# Fluffy



## inuudo (Aug 21, 2012)

My first fish!  Fluffy, the Crowntail Betta:


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## LittleWatty (May 13, 2012)

Well, I'm pretty sure he's not a crowntail, but he sure is pretty!


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## inuudo (Aug 21, 2012)

Why do you say that he's not a Crowntail?


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=29868

Not a crowntail. Probably a halfmoon or a delta tail.
I love his colours though.


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## inuudo (Aug 21, 2012)

I'm still not sure why you're saying he's not a crowntail. It might be hard to see in the photos because the ends of his fins are almost clear, but he does have significantly reduced webbing, particularly on his tail fin.


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## LittleWatty (May 13, 2012)

His anal fin is what tells me he's not a crowntail. He might be a combtail or a halfsun, but he's not a full blooded CT. Sonas, my avatar, is a CT. Maybe if you got a picture of him flaring? If we could see all of his fins clearly, then we could say whether he was or was not a CT. From what I can see in the photos you have, he's not a true CT


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## inuudo (Aug 21, 2012)

So is the nomenclature similar to dog/cat breeds, i.e. you call it a Ragdoll or Maine **** only if it's a purebred animal? What does one call "mutt" bettas? I got him at Petsmart so I'm under no illusions that his parents were carefully or selectively bred 

I tried getting another shot, but only have my phone on me right now and he's much too quick for that.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

His fins might just be growing in still. Sometimes their fins grow back funny after they've had rot.


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## LittleWatty (May 13, 2012)

There are some names for "mutt" breeds. A combtail can be a mix of a crowntail and just about any other "full" finned betta. There's just slightly reduced webbing, not nearly to the extent of a CT. Halfsuns are a cross between halfmoons and CT's. That link Olympia left shows all of those. No matter what he is, my comment still stands that he is beautiful


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## registereduser (Jul 30, 2010)

I'm no expert but he looks like my delta tail. His tail has been stunted somehow through biting or fin rot, it will grow in! He's a beauty


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## inuudo (Aug 21, 2012)

Thanks! I have so much to learn (not least of which that the labeling on Petsmart's containers is not reliable!) I just came back from looking at that link and it was really helpful. It will be interesting to see how he develops, and I'll try to keep a photo record of it.


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## registereduser (Jul 30, 2010)

I forgot to mention that's a great and fun name :lol:


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

If you bought him as a crowntail, you probably got him a lot cheaper than if you would have bought him as a halfmoon. ;-)
Also, welcome to the forum!


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## LittleWatty (May 13, 2012)

No kidding! CTs at Petco are about as cheap as Veiltails, where as Halfmoons are like $10


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## rosy delta (Jul 17, 2012)

He's just wonderful no matter what he is. You can be proud to own him


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## CandiceMM (Jul 15, 2012)

Love his colors!!!! He is beautiful!


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## Hmongol (May 4, 2011)

You can never trust petsmart or petco's labeling. They are sometimes inaccurate.


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

He's not a CT as everyone else stated. My avatar is my pride and joy. He's a CT. The web reduction is really just a tear. But he's beautiful either way. Great find.  I never thought of naming a fish Fluffy BTW! You know, scales and fins. Creative.


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## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

He's very pretty though! And it's a plus if you got him for cheaper, lol.


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## inuudo (Aug 21, 2012)

Thank you, everyone for all your nice comments about Fluffy's beauty -- he's a charmer, too! 

I've taken a couple more photos to try to show his tail fan. These are taken with my camera phone and cropped, so they're not great, but it is really clear to me what you've been saying about fin damage.


















Poor little guy. :-( I hope I can help him heal. I have a bottle of API Stress Coat. The instructions are vague about how often to use it in cases of damage or disease. Should I use it only when I do a water change or more often? Is there any other product that I should consider to promote fin regrowth?


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## LittleWatty (May 13, 2012)

Yeah, that's definitely fin damage, not a CT.

As for using the Stresscoat to help him heal, you don't really have to dose any more than with each water change. Maybe do water changes a little more often than you otherwise would, just to make sure his water is clean, so you won't have to worry about the damaged fins turning into finrot. If you've got any aquarium salt, a small dose of that might help too


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## inuudo (Aug 21, 2012)

Thank you for responding so quickly! I do have some API Aquarium salt as well so I will add that when I do a water change later today.


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## lelei (Apr 30, 2012)

_Oh boy, he is gorgeous..he is prob a DTHM like our Sammy, and with the tail, we had the same issue, and didnt know he was a biter, but it will heal with warm clean water and yes, a lil AQ salt, when those beautiful full, fins come back, you will be soo amazed at how big they get.._

_I know Our sammy is amazing when he full flares..I just adore those colors in him, he has a Salamander pattern as well, like our Sammy!!!! _

_hmmph pet store people thought he was changing himself into a CT because of the biting.._


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## inuudo (Aug 21, 2012)

This question just occurred to me (and perhaps I should ask it over in the "health" section instead, but...)

In a case like this, how can you tell if the fin damage is on the mend or if it's getting worse? I realize that observation over time will make the answer quite clear, but in Fluffy's case -- just purchased a week ago, inexperienced fish owner, etc -- is there something about the shape/structure of his tail fin right now that might suggest that it is recovering from damage rather than getting more damaged?


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Hard to tell in his case-- usually new growth presents itself as clear, but that part of his fins is naturally clear. From the photos, at the bottom of the tail I do see what I believe to be fresh growth. The ends of his tail don't have any black on them, which means it shouldn't be rotting away anymore. Just a heads up that their fins don't always grow back perfect. Some of my fish that had rot in the past have pretty funky fins now compared to the ones that never had it.


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

Well, he's definitely biting. The main reasons for biting are stress, boredom, and heavy finnage. Do you have hollow decorations? Tank light? Or it might just be his fins. If it's his fins, there's no way around it. Just make sure the water is kept clean so infection won't set in. No Aquarium Salt! He might as well just keep on biting. Clear fins are new growth, but his fins are already clear. Hard to say.


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## inuudo (Aug 21, 2012)

*olympia*, thanks -- no black that I can see either; I'm glad that's a good sign. I don't mind if he doesn't have perfect fins -- I just want him to be as healthy and happy as possible.

*lebron*, I haven't seen him biting at all, so hopefully this was something he did in his previous environments. I have him in this tank. I had conflicting advice about the aquarium salt and I have read elsewhere that it is helpful for healing. Why do you say not to add it?


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

Actually, it looks like he bit even more since you bought him. Bettas don't get caught tail biting. That's the catch. If there's no more fin rot, (No more blackness and redness edging at the fins) he will continue to bite during treatment and then you're treating for no reason.


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## inuudo (Aug 21, 2012)

So you're saying that the salt won't hurt him, but if he's biting, then it won't be of any help either?

Also, just to clarify, the photos at the top of the thread were taken yesterday afternoon and the two that I added on page 2 were taken this morning; the difference in photo quality makes it really hard to see in the second set the detail at the edges of his fins -- the first photos are still what he looks like today. I will try to get regular shots with the better camera, though, to try to monitor what's actually happening with his tail.

I appreciate all the input that everyone is giving me here.


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

If you use the salt for 10 days, it won't hurt. But if he continues to bite in treatment for the the damage, then the fins won't really grow back if he continues. Clean water should do it, don't use Aquarium Salt for biting. Aquarium Salt is good for fin rot but bad for biting.


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## inuudo (Aug 21, 2012)

Got it! Thanks!


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

Awww he is so cute! I love the name, Fluffy is a unique name for a fish! :-D


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