# bitten tail vs blown tail?



## dragonfair (Sep 21, 2010)

I read an article about tail biting on bettysplendens.com and I came across this:

"A bitten tail should not be confused with a 'blown' tail. When a male is described as 'blowing' his fins, it is a term associated with the curious abberation that occurs in some heavily-finned males that are swimming or flaring too hard. The webbing between the rays develops pin holes and the ends of the tail begin to fray, like an old flag that has been whipping around in the wind. In extreme cases the caudal fin completely disintegrates, leaving the betta with spikey ray extensions and no webbing to speak of. In its milder form, tail blowing can cause the fins...all three unpaired fins, not necessarily just the caudal...to split along the ray in several places."

This seems to describe my doubletail perfectly. The webbing in between the rays of his caudal fin is disappearing. He swims a lot, flares a LOT and he paces back and forth across the the glass when I come into the room before he calms down after a little while. He is in a divided tank with a veiltail that is also active (with no signs of fin problems). He doesn't seem stressed and there are no plants or sharp objects in there that would tear his fins. It's only his double caudal fin that is affected. I've been watching him for hours and never caught him trying to chase or bite his tail.

Has anyone ever had a betta with a blown tail? If so, what did you do?


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## dragonfair (Sep 21, 2010)

Sorry, I can't get him to sit still long enough to get a clear pic of his tail...


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## karlhague (Aug 9, 2010)

Fresh Clean Water with A small amount of aquarium salt, Quarantine for 10 days, And do daily water changes..

you should see improvement within the first 6-7 days..


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## dragonfair (Sep 21, 2010)

Okay, thanks. He's a 10 gallon divided heated tank. I don't really have a way to quarantine him, unless maybe I could get a critter keeper. But I really don't have a way to heat it & my house is usually at 70 degrees. Would that be too stressful for him?


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## karlhague (Aug 9, 2010)

dragonfair said:


> Okay, thanks. He's a 10 gallon divided heated tank. I don't really have a way to quarantine him, unless maybe I could get a critter keeper. But I really don't have a way to heat it & my house is usually at 70 degrees. Would that be too stressful for him?


Hmm I dont think the salt would hurt the others, But I like to play it safe..


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

It could be biting or a blown tail--especially since the fish is in a divided tank situation. You should try to block his view of the other males as much as possible--add additional plants and decorations, sew silk leaves and plant matter to the divider, etc. Make sure there is coverage from top to bottom, but especially near the top. Bettas are most territorial when nesting near the surface, so the presence of other males will agitate him most at that point.


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

Tango had a persistent problem with a blown tail and flaring caused by his own reflection. Adastra is right about blocking his view of his neighbor. If he goes after his reflection, add light to the outside of the tank where he can see himself. I also had success addind a busy background to the back wall of the tank so that Tango couldn't see himself as well.


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## NEWBEE FISH (Sep 4, 2010)

How long would it take for blown tails to regrow??


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Unless you catch your betta biting his tail I can't really say. Though I had one HM who blew his tail and I found chunks of it all over his jar.


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