# Betta fin rot won't heal, getting worse. HELP!



## ChelseaAnn (Jul 20, 2011)

Okay, I bought a Halfmoon Male Betta at Petco July 19th. He seemed happy and healthy, but I noticed his tail fin was very slightly choppy. I just assumed that was his tail. It then became choppier and choppier until I noticed a pin hole in his fin. That sure ripped within hours. I changed his water, then I bought him medication - Tetra Fungus Guard, and put it in his tank. That wasn't working, so I went out and bought BettaFix, did a 50% water change, and followed the instructions on it... that didn't work. I then noticed him getting worse, so I took extreme measures and did a 100% water change, rinsed every thing really good, and put in some fungus guard, and aquarium salt, hoping it would work. Then to my surprise, I woke up to see him extremely worse. His attitude hasn't changed. He eats like a pig, swims happily, and loves attention, but that pesky fin rot is tearing him up. I don't know what else to do.

Housing 
What size is your tank 3 gallons 
What temperature is your tank - 75 degrees.
Does your tank have a filter - No.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration - Yes.
Is your tank heated - Yes.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with - Two Amano Algae Eating Shrimp - which will soon be put into a different tank.

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? - Hikari Betta Bio-Gold Pellets, Aqueon Betta Food, and Freeze Dried Bloodworms for a snack.
How often do you feed your betta fish? - He eats Hikari one day, and Aqueon the next to give him variety. He is fed every day about 4 pellets, and bloodworms every couple days.

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change- Every two days in hopes of clearing his fin rot.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? - Tetra BettaSafe water conditioner, and Aquarium Salt.

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? Yes, everything is perfect.


Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed - His fins are ripping apart.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? - It never changed, he is still very active and happy seeming.
How old is your fish (approximately)? He's small and has bright colors, so I'm assuming he's about 7 months to a year.


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## ChelseaAnn (Jul 20, 2011)




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## Pataflafla (Jun 2, 2011)

I think that looks more like tail biting.

Are the edges red or black? If they're not then that usually means either tail biting or rough decorations that he's tearing on.

How much aq salt are you using? Premix 1 tsp/gal and put it in with every full water change before you put him in. That should keep infection away and help him heal up quicker.

If it is tail biting try changing his tank decorations around, lowering the lighting, and giving him stuff to do as well as feeding small meals throughout the day.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Halfmoons have notoriously delicate fins, the most fragile of all tail types. These fins tear just for the heck of tearing, I swear. Like Pataflafla said, fin rot has blackened edges and the fins seem to fall or melt off in chunks. Sometimes you will see bits of fin on the bottom of the tank with fin rot. It looks to me like your guy has a mixture of fin tearing and tailbiting. Stop all the medicines for now. It's always best to go straight to AQ salt first and then bring out the big guns if the salt doesn't work. The dosage is 1 tsp per gallon and you'll want to do daily water changes, at least 50%, preferably more, to keep the water as clean as possible. You don't want the tears to get infected because then he really will have fin rot.

Also, just to let you know, try to avoid Bettafix. I know the stuff is marketed for bettas but ironically it contains an ingredient that can actually harm a betta's labyrinth organ, the organ that he uses to breathe air from the surface. 

I hope this helps and good luck! Also, welcome to the forum.


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## ChelseaAnn (Jul 20, 2011)

Thanks Sakura and Pataflafla 
Yeah, I put in 3 tsp of the salt. I don't have any rough decorations, just a couple silk plants. I did put in a plastic plant, it was even called a betta plant.. it was very soft, but I removed it just in case that was the problem. His fins are only slightly dark in some spots, but the two fins on the bottom just below his head (don't know what they're called) and slightly under his belly are really really red. You can kind of see it in the first picture. They weren't that red before. I noticed they were only very slightly red when I bought him, thinking that was just the color. His fins really seem to just rip, I've also noticed small pin holes in his fins too. It's breaking my heart to see him like that. He's such a social fish. I want to see him healthy and building bubble nests... gahh 
But thank you for all the great information! It will definitely come in handy!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

The ventral fins (the ones just below his head) are often red in blue fish so they may just be coloring up. For now, I wouldn't worry too much about them. Good luck with him, he's a beautiful guy so I hope his fins heal up fast.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

Meet Grumpy - a Chronic tail bitter >.< he WAS a halfmoon when I bought him a few months ago but aparently he really wants to be a crowntail...









Sometimes they bite cause they are bored, stressed or simply because they can. try moving around or getting new decorations and see if that stops. I tried everything with Grumpy, 1 gallon tank, 10 gallon tank, divided 10 gallon with a female next to him, new decor and he still bites :evil:

If you can get him to stop bitting, stress coat helps with fin regrowth.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Maybe Grumpy bites because he's grumpy. XD


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

That's actually why I named him grumpy. I did a water change and fell asleep while he was floating in his cup. I woke up and his fins were gone :shock:


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

As mentioned above, AQ salt (daily 100% water changes when using it, use no longer then 10 days straight since it has potential to harm the fish if used too much). Also you can try stress coat, it will help keep him calm and it promotes fin growth, along with weekly 100% and 50% water changes to keep fin rot away. He definatly does look like a tail biter, I can see the mouth shaped bites. Silly lil fish. Good luck with him, he's a cutie.


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