# Curled fins :(



## miish (Nov 13, 2011)

I just moved away from home and wanted a fish to keep me company  The clerk at the pet store told me a Betta fish is an easy fish to have. I realize now he wasn't being that honest and Betta fish does not equal goldfish.

This is him when I first got him:










When I first got my little Betta (I admit I don't even know what kind he is  it's my first one) he was lively and active. This was around late September. Recently, since the weather started to cool I notice he started to become less active, spending a lot more time at the bottom of the tank. I didn't really know what was going on. Now his fins are badly curled and I feel bad for not doing some research earlier 

-He is in a 2.5 gallon tank with pebbles and bigger rocks at the bottom. 
-I do a 50% water change every week. If the tank looks extra dirty though I do a full water change. 
-When I change the water I use tap water, let it sit for a few days and also add "Nutrafin" while it sits. 
-I feed him "Nutrafin Max" which came with the tank package
-I do not know how hard my water is (I live in Vancouver) or really anything about the water
-His tank is currently not heated but I plan on buying a heater asap. Next chance I get to bus out to the pet store. (Hopefully by tomorrow)
-He has also lost a lot of appetite, he hardly eats anymore
-no filter or anything

So I'm just wondering what I should do to make my little fishie better ? I don't want him to die because I feel super bad for buying him without knowing how to properly take care of him! What else can I do after buying a heater??
Any help would be very welcome <333

Here is a picture of his condition now  I want to make him bettter again.

















He lays like this a lot and it scares me because I think he has died but he hasn't

Thank you in advance for any help!!
PS: I am a student so I don't have the option to spend loads of money right now, just something to keep in mind I guess


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

you seem to be doing the best for him so far. a bigger tank and a heater will make him feel LOADS better.

is he a doubletail? his colors and tail are beautiful, and i thought that split was from a rip, but he has it in the first picture, too!

i'm sure once you get the heater, he'll feel loads better. do you fast him at all? give him a day you don't feed him?


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## miish (Nov 13, 2011)

I'm not sure what kind he is ha ha. 
I don't know if I can buy him a bigger tank right now  but I will definitely be buying a heater soon! Will that make his fins uncurl again too? Or are they stuck like that?
And no I've never fasted him, should I do that?


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

a 2 gallon or bigger will do great. you can safely heat them. if you can't afford one of those fancy-pants kits with actual tanks, Kritter Keepers are really cheap. the 2 gallon ones range from $10 to about $12 at the most. :3

i don't know if they uncurl. my CT's rays curled up from our water(too hard, i think it was...), and they never uncurled, but some people have gotten theirs to uncurl. x:

it gives them a chance to clean out their systems. i do it, many on here do it....


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## miish (Nov 13, 2011)

Okay, maybe I'll fast him today then! 
The tank he's in right now is 2.5 gallons so that should be okay once I buy a heater right?


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

that's perfect! :3


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## miish (Nov 13, 2011)

Thanks for your help  I'll keep this thread updated with how he's doing!


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Welcome to the forum and to the wonderful world of Betta keeping-you look to have a beautiful Veiltail.....maybe even a doubletail Veiltail....it looks like a natural split or two lobes in the caudal fin to me more than an injury....
The dorsal looks kinda shorter than most doubletails-usually with doubletails-the dorsal fin will mirror the anal fin and start closer to the head..he is beautiful none the less....

Your 2.5gal unfiltered tank is fine, however, I would increase your water changes to help maintain water quality and this in turn often will help overall health in general....

In 2.5gal unfiltered/without live plants-water changes of twice weekly....1-50% and 1-100%-should maintain water quality.....

You need to get a thermometer so you can monitor the water temp in both the tank and for the water used for water changes....

You may or may not need a heater, however, its a good idea to have one on hand....your goal is to maintain a somewhat stable water temp in the 76-80F range

It is important that you try to keep the water temp within a few degrees between the new and old water with the water changes to prevent temp shock issues and added stress....it doesn't have to be exact-but close.....

With the 100% water changes-you need to cup him-(_if he came in one of the small temporary cups with a lid_)-these are great for that-you need to re-acclimate him to the new dechlorinated water chemistry- by adding small amount of this tank water to the holding cup over 10-15min to be safe...you don't need to cup him for the 50% water changes....

Dose the dechlorinator for the full volume of the tank-not just the amount of replacement water with the partial water changes as a general rule...Be sure to always use dechlorinator with any water added to the tank if you are on city water supply or question your source water...better safe than sorry....

