# Ripped tail on my betta! Are rocks dangerous for bettas?



## musiccitylady (Nov 29, 2014)

I'm a first-time betta owner, and I have several live plants in my tank, with soft gravel on the bottom. I also have in my tank a fake rock/cave decoration with soft, silky plant leaves on it. My betta, Karl, loves to play in the little cave and lay on the silk leaves. But I woke up this morning and his tail was ripped COMPLETELY in THREE places! So instead of one tail piece, he now has four! I'm horrified! 

I thought live plants were safe for him--is it the rock decoration??? The "sharpest" plant in the tank is an anacharis, but the guy at the fish store said this would be safe for him?

What should I do to prevent this from getting worse? And what should I do to treat my poor Karl's ripped tail?  I've already started a partial water change, and he's in a 5 gallon tank with a heater and filter.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Have you done the nylon stocking test on the decor? You can get simply cheap nylon stockings at a grocery store in their misc. items section (some stores its near cosmetics). A bettas fins are as delicate as nylon which is why its a great way to test items for betta safety. Remove all hard objects from the tank (cave and rock) and rub them ALL over with the nylon, if it snags slightly or rips it can and will damage betta fins.
Not all rocks are not betta safe. I have a local found stream rock in my plakat's tank, I ran it over with a nylon and went at any snag points with sand paper for several minutes to smooth rough areas (fortunately easy to smoothen rock). I also have a lot of river rock i recently got and went at it with a sanding attachment on a dremel motor tool to sand the entire rock smooth.
If its the cave you'll have to find a better betta fin safe replacement. man made aquarium times are painted and coated to make them 'safe' under water (some aren't even safe then but.. not the point), sanding these items will remove the protective coat and most likely make the decor not aquarium safe if placed back in the tank after.
You can look into making your own replacement cave using Sculpey polymer clay, its aquarium safe if made and baked (in normal oven) properly. Being hand made you can ensure its smooth, and it comes in many colors.
Another thing to look at is your filtration, what do you have (if anything) for a filter? Bettas can manage to damage their find getting sucked into the intake or some mess with the outflow and get ripped up that way.


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## Ilovebettasbk11 (Nov 12, 2013)

My bettas tail is ripped too sadly i am doing good clean water that is warm 

Stress coat plus , aquarium salt plus betta fix is what i am treating mine with


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## musiccitylady (Nov 29, 2014)

Thanks, Aqua Aurora. I didn't know about the nylon stocking test. I'm going to go ahead and remove the rock/cave formation. I'm sad to do it because Karl really loves it, but looking at its edges I think it might be source of the problem. 

I have an over-the-side tank filter called a TopFin 10. It came with the tank when I bought it. I sincerely hope it's not the filter...


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

that filter?
It may be a problem BUT the solution is easy!
Get some black canister filter foam/sponge media from the petstore, turn off the filter for a little and remove the intake pipe *(black tube that sticks into the tank to suck up water). Place this tube on top of your newly bought (or if you have ay spare filter foam laying around that works fine too!), either carefully with a razor blade or with scissors cut a thick outline all the way around the intake (abut 1/2 inch thick past the tube so there is a lot of extra foam) the foam does not have to go the whole way up the intake, just a little above the slits, with some space at the bottom too. Once this cut it made and the piece separate, use your cutting tool to rip open the center of the foam (do not go all the way through to the bottom) so that the intake tube will fit snugly into it, and the cuts/slits in the tube are covered by foam. You can place the intake back on the filter and get your filter going again. The foam will prevent the bettas fins from being sucked in, it will also slightly reduce flow (but not much). 
If you want flow further reduced you can cut canister foam/sponge to fit over the outflow spillway (where water dumps back into the tank) to make it a little gentler. Not only will the foam help your betta, but it will provide extra filtration for the tank^^
Note: once in a while when doing a water change you should remove the intake and squeeze the foam out in removed tank water (in a bucket or cup) then put the intake back on, just so it does not clog or reduce flow too much (do this maybe once a month).


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## musiccitylady (Nov 29, 2014)

Yep, that's the filter I have! SO helpful! Thank you!!


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

musiccitylady said:


> Yep, that's the filter I have! SO helpful! Thank you!!


Happy to help ^^


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## pokemonfandom1 (Dec 30, 2014)

this may be a bit off topic but my betta has ripped fins how long will it take them to heal


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## pokemonfandom1 (Dec 30, 2014)

it is not a result of water quality but due to physical injury.


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## charliegill110 (May 19, 2014)

Ilovebettasbk11 said:


> My bettas tail is ripped too sadly i am doing good clean water that is warm
> 
> Stress coat plus , aquarium salt plus betta fix is what i am treating mine with


i think i read on here that bettafix is bad for bettas, it damages there labyrinth. but you might want to research that a bit, i could be wrong.


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## Ilovebettasbk11 (Nov 12, 2013)

charliegill110 said:


> i think i read on here that bettafix is bad for bettas, it damages there labyrinth. but you might want to research that a bit, i could be wrong.



Yea trust me i hear it too i only used it one time tho and he was fine and his fins did heal


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## SiameseFightingArt (Jun 17, 2014)

Betta fins heal rapidly. If it's a small rip then it should heal in no time. Don't worry in a few weeks his fins should be all gorgeous again


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