Tail Biting: What to do?

[madmonahan]

My boy is biting his beautiful tail. what to do, what to do? He is in a divided ten gallon, silk plants. I just noticed this yesterday. Here is a picture of his bitten tail:

[LebronTheBetta]

There are a ton of reasons why they bite. It's usually bright light, boredom, bareness of the tank, and finally heavy fins. Your boy looks like one of those heavy finned ones, HM? Maybe he sees the other boy at the other side of the divider? Biters are pains in the butt. >.>

[madmonahan]

This is his side of the tank:

[madmonahan]

Originally Posted by LebronTheBetta

There are a ton of reasons why they bite. It's usually bright light, boredom, bareness of the tank, and finally heavy fins. Your boy looks like one of those heavy finned ones, HM? Maybe he sees the other boy at the other side of the divider? Biters are pains in the butt. >.>

Yeah, I thought he would start biting because of how heavy finned he is. I keep the light on less then half the day. And he always flares at the other guy when the light is on. I know, lol. I had a biter once before this guy, it never really goes away.

[LebronTheBetta]

Maybe you should spend more time with him some more? Stimulation, my friend. Is the divider translucent a bit? I like the setup btw.

[madmonahan]

I guess I will have to. :) it is a bit, but they can see each othe pretty well. the guy on the other side pays no attention to him. I'll go and spend some time with him now! ;)

[callistra]

Are the edges of the broken tail black graying or thinning? It seems like I see some.. but due to the quality of the photos it's hard to tell.

More info might be helpful: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233

[madmonahan]

I can't really tell because he doesn't stay still very long, they might be turning a tad bit grey(?) I don't know...

Housing
What size is your tank? Divided 10 Gallon.
What temperature is your tank? 78-82
Does your tank have a filter? It has one but it is a bit rough, I'm planning on getting them whisper filters. When I have the money.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No.
Is your tank heated? Yes.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?
Boy on the other side of the divider.

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Aqueon Betta Pellets, occasional frozen or freeze dried bloodworms.
How often do you feed your betta fish?
Usually 2 pellets 2x a day.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Once a week.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50% with gravel vacuum.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Water conditioner.

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
N/A

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Bitten off fins..
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? No change of behavior.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 3 days ago.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Clean, warm, water.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No.
How old is your fish (approximately)? 6-10 months??