# Mild Fin Rot - Opinion on Salt Dip?



## visiting.alien (May 10, 2020)

So I have been researching salt dips and salt baths. I was looking into a salt dip treatment for my boy Nox since he has a mild case of fin rot at the moment. I know that I've talked about salt treatments here before with my other poor betta, Juno, that passed away three months ago (RIP), but I wanted to double-check and see if it would be a good idea or not to speed up the healing process with a salt dip. The places where chunks are missing out of his fins have a white-ish tint to the edges like they're trying to grow back, but no such luck for the rest of his tail so far.

*Housing:*
How many gallons is your tank? 5
Does it have a filter? Yes
Does it have a heater? Yes
What temperature is your tank? 76.6 F
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? Yes
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? 4 ghost shrimp

*Food:*
What food brand do you use? Omega One
Do you feed flakes or pellets? Pellets and just started feeding Omega One frozen bloodworms 2 days ago
Freeze-dried? Occasionally freeze-dried bloodworms, daphnia, and mysis.
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? Twice a day, 2-3 pellets or 1/3 of a cube of frozen bloodworms

*Maintenance:
Before* your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? Weekly
What percentage of water did you change? About 30-40% three days ago
What is the source of your water? Tap, just recently had to use Top Fin preconditioned water due to boil water notice
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? Vacuum
What additives do you use other than conditioner? What brand of conditioner? API

*Water Parameters:*
What are your water parameters? Please give exact numbers. If tested by pet store please get exact numbers. "Fine" or "Safe" won't help us help you. Important: Test your water _before_ the regular water change; not after one.

Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0 ppm
pH: 7.0
Hardness (GH): 30
Alkalinity (KH): unknown

*Symptoms and Treatment:*
When did you first notice the symptoms? About a week ago
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? It started out with chunks of his dorsal fin and tail going missing, I'm not sure if he bit them or ripped them on something. I am guessing that it got infected and started to spread because his fins look ragged now.
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? He is still pretty active but tends to hide more often than he used to.
Is your Betta still eating? Yes
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? I already have driftwood and IAL in the tank releasing tannins. I did about a 10% water change today.
Does your Betta have any history of being ill? No
How long have you owned your Betta? About three months now
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? No


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## savs_splendens (Feb 25, 2021)

Do you have any pictures of him before the fin rot? Because from what I see he really seems fine. Also, only do a salt bath if absolutely necessary, it would be unwise to cause stress if you do not need to.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

At this point all you really need is Indian Almond Leaves or plain Rooibos Tea. Both have antifungal and antibacterial properties and will help stave off infection. Either float or brew a strong tea. If you go the tea route, add conditioner and pour into tank. You can store the extra in the refrigerator. I note you are already using IAL but the tank needs to be at least as dark as the photo below. Darker is fine.

The additives and at least a weekly 50% water change w/vacuum will help. You can stop using the leaves/teabags when you see new growth.

IAL and Rooibos also have calming properties. If he does no more biting you might consider keeping the tank darker on a permanent basis. There is no established reason for fin biting but with Rose Tail Betta such as yours, many believe they are trying to lighten the load, so to speak.


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## BettaloverSara (Oct 15, 2020)

He does not appear to have fin rot he seems to be nipping his fins.
I was a whole paragraph into explaining IAL but @RussellTheShihTzu beat me to it so I would say I second everything she says haha


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## visiting.alien (May 10, 2020)

@BettaloverSara @savs_splendens @RussellTheShihTzu This is a picture of him back in December. His fins were more webbed than ragged, but that might just be because he has grown a lot since then. I will definitely add more IAL to his tank right away to see if that helps though.


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## BettaloverSara (Oct 15, 2020)

visiting.alien said:


> @BettaloverSara @savs_splendens @RussellTheShihTzu This is a picture of him back in December. His fins were more webbed than ragged, but that might just be because he has grown a lot since then. I will definitely add more IAL to his tank right away to see if that helps though.


They never stay perfect. His fins still look great!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

If you can get him to flare take similar photos every week so you can note progress or digression. Sometimes, at least for me, the changes are so gradual we don't notice.


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## visiting.alien (May 10, 2020)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> If you can get him to flare take similar photos every week so you can note progress or digression. Sometimes, at least for me, the changes are so gradual we don't notice.


It might just be paranoia from having a difficult time with my last betta and fin rot, but I do feel like I noticed his fins gradually appearing more ragged. Sara is probably right with his fins just changing over time. I just cut up and added a whole IAL to his tank, and I'll keep up the small water changes every three days just in case.


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## visiting.alien (May 10, 2020)

@RussellTheShihTzu So I've definitely noticed a change in energy with Nox. He seems to be hovering around the bottom of the tank more than usual. It seems like he's more tired than normal. Is this a result of the IAL relaxing him? Or could it be something else wrong?


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## KekeTheBettaDoc (Dec 3, 2020)

Can you give us some updated water parameters please? Thank you!


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## visiting.alien (May 10, 2020)

KekeTheBettaDoc said:


> Can you give us some updated water parameters please? Thank you!


It is still the same as before as of the last water change I did a few days ago.
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0 ppm
pH: 7.0
Hardness (GH): 30
Alkalinity (KH): unknown


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## KekeTheBettaDoc (Dec 3, 2020)

Parameters seem fine. From what I see, he might just have some minor nipping. Most long finned bettas do it, similar to biting fingernails. I see no visible signs of infection. The change in behavior may just be more relaxed/calm from the IAL or he is sleeping more. Betta's behavior can change with time, and even sometimes the weather! Fun facts-bettas are actually known to breed better right before a storm or when there is high pressure in the atmosphere


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