# Betta getting red coloring and back fins have shortened a lot



## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Hi there everyone

So my boy is a white opal betta who has had fin nipping issues in the past that we had resolved. I just sat down in front of his tank today and noticed that his caudal fins have shortened A LOT, and that he is getting some red coloring on his front/pelvic/ventral fins (sorry, not sure of the name). He has progressively gotten black coloring all over just from age, but the red is new..He is eating normal, his water tests great, he’s acting fine. I do know that he messes around with his filter and heater a lot, like he wraps around the part of the filter that hangs into the water and heater and puts himself under the water flow of the filter and gets pushed around a lot. I’m just worried about his excessive fin shortening and new red coloring. I included some photos, all are from today except for the last 2. The second to last is from June and the last one is from early August. Help!


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## FishandBirdLover (May 5, 2021)

Aw man! your poor boy looks so rough! Can you please fill out the emergency template?


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## FishandBirdLover (May 5, 2021)

Just copy and paste


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

*Food:*
What food brand do you use?
Do you feed flakes or pellets?
Freeze-dried?
How often do you feed your Betta? How much?

*Maintenance:
Before* your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change?
What percentage of water did you change?
What is the source of your water?
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water?
What additives do you use other than conditioner? What brand of conditioner?

*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:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness (GH):
Alkalinity (KH):

*Symptoms and Treatment:*
When did you first notice the symptoms?
How has your Betta’s appearance changed?
How has your Betta’s behavior changed?
Is your Betta still eating?
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how?
Does your Betta have any history of being ill?
How long have you owned your Betta?
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased?


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

FishandBirdLover said:


> Aw man! your poor boy looks so rough! Can you please fill out the emergency template?


i know I’m so worried😭😭 we recently went through a move where he had to be in a cup for a while so idk maybe that did something😭 I will do that right now


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

FishandBirdLover said:


> Just copy and paste
> 
> 
> *Housing:*
> ...




Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? 5.5gal

Does it have a filter? Yes, HOB

Does it have a heater? Yes, Hydor Theo 25W

What temperature is your tank? 78.8°F

Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No

Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? No

Food:
What food brand do you use? Hikari bio gold but just switched him to Imagitarium betta pellets today because I liked the ingredients better

Do you feed flakes or pellets? Pellets

Freeze-dried? Sometimes freeze dried bloodworms

How often do you feed your Betta? How much? 2x a day, 4 pellets each time

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? Once a week

What percentage of water did you change? 40-50%

What is the source of your water? Tap water

Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? Vacuum as well as I can with the decorations he has in place

What additives do you use other than conditioner? API Stress Coat+. Have been using since the fin nipping issue months ago.

What brand of conditioner? Seachem Prime

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.

I just changed his water yesterday btw!!
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm
pH: 7
Hardness (GH): between 30-60ppm, maybe a little under. This is low according to my test tube😭
Alkalinity (KH): approx 80ppm, maybe a little under

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? The last couple days but really noticed his shortened fins and red colors today

How has your Betta’s appearance changed? His back fins are much much shorter and he has some red coloring on his front fins below his face. He has black coloring that has progressively increased since we got him, I was told it was due to age. He looks rough😭

How has your Betta’s behavior changed? Not at all. For the past couple months, maybe since June, he has been messing around with his filter and heater more. Like wrapping around them, hanging around back there and putting himself under the stream of the filter and getting pushed

Is your Betta still eating? Yes

Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? No, I don’t know what to do😭

Does your Betta have any history of being ill? No, other than some fin nipping about 6-10 months ago

How long have you owned your Betta? Almost a year, will be a year this month!

Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? No


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

@FishandBirdLover 

My local Petco closes at 8 and PetSmart closes at 9, it’s 6:40 currently so I am willing to run and get him anything he needs


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## FishandBirdLover (May 5, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> @FishandBirdLover
> 
> My local Petco closes at 8 and PetSmart closes at 9, it’s 6:40 currently so I am willing to run and get him anything he needs


Ok, let me read the emergency template.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

FishandBirdLover said:


> Ok, let me read the emergency template.


Okay, I really appreciate your help


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## FishandBirdLover (May 5, 2021)

Could you post pics of the tank? I might find something


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

FishandBirdLover said:


> Could you post pics of the tank? I might find something


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

@FishandBirdLover

I know that his 2 pieces of driftwood have been in there for many months, probably about 8 months, and that some of his plants have algae on them. His 3 moss balls have been in there since we got him. I always have a piece of an Indian almond leaf in there underneath one of the driftwood pieces and switch it out every couple weeks.


