Betta eats fin regrowth?

[tisburylane]

Ok, because Finnick's tail edges are never bloodied/black and his tail-disappearing act seems to happen over a span of a few short hours and very suddenly (in this case of today, like 3) I'm assuming he's tail-biting.

The problem is, his tail starts to regrow (clear edges, seemingly becoming the new fin) and then after a week or so it's all gone one day, and part of his "good" tail with it! At this rate he won't have any tail left within a few months if he doesn't stop.

This is beginning to frustrate me to tears. Now it's not just the caudal fin, but the anal fin as well. I don't know what to do! How do I get him to stop?

[Kenny G]

You will have to do trail and error to resolve the tail-biting issues. Some of the causes are bright lights, boredom, and stress just to name a few. You might try rearranging items in the tank, like plants, decorations etc. If you have minimal decorations you may need to add some. I always like to make sure my betta's have hiding spots for privacy. One of my betta's started tail biting after 6 months. I quickly realized it was the bright lights and switched to a dimmer bulb and the tail biting stopped and I have not have a problem since. Please keep me posted.

[tisburylane]

Originally Posted by Kenny G

You will have to do trail and error to resolve the tail-biting issues. Some of the causes are bright lights, boredom, and stress just to name a few. You might try rearranging items in the tank, like plants, decorations etc. If you have minimal decorations you may need to add some. I always like to make sure my betta's have hiding spots for privacy. One of my betta's started tail biting after 6 months. I quickly realized it was the bright lights and switched to a dimmer bulb and the tail biting stopped and I have not have a problem since. Please keep me posted.

It always happens when I'm not around; that doesn't mean, however, that my roommate isn't around, so unless he's bugged that I'm not right next to him... He just got a bigger tank a month ago, which means he now has a little hut to swim in and even sleep in sometimes. I don't think I can really add much more. I might consider bright lights a possibility, but he did it before we moved him into the brighter lit dorm as well, although to a smaller extent that was able to heal back. I guess his tank light might be a little brighter, but I worry about dimming it because sometimes I depend on that light to heat the tank (the heater isn't always trustworthy).