# Black tips to fins



## kittykat925 (Apr 1, 2009)

I got a betta fish on February 14. He had black tips to his fins that are still there...the fins look normal, except for the tips. I can't tell if this is normal coloring or a diesease. I think his fins are getting shorter...maybe...but that might be my paranoia at losing him. 
He is in a one gallon freshwater tank (don't have the space to get a bigger one). It's been set up since February 14. Only he is in the tank. There are no live plants in the tank. The temperature is 74-78 depending on the time of day. No filter, no heater in the tank just a lamp to warm him in case of random coldness...since I live in Florida that's unlikely. He doesn't get natural sunlight. I changed his water last Wednesday, haven't changed it since because I started treating him with Betafix. I feed him flakes twice a day because he refuses pellets (picky little darling) and a bloodworm every night. I turn his light on and off depending on the warmth of the water..but he has light cause the other lights are on most of the day. His pH is a little high...about 7.8-8...I need some help on how to get that down. Everything else is completely normal. I'm using test strips.

So...is he sick or is this probably natural coloring? I've been treating him but now I'm doubting my diagnosis because it isn't getting smaller that I can notice. And I don't want to keep dosing him because he is acting funny now...swimming near the bottom (not like swim bladder, just swimming at the bottom), flaring at me randomly...yeah...so can someone help?


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## kittykat925 (Apr 1, 2009)

Ha!! Got him to stay still long enough to get a picture of him...it really is fin rot isn't it...*gets a little teary eyed and panicked* what do I do?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3405804450/


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## Nataku (Feb 22, 2009)

Welcome to Fish Forum to begin with 

Hmm, this is a tough call. Your betta is a crown tail, and normally when a CT gets fin rot you will get a noticeable curling or 'kinking' in the infected tips of the fins and they will quickly become uneven in length, which I am not seeing in this particular fish. The fin rot also generally very quickly runs up to the webbing in between the fins to make it look very torn and ragged looking, instead of a nice smooth junction between the rays. If you can get your fish to flare, this is a great time to get a getter look at the webbing and see how it looks.

Do you have a larger resolution of that picture you can post for us? It's a touch small and when it comes to diagnosing things like this, bigger pictures are almost always better.


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## kittykat925 (Apr 1, 2009)

I can't post a better picture really...at least, I don't know how to. Thanks for the welcome. 

Yeah, I know...it's making me nervous cause I don't want to not medicate and let him die but I also don't want to medicate unless I have to.

Oh, he's very attracted to the camera. If I get it out, he faces it, so getting him to flare and taking a picture would be a pain!! But I'll try.


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## kittykat925 (Apr 1, 2009)

http://www.bettafish.co.uk/images/betta-fish.jpg

see, that's what's making me think fin rot.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

That doesn't look like finrot to me. It looks like the color of the spikes.


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## veganchick (Jan 10, 2009)

just keep nice clean water (change 100% twice a week) for a few weeks and see what happens, if the black goes away, it was finrot, if it gets worse( like his fins get smaller) its finrot, and if it stays the same its prly just his color. he looks fairly healthy to me, and fin rot is really easy to treat if he has it!


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## kittykat925 (Apr 1, 2009)

Thanks...I was hoping it might be his coloring. *is a bit paranoid* cause I've lost two other fish who I have cared for faithfully to fin rot and two others to some kind of stomach swelling. I got two this time...the other boy is SO beautiful and frisky but Draco (this one) is my favorite. He swims right up to me and wiggles at me when he sees me and if I'm working near him he'll drift around where I am. And he's beautiful, isn't he?


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## margotandfishy (Mar 26, 2011)

I have a fish that almost looks exactly like him! Lol what a coincidence! He also has black tips but they've been there for awhile. Keep an eye on them but it could easily just be his natural coloring.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

This thread is 2 years old.


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## fishman12 (Sep 1, 2010)

dramaqueen said:


> This thread is 2 years old.


 I don't know why but I lol'd soo hard at that...


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## ashzebra (Apr 3, 2011)

fishman12 said:


> I don't know why but I lol'd soo hard at that...


Me too! lololololol


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