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## FishandBirdLover (May 5, 2021)

Wow! his tank is gorg! Are his fake plants sharp? run a pantyhose over the fake plants and if it snags, remove the plants or sandpaper them


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## FishandBirdLover (May 5, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> @FishandBirdLover
> I always have a piece of an Indian almond leaf in there underneath one of the driftwood pieces and switch it out every couple weeks.


Ok, I was about to recommend IAL.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

FishandBirdLover said:


> Wow! his tank is gorg! Are his fake plants sharp? run a pantyhose over the fake plants and if it snags, remove the plants or sandpaper them


Oh thank you so much!! I’ve worked really hard on it☺ I don’t think that they are, I was very picky about his fake plants when I bought them lol, but I will check right now. I don’t have pantyhose, what else can I use?


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

FishandBirdLover said:


> Ok, I was about to recommend IAL.


Do you think that the old driftwood or algae on the plants can cause issues?


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## FishandBirdLover (May 5, 2021)

Here is something that might help you. It looks like fin nipping.









Betta Tail Biting (What To Do & How To Prevent It) - Betta Care Fish Guide


There's nothing worse than noticing half of your betta's tail is gone. If you notice your betta tail biting, then find out how you can stop it immediately.




www.bettacarefishguide.com


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## FishandBirdLover (May 5, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> Do you think that the old driftwood or algae on the plants can cause issues?


No. My tanks have driftwood and algae in them but I have not had any problems.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

FishandBirdLover said:


> Here is something that might help you. It looks like fin nipping.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


yeah he’s done this before😢 I wasn’t sure if he was nipping again or if it was how often he messes around with his filter and maybe it’s pulling on his fins??


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## FishandBirdLover (May 5, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> Oh thank you so much!! I’ve worked really hard on it☺ I don’t think that they are, I was very picky about his fake plants when I bought them lol, but I will check right now. I don’t have pantyhose, what else can I use?


What I also do is see if it hurts my finger


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## FishandBirdLover (May 5, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> yeah he’s done this before😢 I wasn’t sure if he was nipping again or if it was how often he messes around with his filter and maybe it’s pulling on his fins??


It looks like fin nipping. Keep his water clean, keep adding IAL, keep using the Stress coat, and see how he does. Also, The article may help you too.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

I’ll


FishandBirdLover said:


> It looks like fin nipping. Keep his water clean, keep adding IAL, keep using the Stress coat, and see how he does. Also, The article may help you too.


okay that’s what I was thinking. Dang little guy just loves biting his fins🤦‍♀️😂 Apparently it is more common in white/translucent bettas as I’ve heard on this forum, and some of them just do it because they can..
What about that red coloring up front? I know that white opals can get red/pink or black coloring (also heard on this forum) so maybe it’s that? What do you think?


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## FishandBirdLover (May 5, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> I’ll
> 
> 
> okay that’s what I was thinking. Dang little guy just loves biting his fins🤦‍♀️😂 Apparently it is more common in white/translucent bettas as I’ve heard on this forum, and some of them just do it because they can..
> What about that red coloring up front? I know that white opals can get red/pink or black coloring (also heard on this forum) so maybe it’s that? What do you think?


The black looks like natural coloring to me and the red looks like blood vessels. I've seen that a lot in white bettas.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

FishandBirdLover said:


> The black looks like natural coloring to me and the red looks like blood vessels. I've seen that a lot in white bettas.


Oh okay! I figured the black was just coloring but the red up front was so new so I wasn’t sure. That makes sense. So he’s nipped his fins in the past, maybe he’s just a serial nipper?😂 Do you think he’s bored of his tank? I haven’t changed it up in a long while. But I do know that @RussellTheShihTzu has said that it is a common issue in white bettas lol, silly fish🤦‍♀️


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## FishandBirdLover (May 5, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> Oh okay! I figured the black was just coloring but the red up front was so new so I wasn’t sure. That makes sense. So he’s nipped his fins in the past, maybe he’s just a serial nipper?😂 Do you think he’s bored of his tank? I haven’t changed it up in a long while. But I do know that @RussellTheShihTzu has said that it is a common issue in white bettas lol, silly fish🤦‍♀️


 Yeah. Well, hopefully he'll get better! And keep us updated!


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

FishandBirdLover said:


> Yeah. Well, hopefully he'll get better! And keep us updated!


Thanks so much!!


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## FishandBirdLover (May 5, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> Thanks so much!!