Right now-I would start making 50% water only changes for 2 days-skip a day-then 100% water change and see if this will perk him up and get him eating again....I suspect it may be water quality and/or water temp issues that is causing the behavior and appetite change....
The curled tip may or may not improve-but I suspect that they will in time with improved water quality, proper temp and good nutrition...

Good luck and keep us posted.....


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## miish (Nov 13, 2011)

Thanks for all that info, I'm sure it will help!
I just went out and bought him a heater! He was curious and went up to it. He swam around it for a few minutes, he was curious but he went back to the rocks after a little. I'll see what he does when the whole tank heats up. 
I bought a 17 watt Marina heater that has a present temperature of 78 Degrees. It says its mean for tanks up to 4gallons.
He seems to like the heater so far


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## miish (Nov 13, 2011)

He's already looking more lively. He swam around for a bit. He likes to lay right by the heater. 

Also,just wondering whats a good way to warm up the new water? Usually it just sits on my shelf aging. The only means I have of heating water are the new heater in the tank.. but I can't afford to buy one for the other container


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Hi Miish, I'm glad to hear he seems to be improving. I just want to mention that your tank looks like one of the Marina Zen tanks to me. http://www.amazon.com/Marina-Betta-Pals-Kit-Theme/dp/B001B5CQ8W
If so, it isn't 2.5 gallons, it's only 0.5 of a gallon. If that's the case, more water changes are going to be necessary. Until you can get a larger tank, a Kritter Keeper or even a plastic storage bin (a couple of dollars at thrift shops for a 3 gallon) would make a great temporary home. 

Do you have a hot tap? If so, run the new water for his tank warm. Don't bother letting it sit a few days. The Nutrafin stuff, if it is a water conditioner, will remove the chlorine, and letting it sit isn't doing anything.

When you have the funds, I strongly suggest getting hold of a really good conditioner. Prime is my favourite, but many members here also like StressCoat.


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## miish (Nov 13, 2011)

Omgoodness you're right I read the box wrong.. I wonder where I got 2.5 gallons from. I looked at it again and its 0.8 gallons. I guess I read the liters at first! But that still isn't 2.5 LOL. How embarrassing! Is my heater going to make the water to hot then? Its meant for tanks up to 4 gallons (17watt) There was a smaller one meant for smaller tanks. I could still return it?
So how many water changed would you recommend? More than twice a week? Would they be 100% or less?

So if I run warm water and use conditioner I can put the water straight into the tank?


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

That actually looks like This half gallon tank- I recognize the background and the top view the front and back are too narrow for a 2 gallon.


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Bombalurina said:


> Hi Miish, I'm glad to hear he seems to be improving. I just want to mention that your tank looks like one of the Marina Zen tanks to me. http://www.amazon.com/Marina-Betta-Pals-Kit-Theme/dp/B001B5CQ8W


Woops sorry! I should of finished reading everything lol.. told ya, can't eat and type/read at the same time


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## miish (Nov 13, 2011)

Haha thats okay 
Do you think my new heater may make the tank to hot now?


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

I equalize my water temp at the tap-I hold my digital thermometer under the running water until it reaches the temp I need-fill my bucket-add the dechlorinator and use right away....you don't have to age the water-but do agitate the water to help degas it-especially with 100% water changes.....

Monitor the temp with a thermometer to check if the heater is working properly.....

In a half gallon-make 3 weekly water changes-2-50% and 1-100% to maintain water quality

Good to hear he is perking up....


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## miish (Nov 13, 2011)

Thank you!
Yeah I'm glad he is too! He spent all day yesterday swimming/floating near the heater. He only went to the bottom to rest a few times.


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## mjoy79 (Jul 13, 2011)

If you have access to a Petco or Petsmart - they sell 2 gallon kritterkeepers for probably cheaper than you paid for that .8 gallon tank (I had that tank once upon a time as well). You can safely heat his water in a 2 Gallon and he has room to explore and swim  Good luck!

