# HELP!! tail biting vs. fin rot. tell me what you think



## aespinoza805 (Mar 31, 2014)

Hi! WE NEED HELP!!
This is Pisceas my beautiful betta. He is active, friendly and has a wonderful personality.



I have had him for about 6 months, and shortly after that (about 2 months later) i noticed his fin starting to tear/rip. There are no harmful plants or objects in his home that will cause tearing, so i thought it might be fin rot (although his tank has never been excessively "dirty"). When i first got him his fins were beautiful and flowwy, now they are slowly but surely getting worse.I did A TON of research and have done everything i possibly can so it has led me to the argument that it might be tail biting. I have never seen his biting his tail and he doesnt seem stressed out. He is kept in a 1gallon tank for now until his 20gallon home that awaits him finishes cycling (has 2 weeks left). As a side note, thats another reason why i am freaking out! i dont want to put Pisceas in a big new tank with filtration if his fins are extra sensitive. ive heard of marcyn I & II which is MY LAST OPTION, i have been avoiding it because i wanted to cure him without harsh medicine. however if it will make his fins recover, then i will get it tomorrow. below i will post some pictures so you guys can take a look and tell me if you think it might me Finrot or Tailbiting. 

Also, here are some other things you might need to know..


bought a 1gallon heater that keeps water at a steady 78/79 degrees
use aquarium salt. 1tsp/per gallon only during 100% water changes.
use stress coat conditioner 
i have even done a 4 day tetracycline treatment which didnt seem to do anything. 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP! 

http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/aespinoza805/Pisceas/photo-4.jpg


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Hey there! 
Good news is that it's not fin rot and you don't have to use any medication
Bad news is he looks like chronic tail biter. 
Good news again, this can stop if he is given enough stimulation and a large enough tank with appropriate cover (live plants, silk plants) with a low current in the water column. 
Heavy tailed bettas tend to bite regularly anyway. My delta/Veil mutt bit for a while in his 5 gallon but once in the 20g he stopped. My old veiltail bit until I divided the tank and added another betta. Sometimes the hardest part is finding out why they're biting and sometimes it's as easy as their fins are too heavy. Remember, most bettas sold in the market are bred to have heavy finnage then they are bottled up for sale and most do not develop proper swimming muscles and bite their tails to relieve the weight. Others do it when they're bored or if you skip feeding day. 

You don't need to do anything for treatment other than keep the water clean and warm. I would advise frozen bloodworms every 2-3 days for the protein boost.


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