# Betta's fins are fraying?



## Kon (Aug 21, 2012)

My betta's tail looks like its fraying. I'm not sure if its fin rot or if his tail got sucked into the filter. He likes to swim under it a lot. I did treat him with bettafix which was a huge mistake. It looks worse now. I'm sad to say he is currently in a 1.5 gallon tank. I'm new to bettas and saw the reviews on petco and petsmart for the tank and looked like it was perfect for bettas. After buying it, I realized they should be in at least 3-5 gallons. So please don't go off on me for that, I'm looking for a new tank for him. There is a filter and the temp is at 76 degrees. I don't have a heater in since its summer and I live in Texas. But maybe I should. I do a 20% water change and a total clean out of the tank every week. His plants are all silk and the decors are not sharp at all. 

Here are some pictures of it:
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy173/ubermaac/IMG_2207.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy173/ubermaac/IMG_2206.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy173/ubermaac/IMG_2203.jpg

Oh I should mention that he acts normal. He's just as active as he was.
He's constantly swimming around and is very eager to eat.
Like whenever I grab the food bottle, he gets really excited like he knows thats where the food is. 
He waits at the top of the tank waiting for the food to drop down. 

I'm really freaking out about his tail D: Any advice will help!~


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## prodrumernate (Jun 22, 2012)

he is a crown tail..i would say he is nipping his own fins but after looking at all the pictures.it looks more like they are getting snagged into something.i dont see any evidence of fin rot...

i live in phoenix arizona.i have heaters for my bettas.i keep them around 78 degrees.its always good to have heaters..i have a betta in a 2 gallon.the ret are in smaller containers until a tank im setting up is fixed and cycled.as long as u clean the water out in the none filtered tanks you will be fine.

since he isnt freaking out and is acting normal.making sure u have no sharp plants or decor.if so remove them..decor u can usually get a finger nail file and file down the rough parts..though u mentioned above they are silf and nothing is sharp.a good way of knowing is to run pantyhose across it and if it snags then its too sharp.

rite now the ebt thing to do for him is supply clean water,making sure u use water conditioner or u can set the water aside like in a gallon jug for 24 hours so the chlorine etc in it evaporates and the water i fine.i do it all the time.

my 2 gallon.i do a 50% water change 2 or 3 times a week and do a 100% within a week or as needed.


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## Kon (Aug 21, 2012)

Thank you for replying! Before I set up the tank, I actually did file down parts of the decor that I thought were a little sharp, but I will check everything again. I was hoping it wasn't fin rot. It happened very suddenly too. This morning I noticed his tail was a little frayed so I gave him a little bettafix then when I got home, his tail was just horrible!


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## prodrumernate (Jun 22, 2012)

its no problem  ive made some mistakes when i started and lost several girls.so dont feel bad..we learn..i would say since u gave him bettafix and his fins are worse.its something in the tank snagging his fin.i dont really think he is nipping at them.im almost certain its something his tail and fins are grabbing onto.id surly check the decor and everything again.i had to do it once.

if it changes..post another pic here. my male just about doesnt have any tail fin left due to some fish i had with him kept bitting at hi fins.he is separated now and will take weeks to heal.u will see white clearish fining areas where his fin is missing as a sign of healing and repairing itself.thats a good sign.

since he is in a 1.5 gallon.if u have aquarium salt.add about 1/4 teaspoon once a day for the next few days everytime u do a water change.that will help protect against diseases/reduce stress and should help heal him..the bettafix shouldnt have made anything worse as long as you followed the directions and didnt over medicate


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## Kon (Aug 21, 2012)

Thank you again for all of the advice!  I'll check all his decor tomorrow morning and see if I could get my hands on some aquarium salt. And I hope your betta's tail heals up soon!~


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## prodrumernate (Jun 22, 2012)

you're very welcome..keep me updated as to whats going on.just reply again to this post and ill get an email.then ill check it.even upload a couple pictures if it gets worse or better.hopefully better.thank you also


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## Kenny G (Jun 9, 2012)

I agree with prodrumernate regarding clean water and checking decor. I would watch your betta for the next few days. Tail biting might be in issue. With my first betta I had him for months before he started tail biting. Luckily I realized in a few days he was doing it because of bright lights. I now use a softer light and brought him a cave for privacy now he no longer tail bites. Regarding bettafix I have used it to help heal my betta's fins after tail biting and I saw regrowth in less than a week. In my opinion its unlikely that bettafix will make your betta's fins worse in less than 1 day. Some factors for tail biting are stress, bright lights, bored, or nervous. If it is tail biting try rearranging the tank decorations, using a softer light or no light (some betta's hate light), and make sure he has plenty of hiding spots. Best of luck.


