# My betta has holes in his tail that turned into a rip



## Bettabubble3 (Aug 17, 2009)

my fish beauty had a hole in his tail and it has since opened and turned into a wrip. so no it looks like my betta has 3 tails and the ends of his tail is like wripped but like around like -()-()- i think thats fin rot and i read that has to do with ammonia? he has brown algae in his tank which i try and clean but it comes back fast withing a few days. what do you suggest? Epsom salt? Water changes daily? hiis temp is 72- 74 he has a 5 gallon tank with one plant and one decoration which both keep getting filled with algae thankyou!


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## Tobythefish (Nov 14, 2011)

I can't help you much as I'm not an expert, but bettas should be in the temperature range 78-79. You should get a heater if you don't have one. If it is fin rot his fins and tail will be black or red on the edges and I think it usually goes from the outside of the tail towards the body. It might be tail biting if not fin rot. The experts can help you more, but if you post some pics and fill out this form, people can help you more. Good Luck. 

Housing 
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?


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## Bettabubble3 (Aug 17, 2009)

im not writing all of that. but thanks


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

Then I guess you don't really want to help your fish. :\


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## MajesticKat (Jan 20, 2012)

I filled that out, and I would love to help my fish. No replies though! 

<3 a very sad *seems to be dying fishes* momma.


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## Bettabubble3 (Aug 17, 2009)

Ok yes i do just cause i dont want to fill it out? ok cool


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## fishy friend2 (Aug 28, 2011)

Well, we really can't help unless we know that vital info, but to me it sounds like fin rot, but we don't know unless you can atleast fill some of that out


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## goldentryst (Dec 13, 2011)

Bettabubble3 said:


> Ok yes i do just cause i dont want to fill it out? ok cool


If you want people to help by spending their _own _time diagnosing _your_ betta fish and offering possible solutions for him/her, you should be willing to contribute by at least filling out a form that can enable them to pinpoint the problem faster. The knowledgeable people here on this forum aren't here to serve you or I... it's very generous of them to extend a helping hand. (Not to mention, it seems they're always answering the same questions with patience.) The least you can do is make things easier for them by filling out the form. 

2 cents.


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## fishy friend2 (Aug 28, 2011)

goldentryst said:


> If you want people to help by spending their _own _time diagnosing _your_ betta fish and offering possible solutions for him/her, you should be willing to contribute by at least filling out a form that can enable them to pinpoint the problem faster. The knowledgeable people here on this forum aren't here to serve you or I... it's very generous of them to extend a helping hand. (Not to mention, it seems they're always answering the same questions with patience.) The least you can do is make things easier for them by filling out the form.
> 
> 2 cents.


+1


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## Bettabubble3 (Aug 17, 2009)

Housing 
What size is your tank? 5 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 72-72
Does your tank have a filter?yea
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?no
Is your tank heated?no
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?pellets and bloodworms
How often do you feed your betta fish?once a day 3 pellets

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change?weekly
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?50
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?stress coat

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
cant afford kits
Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?tail 
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?none
When did you start noticing the symptoms?2 weeks
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? did an epsom salt bath
Does your fish have any history of being ill?no
How old is your fish (approximately)6 months

there i felt bad enough


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## dormfish (Sep 4, 2011)

Is there anything in the tank he could have torn his fins on? A jagged plant or edge somewhere? A betta's fins are very delicate. A nice test is to take a pair of nylons, face tissue may work too, and rub it along the plant. if it catches, that means it may be able to puncture the fins. I know I have a bad plastic plant in my tank that I need to take out as soon as the plant bulbs grow.

Good call on the StressCoat, though. It will help the fins to heal. I don't know if his tail will ever be perfect again, but even if it's not, if there's no open wounds and he seems to not be in any pain, he should be okay.


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## Bettabubble3 (Aug 17, 2009)

There is an ornament thats hard but its circular my plant is silk. i think it may be a little fin rot or ammonia burn from the algae


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## dormfish (Sep 4, 2011)

Burns are very possible. I had an issue with brown algae in my 10 gallon community tank. A little pleco fixed it all up. You may want to try that, it's a good long-term solution, but if you're doing regular long-term water changes, some algae pellets may be needed. 

Hope this helped!!


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## paybackranch (Nov 20, 2011)

Most plecos gets too big for a 5 or 10 gallon tank. If you don't know what kind you have, you can end up with bigger problems than brown algae. Some plecos will suck on the body slime of fish and will harass a sick one, causing enough stress to kill it. Brown algae is usually a sign of a new tank and will go away on its own. A pleco produces a lot of waste and sure could raise the ammonia and nitrite levels--which should be ZERO. If you can't afford a water testing kit, then perhaps some water test strips would be more affordable. Ammonia can and will burn the gills / fins and kill the fish. Really, every fish owner should at least own test strips or ammonia, nitrite and nitrate test kits. What you spend in those kits will be more than saved in treating sick fish or replacing dead ones. Good luck with your betta


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## paybackranch (Nov 20, 2011)

I forgot to mention that a better solution to brown algae is an otocinclus catfish. They LOVE brown algae! They are small fish (around 2 inches) and slender. They are a sucker mouth catfish and peaceful. They do not tolerate water temps below 70 degrees, however, but then, your betta would do better at warmer temperatures also. Do not use salt as a treatment in a tank with otocinclus cats, as they do not tolerate it well. Just some additional things that I hope will help you enjoy your fish and this hobby. 

Melanie


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Bettabubble, is it possible to get a pic of his fins? There could be many reasons why fins develop tears. One is if your betta is a halfmoon or other type with excessively large fins. These tend to be brittle and tear easily. Another reason could be fin biting. Ammonia burns and fin rot are only two possibilities. 

With ammonia burns, you will see signs of burns on the rest of the fish as well. Their breathing may become heavier and they may develop red sores on their body.

With fin rot, the edges of the fins are blackened and they will fall off in large chunks at a time. You will sometimes see pieces of fin in the tank.

I strongly suggest you purchase an adjustable 25-50w heater. The longer your guy stays at cold temperatures, the more his immune system will be suppressed and he'll be unable to fight off disease.


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