# My betta is eating his own tail!



## britnyjackson (Mar 10, 2010)

So my betta has shredded his tail to about nothing, so I moved him into his own 5 gal tank. He was in a 10 gallon with 2 other males with dividers. I thought it was stressing him out to much, so now 2 of the males are sharing the 10 gal, and he is in his own 5 gal hexagon tank. He's still shredding his tail, and now has this fuzzy white patch coming off of his side. What should I do???? I'm so worried!


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## Capricorn (Sep 4, 2010)

Not sure about the patch.. make sure that there's nothing that can rip his tail in the tank (decorations, plants, rough edges, etc).. keep his water clean and add some aquarium salt for a couple days to help stave off infection and aid healing. 

Tail biting is often caused by stress or boredom, and in come cases they just bite for the heck of it.

That patch looks fungal, though, but I'm not sure.. hopefully someone will pop in with some more info.


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## britnyjackson (Mar 10, 2010)

hey thanks I appreciate ur help! how much salt do I add per gallon?


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## Capricorn (Sep 4, 2010)

Not a problem.. my salt says one rounded tablespoon for ever five gallons of water.. that's what I did when I brought home Nettle and he had bitten his entire tail, and it healed in a couple weeks.

Basically, keep his water clean and it'll heal mostly on its own.

Looking at the pictures again I'm positive he did that damage himself, I don't think a plant could take that much out of a tail. Good luck with him!


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## britnyjackson (Mar 10, 2010)

hey thanks!! I will add the salt right now, I mine as well, it wont hurt anything!


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## DragonFish (Mar 31, 2009)

...That doesn't look like biting to me. Usually when they bite, they get more towards the top of their tail and their dorsal fin, but the damage your boy has is at the bottom of his tail and on his anal fin. With that said, it doesn't look like finrot either....it looks to me like his fins got caught in the filter intake or something.

All those plants I'm seeing in the tank also look rather sharp...I'd suggest pulling those out and replacing with softer silk plants, and perhaps covering the filter intake with a sponge or a bit of pantyhose.

Yes, salt and clean water are definitely a good way to start, as mentioned previously...up your PWCs to a couple times a week(assuming this tank is cycled), but remember to only add salt equivalent to the water you take out.
However, that patch worries me....it looks like it might be something bacterial. Does he have any other off symptoms? Is it eating? What are your water params? Is the patch fuzzy at all?


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## britnyjackson (Mar 10, 2010)

He's eating very well, and the patch is fuzzy


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## DragonFish (Mar 31, 2009)

Okay, looks like you got something a little more serious on your hands....I'm not the expert on meds, I'm sure someone else can jump in and give you better advice, but I would recommend starting out treating him with Maracyn(SP?) 1+2.


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## britnyjackson (Mar 10, 2010)

i dont think it got caught in a filter because he didn't have a filter in his tank. He was in a tank that was divided in 3 sections and the filter was at the opposite end of the tank


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## britnyjackson (Mar 10, 2010)

I just put him in a tank with a filter of his own 2 days ago
his tail was shredded before then


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## DragonFish (Mar 31, 2009)

Hmm....perhaps one of the other boys got him through the divider, it happens sometimes. But he really doesn't look like he bit himself....


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## britnyjackson (Mar 10, 2010)

So, now he's looking a little worse. I've started treating with melafix and primafix as of last night because his tail is even shorter than it was, and the 'white fuzzy' spot has turned into an almost open wound. The scales seem to be missing now. Also a small white fuzzy patch is developing on the other side right behind his eye. Here are some pictures but their not great quality...What do you all think? Should I keep treating with the primafix and melafix?


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## Learn To Fly (May 15, 2010)

I don't know what's wrong but it looks like what my PK boy Kreios (RIP) looked like before he died. I thought he was cutting himself on the slate in the tank even though he'd been in there for months with no problem. He got wounds on his body that were fuzzy, raw and then healed. Eventually he died though, even after I removed him. His existing wounds just wouldn't heal any more and the "scabs" fell off and he died 

I would treat him like DF and others have said...


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## SilverCaracal (May 9, 2010)

I think he has fungal infection. I would use Jungle Fungus Eliminator. As for the tail, I'm not sure. Does it get worse everyday?


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## britnyjackson (Mar 10, 2010)

It really seems to be getting worse, I hope I dont loose him!


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