesn’t buy animals from PetSmart but was in the store that day because her kids were “dying to see the hamsters.”
@perfectbloomdesign I’m open for any suggestions you have to try and save this little guy. #petsmart #petsmartcheck #betta #bettafishcare #bettafishtank #willhemakeit? #suggestion #freshwaterlife @PetSmart ♬ original sound – Perfect Bloom Design
When she is in a pet store, @perfectbloomdesign says she normally goes by the aquatic section to check on the betta fish because sometimes two will be placed in a tank together. This is a problem because betta males are likely to become aggressive and violent toward each other when placed in the same space.
Once @perfectbloomdesign got to the fish section, she says she noticed one fish, in particular, wasn’t looking too good and asked the store manager for a discount to buy him so that she could attempt to nurse him back to help.
“‘Well, I don’t think he’s gonna make it. You can have him. Just buy the stuff that you need for him,'” she recalls the manager telling her.
@perfectbloomdesign says she ended up buying a tank and other items for the fish and added that her husband always supports her “shenanigans.” She says she gave the fish some food and a clean environment to swim in.
In a follow-up video, @perfectbloomdesign says she appreciated everyone’s comments and suggestions on how to take care of her new finned friend, but after a few hours of taking the fish home, he died.
“After looking at him a bit more, he was really skinny, so he’d been sick for a little while. He came up for air one last time and then he passed away pretty quickly. But I hope he had some comfort in knowing that he wasn’t alone when he passed,” @perfectbloomdesign says.
Combined, the videos have half-a-million views and over 150 comments.
“I’m proud of you for trying :) thank you for everything,” a top comment read.
“I hope you proceeded with trying to save another fishy good luck,” a person said.
“Hopefully you guys buy another Betta and hope it lasts longer,” a commenter wrote.
The Daily Dot reached out to @perfectbloomdesign and PetSmart via email.