# **PLEASE HELP** Betta clamped fins!! **PLEASE HELP**



## MaverickMom (Oct 10, 2020)

Hello there!! I have a Halfmoon Plakat Betta named Maverick. I’ve had him since June of this year. It seemed to have always been an uphill battle keeping him happy and healthy (I had some troubles with cycling his home tank but he was kept in a hospital Tub in the mean time and the water was changed frequently with Ammonia tests done everyday.). Now I think he’s at his worst from what I’ve seen. Over the last few days I’ve seen his behaviour change to an even slower fish. He has no laboured breathing, nor has trouble getting around, he just chooses to lay on the bottom more often than not and has never swam with his fins open. He does greet me excitedly everytime I come near the tank and is still enthusiastic about food. If anyone can help me understand what’s happening and how I can help him (Or tell me if I’m just overreacting lol) I’d be forever appreciative!!

Housing:
-Gallons: *10 US Gallons*
-Filter: *Yes (Homemade box filter out of a Mason jar, ceramic aquarium media, a black aquarium sponge and poly fill, in that order.)*
-Heater: *Yes*
-Temp: *Ranges from 79-81 throughout the day (trying to get a better heater controller atm)*
-Air stone/Aeration: *Yes, an air stone and aquarium tube is used with the mason jar box filter*
-Tank mates: *None*

Food:
-Brand:
*NorthFin
Omega One
-I feed North Fin Betta bits
-I feed Freeze dried Bloodworms and Brine shrimp
-I feed him every other day, on pellet days he gets four and on freeze dried days he gets a small eyedropper worth of either freeze dried kind he is scheduled to get that day, he has no problems eating as of yet. *

Maintenance:
-Water Changes: *Every 2 weeks (give or take 2-3 days)
-25-35%*
-Source of Water: *Tap Water*
-Substrate: *Vacuum; I have a hard time vacuuming substrate because it’s fine sand, trying to find a way to make that easier without vacuuming the substrate itself up.*
-Additives:
*Big Al’s Multi-Purpose Water Conditioner
Seachem Stability*

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.

*These tests were done after the water change, I found this forum the day after the water change (Oct 8th), the water change was done in the morning and the forum was found in the evening the next day.*
Ammonia: *0 ppm*
Nitrite: *0 ppm*
Nitrate: *0-0.5 ppm*
pH: *6.6*
Hardness (GH): *Unknown*
Alkalinity (KH): *Unknown*

Symptoms and Treatment:
-First Noticed Symptoms: *I noticed them about a week ago. He’s always been a slow betta but he’s never been THIS slow.
-My Betta’s fins now clamp, his colours dull and brighten throughout the day but they don’t seem as bright as when I first got him.
-He used to be very spunky whenever you came up to the glass, he still comes to greet me and shimmies around excitedly for a bit but he just seems off.
-My Betta still eats very enthusiastically
-He’s always had Indian Almond leaves in his tank but I have been hesitant to add anything else as of yet.
-When I first got him he had an odd lump on the left side of his face. After treating with API aquarium salt and almond leaves it disappeared completely though.
-I first got him June, 28th of 2020
-As stated previously there was an odd small lump on the side of his face, but it quickly went away after salt was introduced into his quarantine tank.*

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*I’m really really sorry the parameter tests are from after the water change. Again I did the water change on Oct the 8th and only found this forum the evening of the 9th, (the day I tested the water parameters),* *I wanted to atleast try and get a visual diagnosis of him ASAP. *I’m very desperate to find an answer quickly because I fear he will only get worse. I can test the parameters again in a week or so in an update if that helps! All help and advice right now is extremely appreciated!!

Below are some pictures of as many angles as he would let me get lol.


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## Mbpoppy (Nov 3, 2019)

Hi! What a gorgeous fellow! Those are great photos by the way 

I would do some frequent water changes to start with, and then settle into a 50% water change every week schedule. I don't think your water change schedule has been often enough or of a large enough percentage of water.


