# Betta's Tail Deteriorating



## Magnus (Nov 15, 2011)

Housing 
What size is your tank? 1 Gallon
What temperature is your tank? Room Temperature 70F +
Does your tank have a filter? No
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? Nutrafin Max, Bloodworms
How often do you feed your betta fish? Daily in the Evening

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? Every 2-3 days
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100% once a week, 25-50% in between
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Nutrafin Betta Plus

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
I haven't tested it 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Rear tail is rapidly deteriorating to nothing, the bottom fin has a split in it but remains whole top dorsal fin has two tears in it but remains whole as well.

How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Fins were clamped in the beginning and was lethargic. Started Daily treatment of Jungle Lifeguard All in One Tabs. After a few days his tail opened up and he returned to his usual self, excited when I enter the room very active . But when his fins opened up his rear tail was torn, it looked like fin rot so I continued with the medication. It continued to decay rapidly so I started adding Betta revive as well with the Tabs. 
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
About one week ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Jungle Lifeguard All in one tabs, Betta Revive.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Had a fungal infection about a month ago that I treated with the Jungle Tabs and Betta Revive. He returned to full health, he started showing syptoms again so I started treating again except now his fins are decaying with it. 
How old is your fish (approximately)? Purchased him from Petco about 5 Months ago.


----------



## Hisaki Yuki001 (Jul 5, 2011)

It does look like he has fin rot like you said. It sounds like with the treament you've been using that he either is not getting enough medication or he may be growing immunity to it? I would suggest stopping treatment of the meds you have had him on and maybe trying 1 teaspoon per gallon of aquarium salt with 100% water changes a day for 10 days. If he still seems to not get better after 5 days of the salt treatments, I hear that you can step it up to 2 teaspoons per gallon. If he doesn't improve with salt treatments after 10 days or if the fin rot reaches past his fins, you'll need to progress to meds.

*Note: *The two illness and treatment guides listed below is from Betta Fish Disease and Treatment Part 1 in the top of this forum category. It may give you a few more tips or ideas of what other medications you may be able to try as well. And maybe someone else may have a few suggestions for you as well. I hope he gets better. 

The actual forum thread is here. http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=73332
*
Tail rot or fin rot*
•Symptoms: Betta’s fins and/or tail seem to be getting shorter and shorter or they seem to be falling apart and dissolving, Black or red along the edge of the betta’s fins/tail, Bloody tips, Behavior may not change
Treatment: Conservative: Treat with Aq.Salt at 1 tsp/gal. Increase water changes to 100% daily. Replace accurate amount of salt following water changes. Add Stress Coat to help repair tissue. If there is little to no improvement within the first 5 days, you can increase the salt dosage gradually to 2tsp/gal but do not continue any salt treatments past 10 days. Medication: If Conservative treatment is ineffective use API Tetracycline, API Fungus Cure, API Triple Sulfa, OR API Erythromycin. Also add Stress Coat to help regrowth. Continue until fins/tail stop receding and start showing some new growth.


*Advanced Fin and Tail rot*
•Symptoms: Fins and or tail start rotting away, usually starting from the edge, but sometimes it starts at the base of the fin (especially dorsal) and attacks the body directly. Diseases progresses rapidly as the tissues are being eaten away. Once fins have been consumed, rot will proceed onto the body. At this stage the disease is hard to reverse although the betta might continue to live for months if treated properly. If not treated, it will die promptly.
•Treatment: If the rot has advanced onto the body, skip conservative treatment. Do 100% daily water changes. Use a combination of Fungus Eliminator and Tetracycline. Continue until fins/tail stop receding and start showing some new growth. It may take up to 4 weeks to work, so don’t give up.


----------



## tlyons01 (Jul 5, 2011)

I think it looks like he has been biting his fins. As well as maybe some fin rot. I wonder, did the fins suddenly appear hat way? Did you notice that he was moving in fast circles at all? I have a HM that began biting his fins when he was placed in a divided tank. Now he has his own 5 gallon tank, and the very day I tried to add a background, he saw his reflection and withing 30 minutes took big huge chunks out of his tail again. I am not sure what triggers it, for some I think its stress for others maybe territory being threatened. The reason I say this is due to the big chunk missing, though the splits and tears would be fin rot, my guess. I think in a 1 gallon, you might want to ensure that on your 25-50% PWC lean more towards the 50% or more. If you can, remove uneaten food and poo in between to help keep it clean in between. Having tail biters is frustrating, as I am learning the hard way. Mine has such beautiful fins, but I haven't seen their full potential in months.. Good luck and I am sure that others will contribute their opinions as well


----------



## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

he's chomped his tail, then caught a mild case of fin rot.

try giving him some more plants, and maybe a small cave to explore. that should stop the biting. with clean, warm water, the tail should grow back on it's own. if you want to help it out a little, buy some Indian Almond Leaves, and add part of one to his tank. leave it in, till the water turns a nice brown color. the chemicals in the leaf help the fin grow back a bit. if you can't get any, i think Betta Spa has IAL Extract in it..


----------



## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Hi Magnus, welcome to the forum.
You've been given some great advice so far. I just want to add that 70F really is too cold for your boy, and he won't be able to recover nearly as effectively in those temperatures. I strongly advise getting yourself a heater and raising the temperature gradually to 80F. It will boost his metabolism and help his immune system.  
Clean warm water = the easiest, most natural way to help heal torn fins.


----------

