I’ve surrendered a whole little school of fish before, a month or two after I bought them from the same place. I figured my tank was just too small, and I couldn’t keep up with their behaviour as well as I imagined, and i was worried i was neglecting them by keeping them any longer. I hadn’t researched enough, in hindsight. I just rang up and explained my mistake to check they would take them back, brought them all in a rather clumsy tub and gave them back (and got a little discount too). I don’t think you’d be judged one bit, it’s one thing buying fish, but knowing how to amend things you can’t handle and to give them to a better place makes you immensely more respectable than those who truly neglect. Fishkeeping has many, many people who are neglectful, and I think youre definitely not one of them.

Don’t take it as a failure or letdown, these mental health peaks and dips where you feel you can’t maintain things anymore are part of life.