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## MaverickMom (Oct 10, 2020)

Mbpoppy said:


> Hi! What a gorgeous fellow! Those are great photos by the way
> 
> I would do some frequent water changes to start with, and then settle into a 50% water change every week schedule. I don't think your water change schedule has been often enough or of a large enough percentage of water.


Hi there!! Thank you I had fun taking them lol

And when you say frequent do you mean like 25% water changes every other day and then ease into 50% water changes after maybe 1-2 weeks of 25% every other day water changes? (I’m sorry for needing clarification but this is my first fish, I’ve tried to do as much research as I could but I still have newbie problems). I always read it was best to leave tanks for two weeks but I’m up for trying whatever it takes to keep him happy and healthy!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Welcome to the Forum...sorry it had to be in this section.

Before I forgot: I use sand and a piece of airline tubing as a vacuum. I just hover it over the sand. It takes a bit to figure out how far so you get detritus and not sand.

While he doesn't look skinny, he may not be receiving enough food. Both NorthFin and Omega One are good foods so no need to switch. The freeze dried, according to manufacturers' blurbs, are to be used as treats-only and not as a substitute for regular food.

With all of that in mind, I would stop the freeze-dried and feed him 2 x per day; three is better if you can do it. IME, most Betta do well on 8-12 pellets per day. Another way to feed is until their bellies are gently rounded. You want to break the feedings up so you don't risk overfeeding.

Here's the Forum's tutorial on fish-in cycling. I hope you find it useful.








CYCLING: the two-sentence tutorial


Change half the water when either ammonia or nitrite approach 0.50ppm (alternately, 25% at 0.25ppm), or weekly, whichever comes first. Add Seachem Prime at 2-drops per gallon of tank size every day until cycled. That’s all you have to do. You can stop reading now. But there’s a lot of...




www.bettafish.com





Do you ever see Ammonia or Nitrites? Or Nitrates over 20 ppm? If not, your tank is probably cycled. A cycled 10 should have one 3-gallon water change per week. This replenishes the minerals and trace elements fish need. 

Another thing I almost forgot: Take a shot from above. His body should look like a torpedo with no delineation between his head and his body. He does not look thin at all but it gives you an idea of what you should be seeing.


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## MaverickMom (Oct 10, 2020)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Welcome to the Forum...sorry it had to be in this section.
> 
> Before I forgot: I use sand and a piece of airline tubing as a vacuum. I just hover it over the sand. It takes a bit to figure out how far so you get detritus and not sand.
> 
> ...


Hello there!! Oh my goodness thank you, with just two people replying already this feels like a warm welcome regardless of the topic of the discussion!!

Food: To keep a varied diet without using the Bloodworms or Brine shrimp as an every other day food source, are there other foods I could use to replace them to keep his diet rotating and not just on NorthFin Bits everyday? And 8 pellets over the course of a day? Every day? I just want to make sure I understood what you meant correctly because I’ve heard so much varied advice for feeding. My worst fear is causing a swim bladder issue or dropsy from over feeding. I was told to feed 4 pellets on feeding days and give them a day in between feedings to give them time to digest.

Cycle: I monitored the cycling of this 10 gallon tank like a hawk and it is cycled, it cycled for over a month actually. A user above said to ease into 50% water changes a week, and when I take out 3 gallons sometimes it practically looks like 50% of the water is gone so 3 gallon/50% water changes it’ll be! 

I am curious about his top angle now so tomorrow I will be sure to get a picture.
Thank you so much for all this advice!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

We are always happy to help.

The only way to overfeed is to feed too much at one time. Spaced out over a day that shouldn't happen. The number of pellets to feed depends on the size. I don't count because all of my tanks have Mystery Snails which eat any leftovers. But, I imagine I feed 3-4 pellets 2 or 3 x per day. So mine probably average 8-10 pellets per day. You can fast one day per week if you wish.

I feed my Betta a food I only recently discovered: Devour Grain-Free Carnivore Formula. I'll link where you can buy it below.

