Fish losing fins!? Help!

[xobettaox]

I noticed today that my fish has lost part of his tail fin and what's left is really stringy. What could this be and how do I treat it?

[shellieca]

What size tank & what is your water change schedule? Is the tank heated? If it happened suddenly I would lean towards damage from either a plant, decoration or filter intake if the tank is filtered. If its fin rot, clean water & time is the best medicine. If its damaged same thing clean water & time.

[xobettaox]

Originally Posted by shellieca

What size tank & what is your water change schedule? Is the tank heated? If it happened suddenly I would lean towards damage from either a plant, decoration or filter intake if the tank is filtered. If its fin rot, clean water & time is the best medicine. If its damaged same thing clean water & time.

It's a 5 gallon and I am doing 50% changes twice a week. It is heated and the temp fluctuates 78-80 degrees. I didn't know about the cycling process when I got him so do you think it could be from that? And since I am trying to cycle the tank, would it hurt if I did a 100% water change? I just noticed this today, so hopefully it is just from a decoration or something and not a disease or something :(

[LizzyP]

If you're cycling never do 100% changes. It's not from the tank cycling.

It looks to me like he's biting it. Which is pretty common in long finned males. Just keep him in some clean, heated water and his tail will grow back :)

[Eggbert]

+1 Lizzy

[xobettaox]

Now there are two small holes in one of his fins, so I don't think it's a decoration or the filter. What else could this be

[happypappy]

Just had the same thing. The tail started disintertrating and then saw blood. Treated with aq salt but after three days no improvement ---and a hole developed in the dorsal fin, started bleeding and then split. So I changed treatment to maracynII (minocycline) After three days treatment, no bleeding today. Fin color looks better. And I think the tail has stopped shredding.
And I am doing 100% water changes daily. If it continues do not hesitate to do a salt treatment first.

[sainthogan]

Is it possible that he's fin biting?

[happypappy]

has anyone actually seen a betta bite his own tail?? I have trouble thinking we have OCD and anxiety in betta?????

[Friendlyfishies]

What kind of filter do you have? Looks like.he got some shred from the filter intake, I've.had to put porous sponge over my intake, my boy ruined his fins resting on it.