R.I.P. Little one...

We have had a death in our family...

Little Violet has finally left us to swim in the rice patty in the sky.

Violet and I have been through a lot together - which, as a female betta fish, you may not have expected.

I first saw her while unpacking a fish shipment as Pet Care Lead at Petsmart. I had been keeping an eye out for a one-of-a-kind female to add to my zoo at home. Usually, females are rather bland in color, and even worse off in health. With Violet, it was love at first sight. When I pulled her little cup out of a box, the light hit her just the right way, illuminating her bright purple body and lilac head. Then she turned around, and her little crowntail propelled her the 3 inches her little cup would allow. A very rare beauty indeed, she was Perfect.


That was June 2007, since then Violet and I have have changed both addresses and jobs. But our best times were while we were at Lee's Aquarium. When I started at Lee's, I had thought it was ironic that, here we were, a pet supply manufacture, called Lee's Aquarium, and there wasn't a pet or speck of life on the premises. So very soon after I started, I asked if I could bring Violet in, and share my desk with her.

She was instantly loved. Such a fixture there that, whenever I left on vacation, the big boss would make sure she was taken care of. She even had her own phone line, our junk line, until people started calling in and actually asking for "Violet." Then in July 2010, we both said goodbye to Lee's and took our next great adventure together, the adventure that would be her last...

She survived the journey to Washington, though since being here, she hadn't been the same. She was hardly eating, and her little tummy looked more bloated than usual... we knew the end was coming, so we did everything we could to keep her comfortable.

Finally, on Tuesday, August 17, 2010, Chad found her laying on a leaf in her bowl.

At 3.5 years old, Violet was an old lady. But she was spunky, and she always seemed excited to see you. She really will be missed.

Rest in peace little Violet.