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## Kon (Aug 21, 2012)

Thank you for replying!~  I'm beginning to suspect that the filter is the cause of it. I have a Whisper 1-3 gal filter and a few days ago I moved it up because I poured a little too much water during a water change and the filter began to pour out bubbles, but I didn't really think anything of it. Now I think that the current was a little too strong for my betta so I put it back to how it was. No more bubbles. As for his tail, I'm noticing the tips are white so hopefully his fin is getting better!~


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## prodrumernate (Jun 22, 2012)

the filter might have done that because it wasnt primed..so it had air in it and eventually replaced it all with water.mine does it sometimes.especially my power heads.

good news his fins are healing.also bettafix is good for helping heal the fins.i put some in my bettas tank.though your should heal within a few days if not a week or so.


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## Kon (Aug 21, 2012)

Today I saw that his tail got worse. So I took out the decor except the plants and removed the filter. Unfortunately the filter and the lighting use the same cord so I had to put the filter in a different container with water cause I don't want to ruin it. I have been giving him bettafix everyday and the tips of his tail are black now. I'm really worried about him D;

Heres a picture~
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy173/ubermaac/Photoon8-23-12at733PM.jpg


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## prodrumernate (Jun 22, 2012)

he was getting it caught in something...almost sounds like fin rot with his fins getting black.i looked at the picture and cant really tell.

the medication could be stressing him out.try holding off on medication for a couple days and just change his water.see how he turn out.

my male's tail is getting better.all i do is change the water every couple days.or every day if i feel the need.

other than the fins being worse and black.are there any other symptoms?


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## Kon (Aug 21, 2012)

Hes acting like he normally does. He flares at his reflection and swimming around a lot. He really likes to eat too. And I think the black tips on his tail are part of his coloring, he's had them since I got him. The rest of his coloring is very bright and vibrant. He doesn't really make big bubble nests like he used to anymore. Also I noticed that its mainly torn on the top half of his back fin, but now the section under his belly is starting to look a little torn. I'm trying to take pictures of him, but its really difficult with him swimming around the entire tank like a madman. 


























And I'm glad that your betta is doing better  I have been doing water changes every other day for my betta.


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## prodrumernate (Jun 22, 2012)

sounds and looks like fin rot to me..heres a little info off a site i go to to look at symptoms and cures...

"TREATMENT: 

Do a full jar water change. Use tetracycline or Ampicillin (included in our Betta First Aid Kit) combined with Fungus Eliminator (included in our Betta First Aid Kit). Change water every third day and add a new dose of same medication. Continue until fins/tail stop receding and start showing some new growth. This may take up to 4 weeks, so don’t give up. Once rot stops and fins start growing back you can stop treatment, but not before then. 
Note: If the rot is very slight or mild, you could use Maracyn I and Maracyn II (together at half the dose each) by Mardel. These med can help but are not very powerful. They come in hard tablet which is a real pain to administer. You'll have to crush them into a powder before you can administer to a betta in a bowl. A tablet treats 10 gal of water, so you do the math. Do not overmedicate! If you are caught by surprise and do not have a First Aid Betta Kit (naughty naughty), then you can run to a local Petco or something and probably find the Maracyn I & II and at least try that. My advice though? Be ready! Get your Betta First Aid Kit now so you have the real powerful stuff at hand and are ready when the you-know-what hits the fan! (or life will get real messy LOL)."

its mostly due to poor water..high ammonia in it,medications,things like that...ive gone through it a few times myself.all my fish recovered once i started changing water more and stopped adding med...

if u can and will.post once a day even with a pic if needed to let us know how its going.i want to make sure he recovers


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## Kon (Aug 21, 2012)

So is it just fin rot or is there also something ripping his fins too? When I first got him, I thought it was fin rot so I did a lot of water changes. But my dad told me it was just his coloring. (My dad used to breed bettas when he was a teen) Sadly my town doesn't have a pet store, only walmart. Closest Petsmart is about 45 mins away. But I'm going to see if my walmart have any fungal meds.


