# Anyone around Portland, Oregon want to rescue my betta?



## Hankbetta (Aug 11, 2009)

I'm about at my wits end with this reoccurring fin rot or tail fin damage that keeps happening and I'm tired of sinking money into him. I've had him for almost a year now and I don't think a month has gone by without him getting some sort of tail fin damage.

I do all the things I'm suppose to to do, yet still with the tail fin. Weekly tank cleans, same fasting day every week, tank filter changed once a month, heater temp at 80 degrees, filter water and of course condition. I even put some stress zyme+ in with weekly cleaning. Sometimes I even put some of the aquarium salt in to help. 

But still, his tail fin shreds. I'd even be willing to give away his tank with him. I just want him to go to a good home, I've lost patience with this.:BIGweepy:


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Sorry to hear that...

Try one more thing first, remove the filter and do twice weekly water changes 50-100% for the next two weeks and see if that helps before you give up.....only additive you need to use is a dechlorinator if on city water supply.....


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## Hankbetta (Aug 11, 2009)

Well I switched to filtered water from a brita because when I asked a local fish store, he suggested maybe the water was too hard and to try filtered. It worked for a while but I came home today and his tail fin was all frayed looking. I just didn't think having a betta would be this frustrating and money consuming. I've become very fed up. Because just when I think he's good and healing, his tail fin gets damaged some how.


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## RandomFish (Jun 16, 2010)

It does sound like hard, alkaline water is the culprit. It makes bettas' fins and scales weak. Have you tried Indian almond leaf or blackwater extract? It brings down the hardness and pH of the tap water to levels found in bettas' natural environment.

I'd adopt him from you but sorry, I'm all the way in southern Cal.


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## Hankbetta (Aug 11, 2009)

I have not. Is that stuff spendy? Because he seems happy and healthy, minus the tail fin issues. He's always blowing bubbles nests and he's active.


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## RandomFish (Jun 16, 2010)

It's pretty cheap but takes quite a while to get here from Asia.

It's the tannins and humic acids from the leaves that are beneficial for the betta. You could also get tannins from green tea after it's been steeped for over five minutes. So that means you stick a bag of green tea in some freshly boiled water, let it soak for five minutes, then take out the teabag and stick it in the tank for a few minutes. It's important to let the teabag steep for five minutes in the boiled water because that's when it releases most of the caffeine (toxic to animals/fish). 3-5 minutes is also the time it needs for it to start releasing tannins (which is the stuff that might irritate your stomach but is good for bettas).

Here's a thread about alternatives to IAL:

http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/betta-breeding/66465-alt-indian-almond-leaves.html


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## wallywestisthebest333 (Nov 30, 2009)

You're having the same problems as me and my sister and Charlie looks like he could be Genie's twin brother! XD

We feel your pain! I'm gonna try some of those IAL alternatives b/c I can't use my bank account atm. =/


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

Here is where I got my IAL:

http://www.joshsfrogs.com/product/800/23/indian-almond-leaves-5-pack

They are here in the States (Michigan) and the price is reasonable, IMO. 

Hope that helps!


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## Hankbetta (Aug 11, 2009)

Thank you Randomfish and Lion Mom, I'll check it out!


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

You're welcome! 

I hope it all works out for you.


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## Hankbetta (Aug 11, 2009)

Wow, so I'm laying in bed, watching Charlie in his tank. I noticed him swimming in circles. But when I got up to view what he was doing closer, he stopped, so I laid back down and pretended I wasn't watching him. He started swimming in circles again... he was biting his tail! I've never seen him do this before, so my guess is, he does it when no one is around. 

So what do I do for tail biting?!


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## RandomFish (Jun 16, 2010)

Uh-oh...Does he have places to swim through and explore?

At least you now know where the problem lies! Hope it can be fixed. I read on bettatalk.com that tailbiting may be genetic.


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Some fish bite out of boredom, some out of stress, and others just because. I've had all three and they're all equally frustrating.

I hate to tell you this but you have a hard road ahead. It can take months to figure out why a fish bites his tail and sometimes you never do. I have a fish that will bite his tail no matter what I do.