Edit to add: the Large kritter keepr is about $7 and the X-Large (which i believe is 2 gallons) is $12


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

it'd still be best to get him a larger tanks. i've always been told that anything under a gallon is too hard to keep at a stable temp, even with a heater. you can pick up 2 gallon Kritter Keepers at pet stores in the rodent department for cheap, around $10-$12 get the larger one, but not the biggest they have. not the prettiest home, but it does it's job. four of my seven fish are in them, and i adore them. :3


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## miish (Nov 13, 2011)

Thanks for your help guys!
Here's some updates on how he's doing~
I added a heater and he's swimming around a little more than he used to. Although he still likes to spend a lot of time at the bottom of the tank, is this normal? The heater should be keeping the water at 78 degrees. I also added a plant to the tank  he explored it for a little bit then got bored I guess and went back to the bottom.
So basically he's a little bit more active but still spends a decent amount of time at the bottom, and his fins are still curled, they show no changes.
Here are some pictures!
He still sits at the bottom








Here he is moving around a little bit :]








and here he is exploring the new plant


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

how often do you change his water? he looks clamped, not really curl-finned. if he is clamped, it means he's not feeling good for some reason. usually, the reason they don't feel good, is bad water quality. x:


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## miish (Nov 13, 2011)

I used to do it once a week but now I've started changing the water more often. I changed it Saturday (50%) and I changed it today(100%) and I plan on changing it Thursday(50%) again.
What is curled fins then?


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## miish (Nov 13, 2011)

Sorry for asking so many questions haha but he's looking quite a bit better, except for his fins. It looks like he's trying to open them up, he even flared a bit! but he can only open them so far because the bottom half of all his fins looked like they've been pinched together and glued like that! I'm not sure if there's a way to fix this or not? Anything I can do to make him able to open his fins again?
Also, he's not a fan of flaring  I hold mirrors up to the tank and he's more afraid of them than anything... I'm guessing he's just not a very aggressive fish? Or is that a sign of something too?


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

With curled fin tips like that it may take several weeks to months before you see improvement-they look to be fussed together due to water quality issue and this all takes time....

I would go ahead and start aquarium salt and tannin treatment along with water changes for 10 days while in QT using premixed treatment water.....

If he came in one of those small temporary cups-these are great to use for QT-float it in the heated tank to maintain temp in the 76-78F range-be sure and attach it to the side of the tank so it doesn't sink and use the lid so he doesn't jump out

Premix some treatment water in a 1gal jug of dechlorinated water-Add aquarium salt 2tsp/gal and a tannin source-either IAL or Oak leaf...let this Tx water steep for 30min to start the release of the tannins and the salt to dissolve....Shake well before use and use this premixed Tx water for 50% water change every 15min for 30min today and tomorrow start 100% water changes every day for 10 days.....be sure and check the Tx water temp and make sure its pretty close in temp with the Betta in the QT container....

Nutrition is really important....feed small frequent meals of a good quality varied diet.....

Keep us posted....


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## miish (Nov 13, 2011)

Would all these things be available in a regular pet store? Also, he didn't come in a cup, he came in a bag..would I be able to use a regular plastic cup? Or are there chemicals that leak from them?


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Aquarium salt (sodium chloride) can be found at most pet shop or aquarium dept....you can also use kosher salt, pickling salt its all the same thing- Sodium chloride....Iodine is safe in the amounts of most salts-but the anti-caking additives in some salt can be toxic

Tannins-IAL (Indian almond leaf) usually found online 
Oak leaf-I use naturally dried and fallen from my trees in my yard pesticide free

Any small food/water human grade container will work-if you fear too much soap residue on the item-give it a rinse in vinegar and then a good clean water rinse after that


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## miish (Nov 13, 2011)

Okay! Thank you so much  
I'll try to get these things as soon as I can !


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## Behati (Sep 4, 2011)

my significant other lives in vancouver and gets his water tested weekly. your tap water is very good for bettas and contains a lot of minerals! just make sure you condition the water~


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## miish (Nov 13, 2011)

Oh thats excellent news!  I add conditioner at every water change! 
Another question though? (I know you guys are probably getting sick of me haha!) 
Is it okay to do all 100% water changes? Or is that too much stress on the fish? I want to do 100% water changes 3 times a week. Whenever i do a 50% change I just feel like the tanks still dirty because I can't get all the little poop and food bits out D:


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## mjoy79 (Jul 13, 2011)

When I do partial water changes from my smaller tanks I use a turkey baster to remove the debri - which would be perfect for your current tank. For larger tanks you can vaccuum the gravel


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## miish (Nov 13, 2011)

Oh that could work!  thanks!
He flared a whole bunch at the mirror today! Never seen him do it that much!


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## mjoy79 (Jul 13, 2011)

Good! Sounds like he's feeling better


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