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## prodrumernate (Jun 22, 2012)

i think something is or was ripping his fins and has turned into fin rot..keep watching his fins..here is a little more info and the link for where i got the info from with pictures.if it continues then i would say fin rot...walmart has very little selection of medication.luckily i live in walking distance of petsmart,petco and walmart.petsmart and walmart are in the same shopping center and petco is just about a mile or less down from that..i also have a neighborhood fish store.not even a half mile from me.

really the best for fin rot is what is in my previous reply.if it does continue to get worse.i would contact OFL(OldFishLady)shes great with these kinda things..if u can,tomorrow post another pic especially if it has gotten worse.1 of my girls has black around her fins like pen stripping.another 1 has blue.but the shape of ur guys fins doesnt seem like a natural color.i could be wrong though.

"SYMPTOMS: 

Betta’s fins and/or tail seem to be getting shorter and shorter. Or they seem to be falling apart and dissolving. There may be a darker color (or a reddish one) to the edge of the betta’s fins/tail. He may be still active and eating normally, or may have stopped eating, fins may be clumped, color may be pale."

http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm


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## Kon (Aug 21, 2012)

Thank you for the advice! I'm going to try to get the right meds for him soon and hopefully taking out the decor and filter will stop the ripping.


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## prodrumernate (Jun 22, 2012)

no problem at all  if the fin ripping does stop.slowly start adding things 1 at a time.so if it does rip.u know the last thing u added is causing it.i just noticed a rip on 1 of my girls fins.only thing in her bowl is a plastic plant.never had problems before.so i know its too sharp now


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## Kon (Aug 21, 2012)

I just bought and add Jungle Fungus Clear to the tank. It came in a tablet that treats 10 gallons each so I crushed it up and divided it into eight parts so each would treat 1.25 gallons if I did the math right. It turned the water green and some of the decor turned blue~

Heres what his tail looks like now:

























I think he's missing his little roman columns that I took out.


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## prodrumernate (Jun 22, 2012)

seems he lost a little more on the top of his tail fin if im not mistaken.there are some medications out there that do change the water color.but as long as a filter is running it should go back to normal or after a water change.

its recommended to have a separate hospital tank.hopefully the fungal med will work.


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## Kon (Aug 21, 2012)

So heres a twist, I think I found him nipping at his tail. He was bent in a circle and I saw something fly off, it looked like a bit of his tail. So I put his filter back in since he loves to sleep and hide behind it. Now I'm worried about stressing him out. I'm heading back to college tomorrow and I'm bringing him along since my family will be too busy to care for him. I use Aqueon Betta Bowl Plu Water Conditioner, is there an additive I could add to help him?

Here are some pictures:
































His tail doesn't seem like it changed much from yesterday~


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## prodrumernate (Jun 22, 2012)

some bettas do nip at their tale.i think 1 of my female did it to hers...really the only thing that can be done to help is like stress coat..or a little AQ salt to help relieve stress.another way of helping if moved to a new home is covering him with a towel or something or keeping him in a dark room with little disturbance.


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## Kon (Aug 21, 2012)

Thank you so much for your advice!~  You have been so helpful and kind!


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## prodrumernate (Jun 22, 2012)

you are very welcome..im sure later on in the future you too will be the 1 giving out the info and helping as i have


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

They bite for several reasons

1) they are bored
2) misplaced anger/stress
3) because they can
4) their fins are too heavy and annoy them

If you can figure out why he is bitting, you may be able to stop it.

If he is bored, try moving around decor or adding something new. If he is doing it because he can - there sin;t anything you can do to stop him. Since he is a CT and not a HM or VT, I doubt its cause his fins are too heavy. I have had a few chronic bitters - all heavy finned Halfmoons. I have also had a few VT's bit off their fins because something was upsetting them - once it was the filter, the other did not like divided tanks

Stress coat will help fins regrow if he stops bitting.


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## Kon (Aug 21, 2012)

Thank you for the advice  He made through the trip nicely. His tank is all setup and everything. I did move around the decor for him although I feel like it was because of the filter. I had put it in the middle of the back of the tank which caused the current to affected the whole tank when I usually put it on the side so the other side would be disturbed by the current. Hopefully this will help him~


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## prodrumernate (Jun 22, 2012)

wow great news..im glad things got better


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