# betta fish fin rot???



## jackiekhaytin (Aug 10, 2011)

i have a crowntail betta, (his name is Sparky) ive had him for about a month, and hes been healthy he is in a 2 gal tank with a filter. i feed him aqueon bettafood about 5 pellets a day.
he is alone in the tank with gravel, and one red rubber plant. 
i did a 100% water change yesterday just as i normally do once a week, added water conditioner and 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt (that was new to the water, recommended by a friend) 
and he swam around nothing was wrong.

but today when i was feeding him i noticed a few peices of his fins look ragged and torn, he is still swimming around as usually and ate the same, there is also a begining of a bubble nest at the top of the water.
is the salt hurting him?? could it be fin rot?
if so what do i do??

i did another 100% water change, and started a treatment of maracyn and maracyn 2, i left out the salt this time. i really want him to live. please help!!!


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

Hello, welcome to the forum! We have a disease/emergency section but I will answer your question here. I know you've already answered some of these but please fill out this form so we may help you in the fastest way possible:

Housing 
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

In any case, my current diagnosis of your problem may not be actual fin rot, but tail biting. Fin rot tends to look like fins are melting off. Are the edges of fins blackened? 

Putting salt regularly into a tank is generally not recommended. Long-term exposure to salt can cause kidney problems for your fish.


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## jackiekhaytin (Aug 10, 2011)

Housing 
What size is your tank? 2 gallon
What temperature is your tank? about 80-81 degrees
Does your tank have a filter? yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no (do i need one)
Is your tank heated? has a small 7.5 watt heater but the temp is usually 76-80 degrees without it, unless the temperature goes below 76 i dont use the heater
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Aqueon betta food, for treats freeze dried blood worms once a week
How often do you feed your betta fish? daily about 5 pellets a day

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? once a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? water conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia: .50
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
pH: about 6.8
Hardness: 150 hard
Alkalinity: about 80

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? yes, his very back his had ripped and torn looking edges, not bad but noticeable when looking
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? no eats well swims around, hides in his favorite plant
When did you start noticing the symptoms? yesterday
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? i did another 100% water change, and started a treatment of maracyn and maracyn 2, i left out the salt this time.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? no
How old is your fish (approximately)? ive had him for about a month, i got him at the pet store so i dont know how old he was when i bought him.


edges aren't blackened just torn.


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## jackiekhaytin (Aug 10, 2011)

heres how it looks =(


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## Neelie (Feb 18, 2010)

yeah i think thats fin rot alright. id add some AQ salt to his tank and keep his water extra clean for a while. see what happens


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

Ah yes that is a great picture of finrot! I recommend 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of AQ salt. 

Also, according to the form, you change your water 100% once a week? That' perfectly fine, although your ammonia seems a tad high, so I would throw in an extra 50% midway through the week. So something like this:

Wednesday: 50%
Sunday 100%

Get well soon! He's such a handsome boy.


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## jackiekhaytin (Aug 10, 2011)

So should I stop the maracyn?


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## jackiekhaytin (Aug 10, 2011)

howoftenshould i add the salt in?


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

The salt, yes I actually forgot to tell you. PRE-MIX the salt in a container before putting it in. Dumping it in causes areas of high salt and areas of low salt as it dissolves which are not good.

I recommend putting salt in and changing 100% of the water EVERYDAY for 10 days. If it persists, use Maracyn.

Since you're going to be changing the water everyday, I say stop Maracyn for now.


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## jackiekhaytin (Aug 10, 2011)

Thank you soo much, one more question, should I do a 100% water change today? And will I see improvement within 10 days?


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## jackiekhaytin (Aug 10, 2011)

What are the chances that he gets better?


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

You're welcome! I recommend starting his salt treatment as soon as you can, and after 10 days continue to keep his tank squeaky clean without the salt and he should feel better.

Just keep an attentive eye on him to make sure it doesn't PROGRESS. Nothing happening is better than the fin rot getting worse . My new boy, Mali, had his tail (we believe) cut off due to possible fin rot in an attempt to make him *look* better at the petstore. It's been about a week and he's already got a little bit of growth back 

There is a very high chance that he will get better. Fin rot (as far as I have seen) does not often claim lives.


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## jackiekhaytin (Aug 10, 2011)

Thanks a billion.


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## jackiekhaytin (Aug 10, 2011)

Is stress coat a good water conditioner to use right now?


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

Yes, Stress Coat is great to use


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## jackiekhaytin (Aug 10, 2011)

i started him on the AQ salt treatment andhe is still swiming around and eating fine but now his fin seems to look worse, could i be doing something wrong?


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

Not likely, it will worsen a little before it gets better, treatment is never instantaneous. If it is still progressing worse over the next few days then maybe you'll have to start treating with proper dosages of Maracyn


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## jackiekhaytin (Aug 10, 2011)

help help help!!!!!!!!! he looks all bloated around his stomach now!!!!!!!! idk what it is or why!!!!!! his fin rot didnt get any worse, he was fine then i did a waer change left the house and now hes all bloated looking!!!!!!!!!!! hes swimming around fine but idk what to do please help!!


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

Did you overfeed him? What does the bloat look like? Does it look like a marble in his stomach or is he all swelled up?

Is it possible to post a picture of him?


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