# Help, Fin Rot or Fin loss supected



## Williamg (Aug 17, 2010)

Housing 
What size is your tank?
2 gallon
What temperature is your tank?
2 gallons
Does your tank have a filter?
yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
yes
Is your tank heated?
yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?
none, he is alone

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
Betta Bits.
How often do you feed your betta fish?
3 pellets twice a day.


Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change?
Changed one a week, was last changed sunday

What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
25%

What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?
Salt, Stress Coat

Water Parameters:
Ammonia: fine
Nitrite: fine
Nitrate: fine
pH: 7.2
Hardness: soft
Alkalinity: fine 


How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
yesterday I noticed his fins were tattered and slightly brown along the tips of the tatter were almost falling apart and not noce looking. His front fins have been getting colorless.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
No, still eats like a pig
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Yesterday
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Added some salt, waiting to see if it gets any worst
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
Not in the Week I've had him
How old is your fish (approximately)? 
No clue, maybe a year.

I got my betta from petsmart about a week ago, and he has been doing fine until monday.

Here are some photos



















Any help would be great!


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## luv2run21 (Aug 17, 2010)

i dont know how to treat this but look up some solutions for this online


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## SilverCaracal (May 9, 2010)

You should do water changes more often. 50% twice a week and 100% once maybe?


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## lunalove199 (Jul 30, 2010)

Aquarium salt and water conditioner that coats fins as well. Like the brand prime?


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## loppy656 (Jul 31, 2009)

Ya you should change the water more offten and put some aquraim salt in like every time you change the water.


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## derpmeister (Jul 26, 2010)

Hi, Williamg! Your boy is very handsome, and it's unfortunate what happened to his fins. It's hard to tell if it's fin rot or not, but there is a little discoloration around the edges which makes me think it might be. It looks mild right now, though. You should be able to treat it with VERY clean, warm water and salt. Do a 100% water change daily-- yes, I know, a lot of work, but you'll see improvement very quickly. It will prevent further infection as well as promote new fin growth.

If it's not fin rot, it could just be fin damage. Are those plastic plants you have in there? Those are deadly for betta's fins. My betta managed to SHRED his fins on a bit of a plastic plant, and it looked a lot like your betta's tail, so I removed it. Even if it's just fin damage, you still want to do daily water changes to prevent infection from getting into the torn fins. Definitely replace any plastic plants with silk ones to prevent further damage. A good test is to run a pantyhose across the ornament-- if it snags anywhere, it will snag your betta's fins and rip them up.

It's also possible your betta has been fin biting. They do that sometimes if they're stressed or bored. Keep an eye on him to make sure he's not chomping at his tail. Again, if this is the case, you still want to keep up with your water changes to help the fin grow back.

If you do your water changes with salt, you should see new fin growth in under a week. Best of luck!


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

I agree with derpmeister--although this looks like tail biting to me. From the fish's ventral fins, we can tell that this fish has some crowntail genes--so the jagged edges on the dorsal and the anal fins are genetic rather than caused by injury. You might want to remove the plastic plants, just in case, and replace them with silk ones. 

I think he's been nipping his ray extensions a bit. It's hard to tell whether the fish's tail is infected or not since your boy has a lot of black pigment underneath the blue-green iridescent layer--and infection is usually black and crusty. You might be able to tell based on texture if you look really closely. 

Are you sure the tank is cycled? You said the parameters were "fine" but you didn't give any numbers.


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## Williamg (Aug 17, 2010)

Thanks for the input guys. @Adastra, the tank was not cycled before I put my Betta in the tank. He has been in there for a little over two weeks now. By fine I meant I had tested the water with a solid strip test (I know, not as accurate as a liquid test) and the results were all within normal, but I couldn't remember the exact result off of the top of my head. @derpmeister, good advice, I started water changes yesterday, as well as removing the plant. I plan on putting a silk one in soon. My Betta does have fin rot. I had to leave for a couple days, so I changed the water and added some salt before I left, and now the fin has deteriorated some more, but not a whole bunch. Thanks for the help guys, I will keep updating on his health,
Williamg


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## Williamg (Aug 17, 2010)

So here are some current photos of his medical condition. The salt and water changes seem to be helping. But I do have a question. See the translucent area on the fin?









Is that the fin healing or more fungus or what? 

Here are the rest of the photos



















Any help would be great!
Williamg


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## derpmeister (Jul 26, 2010)

That looks like new fin growth to me. Fungus is usually less transparent, while new fin growth is whitish clear. Are the edges smooth? If so, it is new fin growth.


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## Williamg (Aug 17, 2010)

Well some negative progress. My betta (I really need a name for him) managed to put some holes and blow part of his fin. :frustrated: I haven't a clue how he managed to do this, his tank is empty. I removed the dangerous fake plant, and nothing else in his tank is sharp or pointing. Maybe the lack of hiding places is stressing him out and making him flare more, but there is nothing much I can do until the bulbs I have planted in his tank get bigger. Right now they just started to grow, and are about 2 to 3 cm long. On the brightside, he is recovering from the fin rot. Any advice?
Williamg


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## derpmeister (Jul 26, 2010)

Is the current from the filter strong? Sometimes it can create tears and holes in betta's tails, especially if they're big. This is a big problem with halfmoon bettas. Also, new fin growth is super delicate and easily broken. If this is your problem, you could create a baffle with a plastic bottle or a sponge in front of the filter outflow.


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## Williamg (Aug 17, 2010)

The filter is a whisper 3I, and I have never had any issues with it at all. The suction isn't great, and the current ends after in hits the front of the tank. And derpmeister, none of the new growth as been damaged at all. It was a completely different area of the tail that had never had any damage on it before. Its really odd.
Williamg

http://www.bettafish.com/member.php?u=19935


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