# Trimming betta's tail with scissors for fin rot?!



## JessSH (Jul 3, 2012)

I went to my LFS today to buy some stress coat for my lil guy with mild fin rot. I was talking to a staff member there about it & she said if aquarium salts don't work, hold him in my hand & cut off the parts with fin rot with scissors! I'm fairly new to bettakeeping, but as far as I'm aware betta's tails aren't like human hair. It doesn't hurt us to get hair cuts, but fins are a part of their bodies. Wouldn't it just be inhumane & painful to do that? I been going to this store for close to 10 years & they've always given great advice for my other animals, but I'm pretty upset about this advice. Any thoughts?


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## lelei (Apr 30, 2012)

I would be mortified, because I wouldn't beleive what I was hearing, Yes that would be Inhumane, you could never do that to a fish. For someone to even suggest that should be fired on the spot!! IMO


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## Purple (Jun 25, 2012)

When my fish tore his fin, there was blood, but he didn't act like he was in pain...

The fact that there was blood probably means it did hurt him. He's just a toughy.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

It's done for severe cases, yes. If you have serious issues it can be a great fix because it can get rid of the bacteria causing the rot.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## lelei (Apr 30, 2012)

Wow, @Olympia~really I couldn't imagine, omg..the things you learn..wouldn't a professional handle that like a vet tho?


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Obviously yes you'd need a steady hand.. The fish should be sedated, some use clove oil in a small dose but MS-222 is a better drug for these sorts of things. This will keep the fish from wiggling. Sharp disinfected scissors should be used..
The only time this should be an option for Betta fin rot (in my opinion) is if the rot hasn't cleared up after several drug treatments have been used (this gets too hard on a fish; never heard of that happening), or if the rot is close to the body, because you do not want the rot hitting the body at all.
Afterwards a clean environment is all that's needed...
A lot more complicated than the guy at the pet shop said, and certainly not needed for mild fin rot.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## lelei (Apr 30, 2012)

Wow..I am shocked, I guess I have a lot more to learn about fish, and diseases, I have been reading up on many..but still have a hard time determining which is which..tho, I do know about fin rot..ugg..and how bad it can get..Thanks for clearing that up


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

I have heard about it too, only know one person personally who has done it. It's not something done lightly, and not recommended for the novice or even casual betta owner. It's very dangerous.


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Agreed, I advise against it. As Olympia said, most cases of fine rot -if caught early- can be treated with otc medicines and clean water.


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## WetBetta (Jul 1, 2012)

I'm not sure that would even be a solution, cutting the fins off. That would rid the infected fins, but it's not fixing the cause. I mean, unless you correct what caused it in the first place, cutting the fins off will leave him even more susceptible to infection and a huge assortment of other problems. Am I wrong there? 

Not to mention, that just sounds really weird.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

WetBetta said:


> I'm not sure that would even be a solution, cutting the fins off. That would rid the infected fins, but it's not fixing the cause. I mean, unless you correct what caused it in the first place, cutting the fins off will leave him even more susceptible to infection and a huge assortment of other problems. Am I wrong there?
> 
> Not to mention, that just sounds really weird.


If a betta is tail biting, this is basically the same thing, the fish is cutting it's own fins, and yet tail biting rarely leads to infection if the water is well cared for. ;-)


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## JessSH (Jul 3, 2012)

WetBetta said:


> I'm not sure that would even be a solution, cutting the fins off. That would rid the infected fins, but it's not fixing the cause. I mean, unless you correct what caused it in the first place, cutting the fins off will leave him even more susceptible to infection and a huge assortment of other problems. Am I wrong there?
> 
> Not to mention, that just sounds really weird.


That's an excellent point. I think your right. As everyone else is saying I think it's an absolute last resort. Like if it's so bad he's going to die anyways type of thing. I really appreciate the responses!! It was never something I was considering for Herc, but it makes me feel better that this lady isn't completely mutilating/murdering her poor bettas. But I do think it's extremely irresponsible the way she brought this up. I would wager the general population wouldn't bother looking into like I did & end up doing serious damage for a minor issue. I'm going to print this thread & talk to the owner tomorrow about it. She LOVES her store & animals. Plus she's tried to hire me a few times when I was in high school & college because she knows I know my stuff. I know she'll take me seriously. :-D


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## WetBetta (Jul 1, 2012)

Olympia said:


> If a betta is tail biting, this is basically the same thing, the fish is cutting it's own fins, and yet tail biting rarely leads to infection if the water is well cared for. ;-)


I'm not trying to argue your point, just trying to understand here. I suppose I'm lucky. I've had bettas now for 20 years. I have over 100 mature bettas ATM, not to mention fry and juvies. I've never had a tail bitter. 