You can alternate the Omega One and NorthFin and supplement with frozen. I feed Bloodworms, Baby Brine Shrimp and "Mini" Bloodworms (mosquito larva). Krill is good but make sure to rinse. IME, cubes are better than packs because even I can't use a pack fast enough. Each cube also stays sealed until needed. You can thaw out half a cube and store leftovers in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. I use a small medicine bottle to store. A pipette or medicine dropper to feed.

The only other thing I can think of is the plants might be leaching something. Are they aquarium-safe? Forum is pretty quiet on the weekends. Come Monday some may have more ideas. 

BTW, does he have a name?


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## MaverickMom (Oct 10, 2020)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> We are always happy to help.
> 
> The only way to overfeed is to feed too much at one time. Spaced out over a day that shouldn't happen. The number of pellets to feed depends on the size. I don't count because all of my tanks have Mystery Snails which eat any leftovers. But, I imagine I feed 3-4 pellets 2 or 3 x per day. So mine probably average 8-10 pellets per day. You can fast one day per week if you wish.
> 
> ...


I have no mystery snails or cleanup crew so I make sure to keep count of what food he eats. I'll be sure to start implementing more frequent feedings however!

I use the Omega One frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp cubes as well. Keeping a separate cube in a small zip lock bag and using a knife (only used for his food) to shave off food from the cube. I then take an eyedropper with some of his aquarium water to thaw the amount. I'll be sure to look for other food alternatives though and use the frozen for treats! 

I never thought the faux plants could be an issue. I read many many reviews from Amazon before I purchased them and no one mentioned them leaking anything into their tanks (they were rinsed of course before being added to his tank). Ones edges does fray a bit, could that effect him? 

And his name is Maverick!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I figured it was Maverick but I've been wrong in my figuring before.  

Did the manufacturer say claim were aquarium safe? Or reviewers?

If you want to test you could remove the faux plants and do a couple of five-gallon water changes. He will be fine for a day or two in an empty or near-empty tank. I'd buy a couple of Anubias. They don't need any special treatment other than you can't plant the rhizome; only the roots. Most people either affix to decor or let float. 

If Maverick starts acting better it will point to the plants. If he doesn't start acting more himself there are options to explore. There are others more familiar than am I but they most likely won't be on until Monday.


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## MaverickMom (Oct 10, 2020)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I figured it was Maverick but I've been wrong in my figuring before.
> 
> Did the manufacturer say claim were aquarium safe? Or reviewers?
> 
> ...


I just checked amazon and both types of faux plants I use say intended for Aquatic environments.

Oh my goodness I never even thought of going near real plants, I wanted to but this is my first tank. Are Anubias really that easy, and quick question; what's a rhizome. And would I quarantine plants before putting them in his tank?? My apologies for so many questions. I wanted to try planted but I never thought I was ready. I will look into it however because I wouldn't be opposed to trying!

I'm eager to hear what advice I might get during the week, regardless however you've already been a massive help and I can't thank you enough!


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## Mbpoppy (Nov 3, 2019)

MaverickMom said:


> you've already been a massive help


@RussellTheShihTzu absolutely rocks, as do all the mods here 

To compare, a plant root is a nongreen part of the plant that grows underground and supports the plant, the rhizome is a fleshy stem that stores food.

This thread is an interesting read. I've also seen that some people simply rinse, but to my mind that's not enough. I'd gotten three marimo in a cup from a pet store, and one of them had hitchhikers that, for lack of a better way to put it, had to be starved to death, which meant having them in a separate vase for a couple weeks if I remember right and not in with the fish. (I ended up leaving them in their vase after all, they didn't like the warm temperatures that the betta need  ).









Quarantine?


