# Betta clamped fins, hiding behind filter intake



## oopsmysocks (May 16, 2012)

Housing 
What size is your tank? 6 gallons

What temperature is your tank? 83
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No (filter output provides some aeration) 

Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Tetra betta flakes and freeze dried bloodworms 

How often do you feed your betta fish? 6 times a week

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? Formerly once a week, now once daily

What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? About 20%


What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? None

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

Yes (but with strip tests)

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: maybe .5
pH: 7.2
Hardness: 75
Alkalinity: 80

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?

Some fin loss (though that seems to have stopped), perhaps some color loss. The dorsal fins have one long piece, near where it meets the body but it was likely like that when I purchased him. 


How has your betta fish's behavior changed?

Used to be active, and patrolling the tank, now hides in the the top left corner of tank near the "body" of the filter intake.

When did you start noticing the symptoms?

2 weeks before today.

Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?

I used AP Plus+ Antifungus (basically malachite green) to treat fungus in two 30 minute baths the last 3 months.

Does your fish have any history of being ill?

Possible fin rot or fungus.

How old is your fish (approximately)?

Purchased him in January.


So I'm not new to keeping betta, but my current fish has me completely stumped. Apologies for the wall of text.

I bought a male veiltail in January, put him in a heated 6 gallon Marineland Eclipse in January, and things started out well. He was active, flashed when I came near the tank, and patrolled the tank. The large piece of driftwood in the tank began to develop blue-green algae and later on a grey/black fungus. I scraped it up but left it in the tank.

Perhaps two months ago, some of that fungus appeared on the betta's caudal fins. After waiting a day, I placed him in a gallon of water dosed with the Anti-fungus malachite green for 30 minutes. The fungus had fallen off and while he seemed stress (hovering near the bottom of the tank, gills breathing hard) he recovered within an hour and was back to his old self. The fungus has showed up twice more. Once I didn't do anything and the affected bit of fin fell off. 

The third time I retreated with malachite green and his behavior seems to have drastically changed since then. I replaced him in the tank and shortly after the third treatment noticed that while the fungus had indeed fallen off, both pectoral fins seemed to have been damaged. Worrying about bacterial infections I began doing daily 20% water changes and feeding almost every day. However, he remains at the top of the tank, usually hiding behind the filter intake body or the heater. He might drift around the top a bit, but rather than flare he'll dash madly around if he notices someone near the tank. He used to rest near the bottom at night, under the driftwood (which I've removed) or in the java moss in the tank. The weirdest part though is he'll still eat as greedily as a pig when fed.

I went out and got Maracyn Two but haven't started treatment yet because I'm not sure he's got fin rot. His fins look no worse in the last two weeks than they have been, though the dorsal fin has a long piece near the body in something f a horizontal V shape. 

I'm ready to treat him but I'm not sure for what - I've got a 2.5 gallon hospital tank with no filter. I'm going to buy aquarium salt tomorrow along with a mini heater so as to likely begin some kind of treatment. I could also treat him in the 5 gallon (though I'll have to remove the java moss in the tank so that I can).

I'm really frustrated because I felt like I did everything right and I'm rather quite fond of the fish. Anyone have any advice?


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## oopsmysocks (May 16, 2012)

I just checked the tank now and he came to the front but kept being "blown away" by the filter - which is really unusual because it never gave him any trouble before. I think putting him in the unfiltered 2.5 with daily 30-50% water changes might be helpful.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

The filter flow may be stressing him out. you can try and reduce it by baffling the filter...somwhere on this site is a sticky on how to do it


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## oopsmysocks (May 16, 2012)

Tikibirds said:


> The filter flow may be stressing him out. you can try and reduce it by baffling the filter...somwhere on this site is a sticky on how to do it


Thanks for your reply. That's one of the reasons I'm hoping for him to recuperate in the 2.5 gallon with no filtration. It's odd though because for months he had little problem with it.


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