The first thing you should rule out is stress. Try leaving the light in his tank off and moving his tank to a quiet room with low traffic. If that doesn't help try enrichment exercises like giving him a mirror to flare at for 5-10 minutes a day or giving him a ping pong ball to play with in his tank.

I've seen people put hamster tubes in their tanks for their fish to swim through to combat boredom. Others change the scenery in their tank weekly/monthly so the fish is constantly looking at something new. Others have found that if you put a female within site of a male that he will focus on her instead of tailbiting.


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## Hankbetta (Aug 11, 2009)

Hmmm words for thought! As I said, I've had him for almost a year now. And almost weekly, he's had tail damage. I had gotten it to where it was more like every two weeks, by really clean water and good cleaning, feeding and lighting habits. But I'm glad to know, it's not necessarily something I did! 
It's agonizing to have to try all these different things and treating with different medicines because all along, I thought he was getting fin rot a lot.

I had thought about buying him new stuff, it just seems the amount of cool decorations is limited. But I guess it's a matter of looking harder.

Someone needs to create smooth edged decor for bettas that's attractive! lol.


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## kuklachica (Dec 23, 2009)

You can try some terracotta pots with the bottoms removed. I get the 4" kind, take a hammer and screwdriver, put the screwdriver against the bottom of the pot and tap lightly and it comes off. Then, if you want you can tap on the side of the pot and crack it in half. Just make sure you sand it down with fine sandpaper so there are no sharp edges. The pots are very cheap and sandpaper is pretty cheap, and it makes a good cave for them to swim in. Just don't put it in there with the bottom in tact, because they will try to swim through the tiny hole and will get stuck! I would also recommend boiling the pot for up to 15 mins just to make sure there's no bacteria, etc. on it. I use these in all my tanks, with natural color gravel and silk plants and they look very good and "earthy", not tacky.

You can also put in mugs, cups, etc. that have been washed in hot water. I think you could also get some PVC pipe and build something for him to swim through, but again, make sure that it is clean. Hot glue is safe, as long as it is not colored, and you could glue on a bunch of silk vines, etc. from a craft store (just make sure there are no pointy parts and no wire, because that will change your water chemistry). 

How big is your tank (sorry if I missed that in a post earlier)? Is it cycled? Do you show him a mirror at all? I have 4 guys that definitely bite their tails and I am still trying to figure out why 3 of them do it! I have noticed that when I give them higher quality food, they tend to bite much less and their tails grow back faster. You might want to look into getting some New Life Spectrum small fish pellets or try Ken's Betta Crumbles, both of which I use, and my guys are doing much better on those than on the cheaper Wardley's or Aqueon I used to feed. Also, some frozen bloodworms would be very good. Having a high-protein diet will help regrow the tail faster, and might also be one of the things contributing to the tail biting.

Just some food for thought! (no pun intended!


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## Hankbetta (Aug 11, 2009)

Thank you. I went to Petsmart, got a little Chinese inspired decoration for him to hide in, but I have to sand some sharp edges. I also go a little critter igloo, it's plastic, I thought it'd be cute  I also got some ping pong balls for him to play with! I got a dimmer light as well, but I don't like the glow it puts off, so 
I'm going to take it back. 

His tank is 5 gallons. It is cycled. And I haven't showed him a mirror yet. Sometimes he flares at my finger if I point at him a certain way, so I play with him that way. Although I do want to get a mirror.

Funny you mention the two brands I feed him, lol. I suppose I'll have to go get him better food. I do sometimes feed him frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm thinking I'm going to check out tge craft store for nifty glass things for him to hide in.


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## wallywestisthebest333 (Nov 30, 2009)

I want to find some nice decor for mine too but every silk plant I find has metal wire in it! >.< So frustrating!
I should actually go to the craft store tomorrow to look for neat glass things as well! =]
Keep us updated on the biting issue. =]


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## Mizzle (Sep 2, 2009)

some bettas bodies are not strong enough to support large tails. you could be doing everything right and your betta just isn't meant to have a fully intact tail


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