IMHO if a betta is tail biting, something would have to be wrong. Even if it's just stressed. I suppose I could compare it to nail biting. But even still, if you bite off so much of your nails, it will hurt... but you still do it. Am I getting the idea?


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Well I've never had one either but a lot of people on here have them. And I don't think our experienced members are messing up their fish's lives. A lot of people say it's bad breeding, I don't know. Obviously I don't have a big fancy half-moon, but a lot of VTs do it too, their tails get annoying. I find it odd to think that a fish has the capacity to realize biting it's tail lightens the load.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Lakitu and Ludendorff bit(e) their tails. Both VT. I think it's less to do with nervousness (complex frontal lobe emotion) and more to do with stress or boredom. With HM and other heavy tails I think it has to do with the weight of their tails. Lakitu bit his tail bc of the bubbler stone in his tank, freaked him out. Lude bit the kink out of his tail which was there from fin melt recovery, maybe it felt weird to him. But he only did it the night I blocked his view of me with the snail tank for a few hours one night. 
It's too easy to paint every fish with the same brush, but it is NOT fair to assume they all are in the wrong hands if they nip their tails. I care for my fish and love them very much  There's another member here with a HM who started to tailbite after he was bought up from the store ( where he was kept in a .5g bowl where it was easier to swim)


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## WetBetta (Jul 1, 2012)

I did not mean to imply that tail bitter owners did not care for their fish. Not at all. Just that there has to be a reason. 

I also have many HM's... splendens and plakats. And I have veil tail splendens. So I can understand the weight of the tail. 

Stress and boredom I could see as culprits to this behavior. Most all of my fish have neighbors to look at and they do play around with them through their containers. Others have other stimuli. So I guess I can understand that. 

Curious question though, do these tail bitters have tank mates?

Bettas are curious and always never cease to intrigue me with their personalities and habits.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

A member on here I remember, she has a male that only tail bites when there's no other betta around.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BeckyFish97 (Apr 9, 2012)

Olympia said:


> A member on here I remember, she has a male that only tail bites when there's no other betta around.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 
Wow thats seriously interesting!When you say no other betta around, do you mean male or female, or both?


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

It's Luimeril, not sure if I spelt it right. She has a boy and he needs another boy around to not bite.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## WetBetta (Jul 1, 2012)

Interesting. Such personalities.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

> I've never had a tail bitter.


Must be nice. Currently I have 2 and another that had his neighbor go and visit him and took his fins as a souvernier :evil: 2 are VT and 1 is a HM. Plus 2 others that had their fins burned off by ammonia thanks to petco's great care. In the VT's case - It was stress. I moved them into a 10G and they either had to deal with the filter, which they did not like OR they saw their reflections in the glass which they also did not like. I had to put like 6 different ones in with the filter before i found one that did not have an issues with it and that was after I baffled the filter with sponge.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Jess, trimming off the infected parts of a betta's fins (or any fish really) can be done but as Olympia has already stated, it's a tricky process and we generally don't recommend it. Generally, if the fin rot is that bad, it will progress so quickly there won't be any fin left to cut off. Or, if it is a fin rot that is very tenacious and won't go away after weeks of conventional treatment.

Again, I want to state that we don't really recommend this but if you feel it must be done, sedate the fish using the substance Olympia recommended or the product Fishquel, available on Drs. Foster & Smith. Hold the fish in a wet paper towel in your hand or on a stable surface and use a sterilized razor blade. Trim only the necessary parts. Afterward, keep the fish in super clean water with aquarium salt and a product like API Stress Coat or Kordon Fish Protector for at least a week. *If you feel you need to do this procedure, please contact me or DarkMoon17 before proceeding for advice.*

Tiki, same happened in my divided tank. And Curlin's fins never really grew back right. They're short and even more curly than before.


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## JessSH (Jul 3, 2012)

Thanks! I am definitely *NOT* doing this. I don't think he even has fin rot at this point, I think it was just severe fin biting that's healing now. :-D I was just shocked about the suggestion & how casually the staffer mentioned it, especially since I told her it was mild. I'm glad I got info from you guys though. I talked to the owner/manager yesterday & showed her this thread. She agreed with everyone & said she would talk to all the staff to avoid confusion in the future.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

That was a smart idea to show her this thread.


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Wish more people would do that T-T Should be mandatory that staff members read and participate in forums.


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