I am familiar with the concept of quarantine, but how long should you keep new fish/plants separate before adding them into the main tank? When should you quarantine for a long period, and when would it be okay to introduce them after a few days? I have a 1 gallon and 2.5 gallon tank that I...




www.bettafish.com


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## MaverickMom (Oct 10, 2020)

Mbpoppy said:


> @RussellTheShihTzu absolutely rocks, as do all the mods here
> 
> To compare, a plant root is a nongreen part of the plant that grows underground and supports the plant, the rhizome is a fleshy stem that stores food.
> 
> ...


Ah I have heard of people simply gluing plants like Anubias on decoration etc with super glue gel, I'm going to my local fish store to ask some questions about live plants.

And I understand hitchhikers lol. We were setting up another 10 gallon and got worms from 2 moss balls (the harmless compost worker ones), what we wanted to do didn't work out with that tank so we're going to gut that thing anyways. Maybe in a few months I'll take a crack at it again with fully planted tank and take my time with it! 

So if I wanted to quarantine Anubias I would leave it in a vase with dechlorinated water for a few weeks, maybe leaving it by the window so it can still get light? 
(Again thanks for all the help!!)


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I well-know the need to see a fully-planted NOW! because I'm that way. However, if you've never had plants I suggest getting an Anubias or two and see how it goes. If after a month, try another species. Too many people overwhelm themselves.

Whether you need to quarantine depends on where you buy plants.


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## MaverickMom (Oct 10, 2020)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I well-know the need to see a fully-planted NOW! because I'm that way. However, if you've never had plants I suggest getting an Anubias or two and see how it goes. If after a month, try another species. Too many people overwhelm themselves.
> 
> Whether you need to quarantine depends on where you buy plants.


Oh I’m definitely going to pace myself, the last thing I want is my impulse to cause a disaster lol. I only went to the store to see their selection and ask some questions. I plan to only get 2 Anubias and MAYBE a Java Fern for a small variety because the employee said they’re similar if not the same, but the Java Fern isn’t a finalized decision. They have like, a spider wood selection there that are weighed down by concrete slates so I’m planning to use that for what I attach the plants to (I’m hesitant to put rocks in a betta tank because the fins are so delicate, but if there are safe rocks for them I’d love to know, have had trouble finding any). I’m quarantining Moss Balls I got from them before that had Detritus worms (they haven’t been in Mavericks tank though), so I’m hoping a month quarantined in a boiled/sanitized mason jar will get rid of the worms. I’m going to be picking up the plants next Friday and quarantining them in a vase as well for a month! 

An update on Maverick though, he’s reacted well after the water change the few days ago and still eats well, his fins open up more when he sees me at the front of the glass and was flaring today, I fed him twice today as well and he definitely had no complaints lol! I plan to do another water change on Oct 15th.


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## MaverickMom (Oct 10, 2020)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I well-know the need to see a fully-planted NOW! because I'm that way. However, if you've never had plants I suggest getting an Anubias or two and see how it goes. If after a month, try another species. Too many people overwhelm themselves.
> 
> Whether you need to quarantine depends on where you buy plants.


OH one more question (sorry to bug lol). Right now in Maverick’s tank I have a 40watt LED lightbulb in the left side of the tank, I’d add the other 40watt once the plants are there to promote growth. Is 80watts LED enough for Anubias’s? I’ve tried looking for good wattages for 10 gallons but the info’s getting a bit jumbled. I can take a picture of the bulbs if that helps as well.


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## Fish 4 sale ¢50 a fish. (Sep 30, 2019)

I love java ferns, they are definitely a great addition to every tank. They are hard to kill, aren't picky, and reproduce all the time! I have dozens of baby ferns in my 20 gallon as I speak.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Glad Maverick seems to be doing better. Water changes can work miracles even when parameters are perfect.

If you will start a thread in the Planted sub-forum I'm sure you'll get more ideas and help.


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## MaverickMom (Oct 10, 2020)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Glad Maverick seems to be doing better. Water changes can work miracles even when parameters are perfect.
> 
> If you will start a thread in the Planted sub-forum I'm sure you'll get more ideas and help.


Ah thank you, I’ll be sure to try a thread there, thank you again for all the help!


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