# Halfmoon ripped tail in half please help!!!



## Pinkthecrabbybetta (Sep 20, 2011)

I am a new member here hoping to learn how to provide better care for my lovey little Berta buddies.

Two days ago I noticed two white dots on my halfmoon 'Bird' so I immediately removed him from the tank and took him to petsmart and had my water tested and him diagnosed as I suspected they said he had ick. So they suggested a water change salt and melefix she said not to give any medicine unless it gets worse... 
The next morning I wake up to see that my Guy is just fine  ick free! So I call the same petsmart employee tell her the good news and ask if I need to sterilize his hospital tank and if he can go back in the big tank with his neighbors. She told me to keep him separate another day to help gain strength..
Sooooo I wake up the next morning (today) and his beautiful tail is ripped in half! :'(
All the way to his body! It doesn't have any black or red edges. But its ripped all the way to his body. Help! Will this grow back?? He's still his happy alert hungry nosey self. I've removed all rocks and plants from his tank and he's in 84 degree spring water with a outlet aquarium salt and melafix
Unfortunately my only available internet is on my phone and it wouldn't allowed to attach a picture of the ripped tail but Bird is the deep blue Berta as my profile picture also if u ho to my albums I'm putting a picture of the rip in there
I'm so concerned because its ripped all the way to his body like he has two tails
Will they re attach??? Is he in pain? (He doesn't seem to be ) does he need medicine? Please help I love my little Birdy and just want him to be ok :'(


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

Don't worry, rips, and even bites will almost always make a full recovery. The only thing you'll need to worry about is fin rot/secondary infection developing on his injured fins. Fins with bad fin rot usually recover but don't look as nice as they did before. Keep his water extra clean and even add a little salt to help keep bacteria away until it's starting to heal nicely. Because the rip is so big it will take a little longer, but you'll start seeing new growth. The new fin section will be clear at first.

When did your fish have ick? Ick is a parasite that comes in waves so do 100% water changes for at least 7 days even if you don't see any signs of it, also make sure the water is at least 78 degrees. if you see the ick reappear slowly raise the water temperature to 83/84 degrees and use aquarium salt to kill the parasite. the higher temperature won't harm your betta for a week.


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

Also don't use Melefix, it's very bad for the bettas Labyrinth Organ(all fish with labyrinth organs,) and shouldn't be used.


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## Pinkthecrabbybetta (Sep 20, 2011)

Monday morning I woke up and he had 3 icky spots
Tuesday there gone. Today still no ick but now instead of his handsome half moon tail he's got two quarter moons  ok ill stop the melafix immediately
Its just so hard to know what's the best thing to do because every fish store I go to gives me completely different answers and usually the pet stores are totally wrong
Did u see the picture? How long would it take for I rip this severe to heal? Should I do 100% water changes? And how often? He's in a 1 gallon hospital tank


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## Pinkthecrabbybetta (Sep 20, 2011)

Also is it ok if my tank is 86 degrees? Is that to hot? I'm scared to turn the heater off because I think that's how he got the ick in the first place. The tank suddenly dropping from 86 to 76


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Thread
•Treatment: You can treat Ick either conservatively or with medication. Ick is a parasite. Because ick is contagious, it is preferable to treat the whole tank when one fish is found to have it. Ick is temperature sensitive: Leave your betta in the community tank and raise temperature to 85 F. Then you can choose to treat with salt or medication. Conservative: Add 1 tsp/gal Aquarium Salt 3 times, 12 hours apart so that you end up with 3 times the normal concentration. Perform daily 100% water changes to remove fallen parasites before they can reproduce. Replace the water with the right amount of salt. Do not continue this treatment for more than 14 days. If it fails or you do not want to use salt, treat with Jungle’s Parasite Clear, API Super Ick Cure, or Kordon Rid Ich Plus. If your betta lives in a jar/bowl, then it can be difficult to heat the water. There are heaters for smaller containers, but you can also float the quarantine container in a larger heated tank during treatment. Do a full water change every day and add an appropriate amount of medication to the water. 

His fin will heal, stress coat will help it heal a little faster. With the daily 100% water changes, that should keep the water clean enough to ward off rot. Sometimes the AQ salt can hamper fin growth, but it is needed with the ick (if you are going that route over other meds). It doesn't usually take long for fins to grow back/fuse. You may start seeing a change within a week. One of my boys gets a rip in his fin quite often and it's usually fused back up in a week or so with no trouble.


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## gogogoluke (Sep 21, 2011)

copperarabian said:


> Also don't use Melefix, it's very bad for the bettas Labyrinth Organ(all fish with labyrinth organs,) and shouldn't be used.


Melefix is ok. I read that it's just a rumor and is a perfectly good medicine


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## Pinkthecrabbybetta (Sep 20, 2011)

I've quit the melafix. Half of the people I talk to say it's ok and half say it's bad. His tails starting to grow back kinda clear white although his tail is a dark blueish purple (thats him in my profile pic) and ick is totally gone! hope tail grows all the way back. Will it get any color???


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Hi Pinkythecrabbybetta and welcome to the forum. 

About the Melafix and Bettafix. Yeah, you'll get differing opinions on the forum. When in doubt, err on the side of caution. If you feel comfortable using it, that's good. Just be very, very careful not to overdose; that's what can cause the damage. If you don't feel comfortable, that's also fine. There are other options out there.

Regarding your temperature: you can lower it to 78 degrees and see how he does. Lower it gradually so he doesn't get shocked. A good way is to simply set the thermostat on the heater to 78. Then the heater won't come on and the temp will slowly drop with the room temp. But he probably shouldn't stay at 86 for an extended period of time. How long has it been since he got rid of the ick? 

As for his fins, well, halfmoons are notorious for having fragile fins because their fins are so bloody huge. It's not uncommon at all for HMs to rip their tails in two like that if he was flaring a lot or got it caught on a plant. Check to make sure none of the decor in his tank has any sharp corners or points and remove if necessary. The new growth will be clear. It looks like your guy is a butterfly - that means he has that big clear edge all around the colored part of his tail. The clear part will stay clear but the color will come in eventually when it reaches the blue. It just takes time.

Hope this helps. Keep us posted.


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