Your welcome.  Sending positive thoughts your way. 💕


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## xXxRocky2007xXx (Aug 7, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


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> ...


holy moly thats a very nice tank :O


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

xXxRocky2007xXx said:


> holy moly thats a very nice tank :O


Omg thank you, that means a lot🥺☺ He is my first betta so I wanted him to be happy!!! Yet he still bites his fins off🙄😂


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## xXxRocky2007xXx (Aug 7, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> Omg thank you, that means a lot🥺☺ He is my first betta so I wanted him to be happy!!! Yet he still bites his fins off🙄😂


and i tought we had the same problum 3 week ago..:









Help! my betta has this ripped tail for almost 3 weeks...


* I posted this in Riddit and for 1 whole day no one answers me* my betta has this ripped tail for almost 3 weeks now and it don't seems like fin rot , because it has no black and only the back tail is ripped. i searched the internet and i still don't understand what happend to him..and i don't...




www.bettafish.com





(my post about my betta fish, Blizzard) 

later that week i decited to put some salt in there to help if it's some fin rot, then..... it worked! it's just a very slow fin rot. caused by a plastic toy tree. 

hope your betta gets better too


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

xXxRocky2007xXx said:


> and i tought we had the same problum 3 week ago..:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


White bettas are such little buggers😂 I was thinking about aquarium salt. He’s been a biter before, and there’s nothing sharp in his tank, so I believe he is just biting🤦‍♀️😂 Would I just put some salt in and just do water changes as normal?


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## FishandBirdLover (May 5, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> White bettas are such little buggers😂 I was thinking about aquarium salt. He’s been a biter before, and there’s nothing sharp in his tank, so I believe he is just biting🤦‍♀️😂 Would I just put some salt in and just do water changes as normal?


I have used aquarium salt to treat fin rot. And, believe or not, It worked! 😁


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

FishandBirdLover said:


> I have used aquarium salt to treat fin rot. And, believe or not, It worked! 😁


Oh that’s great! Do you think it would benefit my boy at all since he’s just a nipper?


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## FishandBirdLover (May 5, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> Oh that’s great! Do you think it would benefit my boy at all since he’s just a nipper?


Yes. Fin nipping most of the time results in fin rot. I put in 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt per 10 gallons.


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## Mohammedlm20 (Sep 9, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> Oh okay! I figured the black was just coloring but the red up front was so new so I wasn’t sure. That makes sense. So he’s nipped his fins in the past, maybe he’s just a serial nipper?😂 Do you think he’s bored of his tank? I haven’t changed it up in a long while. But I do know that @RussellTheShihTzu has said that it is a common issue in white bettas lol, silly fish🤦‍♀️


Have you checked the water quality etc? Maybe try indian almond leaves. They are very good.


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## Mohammedlm20 (Sep 9, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> I’ll
> 
> 
> okay that’s what I was thinking. Dang little guy just loves biting his fins🤦‍♀️😂 Apparently it is more common in white/translucent bettas as I’ve heard on this forum, and some of them just do it because they can..
> What about that red coloring up front? I know that white opals can get red/pink or black coloring (also heard on this forum) so maybe it’s that? What do you think?


This could be the case


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Mohammedlm20 said:


> Have you checked the water quality etc? Maybe try indian almond leaves. They are very good.


Water quality is perfect and I have a leaf in there right now! He always has one in his tank


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

FishandBirdLover said:


> Yes. Fin nipping most of the time results in fin rot. I put in 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt per 10 gallons.


Okay cool, so since he’s a 5.5gal I’ll do 1/2tbsp. So do I just dilute and dissolve it with some tank water, pour it in and just water change when the time comes as normal? Then just do it again after the change?


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## Mohammedlm20 (Sep 9, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> Water quality is perfect and I have a leaf in there right now! He always has one in his tank


I've been stressing. I'm new here. Hello everyone. It didn't let me post because of restriction or something. But I just noticed today a weird white lump under my betta chin. He seems abit discoloured also his bloated. Idk what to do.


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## FishandBirdLover (May 5, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> Okay cool, so since he’s a 5.5gal I’ll do 1/2tbsp. So do I just dilute and dissolve it with some tank water, pour it in and just water change when the time comes as normal? Then just do it again after the change?


Yes. And do dissolve the aquarium salt because if you betta touches the salt, he will get burns.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

FishandBirdLover said:


> Yes. And do dissolve the aquarium salt because if you betta touches the salt, he will get burns.


hello again! I just wanted to pop back here and give you an update on my boy  So he looks about the same I think, but he has a great varied diet, great water quality and temperature, catappa leaves, live plants, great water conditioner and API Stress Coat, the only thing I haven’t done is add aquarium salt but I’m planning on doing so soon  Other than his rough appearance (he’s such a little fin nipping bugger😂) he seems very happy and healthy, he is swimming around the front of the tank happy to see me as we speak  I believe from advice I’ve gotten earlier on this forum that the black and some slightly red coloring is normal for white opal bettas as they age?


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