Okay, I just want to say that I am not responsible for killing Rocky. My roommate (who is gone for the rest of the summer) would keep the air conditioning down to like 71-75 degrees every day, all day. I'm pretty sure the thermometer was broken though because the house was always FREEZING! And as we all know, if a beta fish isn't kept warm, it will die. You know. Tropical climate and all that.

I noticed a couple of times that the heat lamp on its tank was off. After he died, the roommate said to me, "I think it got too warm, because I would stick my hand in there and the water was really hot." Yes, water in the upper 70s would feel really hot to someone who does nothing but sit around in 69 degree rooms all day.

So A) she was sticking her hand in the water and B) she kept turning off the lamp. I think Rocky got a fungal infection, and fungus only grows if its cool enough for it to survive. Keeping the water at the right temperature would have prevented that.

Roommates are so great, aren't they? So sweet to try and take care of my fish for me.

I still have one roommate at home and the house is still really cold in the basement (even though we don't blast the AC all day anymore) so I'm just going to wait until I move and can keep the fish in my room... where no one can touch him!!!!!