# Is my Bettas tail/fin too long for him to swim?



## Alexa1234 (Oct 14, 2021)

When I first got my fish, he was active, he would swim from one side to the tank to the other the usual activity. As he got older I noticed his tail started growing a lot making it harder for him to swim. I also noticed his colors started fading and became opaque.. So now he just stays in one spot near the surface. He changes from spot to spot randomly but always near the surface. He eats his food and even asks for more . He has tank mates, 3 ghost shrimps. he dont care about them if they get near him he sush them away but he's not aggressive. Do Bettas get like this when they're old? Or that's just his personality? How big do their tails grow? I haven't seen any other tail like his, it even curls up. I attacked some pictures of him. One of the pictures shows how bright blue and yellow he was.


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## Eridanus (Jul 1, 2021)

Welcome to the forum! You have such a beautiful boy!
How old is he? In my experience, most of mine do/have slow(ed) down as they age. 
For the bigger fin types, like halfmoons, deltas, supper deltas, and even Rosetails, their fins can get heavy for them. Some of them resort to fin biting to try and ease the weight, while others will rest around a lot and not swim as much. 

I do have a question though. When he swims, does he sink down/struggle to stay up, or does he float to the surface and seem to not be able to swim down? Or is he neither and swims as he's supposed to?


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## Alexa1234 (Oct 14, 2021)

Thank you! He's been with me for 7 months, I dont know how old he was when I bought him from petco. He has never bit his tail or had any sickness or health problems. Do they all change colors like that? His colors are not so vibrant like before. He seems to kinda sink with his head up and tail weighing him down but he finds a way to rest his tail on the hammock or the plants. He never hangs out at the bottom of the tank. I saw him fighting with his reflection today he didn't seem to have a problem swimming haha. Maybe he's just older and likes to just be lazy?


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## Eridanus (Jul 1, 2021)

That's good!
They can! I wouldn't worry about the colour changing. What food brand do you use? Oftentimes ones that are full of fillers don't give them quite all the nutrients they need so they won't always stay as beautifully bright. But they can get duller with age. 
I think it is his tail like you mentioned before. Bettas can get Swim Bladder Disorder (SBD) which can cause them to sink or float, just wanted to make sure it wasn't that! But he sounds and looks healthy! (Forgive me if you know all this!)


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## Alexa1234 (Oct 14, 2021)

Thank you for the info. Im a new betta parent so I welcome any suggestions. He is in a 5.5 gal aquarium with lots of live plants. He is the king of his aquarium 😆. I dont remember the brand of his food but I have 2. It says it's for bettas and the other to help " enhance" their color. Which one do you recommend?


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## Eridanus (Jul 1, 2021)

Aw! Well, welcome into the world of Bettas! They're quite fun little things, as I'm sure you know 😊
No problem! I would recommend checking his label, it's often advised to get brands where one of the first ingredients is some form of protein. Such as krill, fish based, or shrimp. Brand wise, Omega One, Bug Bites, and Northfin betta bits are commonly recommended!


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## Alexa1234 (Oct 14, 2021)

Yes they are lol I will check the label to make sure he has the right food. Do you know what's their life span? I hope mine isn't too old, I enjoy watching him.


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## Eridanus (Jul 1, 2021)

Commonly around two-three years, but there are people who have had them live up to five-six years!


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## biancaspark62 (Oct 14, 2021)

Alexa1234 said:


> When I first got my fish, he was active, he would swim from one side to the tank to the other the usual activity. As he got older I noticed his tail started growing a lot making it harder for him to swim. I also noticed his colors started fading and became opaque.. So now he just stays in one spot near the surface. He changes from spot to spot randomly but always near the surface. He eats his food and even asks for more . He has tank mates, 3 ghost shrimps. he dont care about them if they get near him he sush them away but he's not aggressive. Do Bettas get like this when they're old? Or that's just his personality? How big do their tails grow? I haven't seen any other tail like his, it even curls up. I attacked some pictures of him. One of the pictures shows how bright blue and yellow he was.


I have a white and red fish like this one Jimi.
He is still small. Your guy is just gorgous! I don't know much about your question, but I don't think it should affect his swimming.


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## Alexa1234 (Oct 14, 2021)

Thank you! Do you have a picture of Jimi? I love seeing pictures of other Bettas.


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## NoodleTheMysteryBetta (Mar 22, 2020)

He sounds a bit like my guy, Amadeus. 








His tail pulls him down and he has to really work to get around so I moved him from a 10 to a 5.5 gallon. Sadly there isn’t a ton you can do but keep them comfortable and try to make life as easy for them as possible. Unfortunately, this is a common issue for long-finned bettas.


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## Alexa1234 (Oct 14, 2021)

What a handsome boy.. How old is he? Thank you for the info,I was worried about him he was very active when his tail was shorter now he just hangs out in his hammock or plants. He still has a big appetite which makes me very happy 😊.


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## Alexa1234 (Oct 14, 2021)

Is there some type of record for the longest tail? 😅


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## NoodleTheMysteryBetta (Mar 22, 2020)

I’m not sure how old he is but I got him back in February of this year. When I got him he looked more like this:








So his fins have gotten muuuuch longer! And I think his activity levels have reflected the strain that his finnage puts on him. 

Huh, I don’t know but it would be interesting to hear if someone had an idea!


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## Alexa1234 (Oct 14, 2021)

I'm a little confused. That's Amadeus?


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## NoodleTheMysteryBetta (Mar 22, 2020)

Yeah, he’s changed a lot since I got him, the blue kinda took over. Here’s a better photo comparison showing off the change in his fin length. I think his fins have also become thinner and shred much more easily but I could be mistaken.


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## Alexa1234 (Oct 14, 2021)

That is amazing! Wow! what a beautiful boy! I didnt know they could change colors like that!! I think your fish and mine are about the same age. I got mine back in March of this year.


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