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How to help his tail grow?

481 views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  styggian 
#1 ·
Komodo is my avatar picture. :p
He's a half moon, and he's pretty active.
But his tail is really short and scraggly. Is there anyway to help him grow it out?
His water temp is fine, I've tried salt baths. (I feed him blood worms 2x a week in addition to 3-4 pellets a day) and I changed his 3 gallon tank every week/week and a half.
Anything you'd recommended?
 
#3 ·
Pictures would help determine if it's tail biting versus some other cause.

Your water change schdule worries me. A 3 gallon should be changed twice weekly, IMO two 100% changes or at least one 50% and one 100% a week. If the tank is cycled than two 50% changes would be good.

What sort of decorations are in the tank? Anything he could be catching his fins on?
 
#4 ·
Well I have always been doing the water changes 100% every week-week and a half for every betta I've ever owned and I have had no problems except now Komodo's fin problem. Other than that he is very active and makes bubble nests all the time...
But, maybe it's best if I change his water more often because of his tail problem? If it's because of water quality I would feel so bad.
And his decor... he has a fake plant (did the nylon/pantyhose test on it), a moss ball and a terracotta pot and a statue.

I can try and get a picture of it later tonight... my sister borrowed my camera.
 
#5 ·
Just because you have been doing something one way and your fish have appeared "fine" doesn't mean it was the right way or that the fish were at optimum health. A 3g tank is tiny, has very little chemical buffer (for example, a small change can quickly become a huge problem in a 3g, whereas that same small change in a 50g tank would cause hardly any issues at all), and ammonia can rise very quickly in such a small space and overwhelm the fish. I agree that a 3g needs to be changed much more often than every 7-10 days. Even if it has nothing to do with the tail issue, the fish will be healthier because his water will be cleaner.
 
#6 ·
Well thanks for the advice... kinda rubbed me the wrong way, though... was not looking to be attacked. I am not new to bettas but I am no expert... I really do care for my fish and will do a 2 100% change every week from now on if you guys think it would be the best for them.... or look for two 5 gallons... I think Petco is having a sale lol
 
#8 · (Edited)
It wasn't intended as an attack and I'm sorry it came across that way. I've simply seen far too many people with "fine" animals that were really not fine at all, with physical signs of lowered care or reduced lifespan. (This is a general aggravation and not about you specifically. Having some random person brag that their comet goldfish lived for a year in a 1g bowl with no water conditioner and water changes every two weeks is extremely aggravating; those fish live 20-30 years with optimum care)

I am glad to see you're willing to take the advice even though it was not presented as congenially as it could have been :)
 
#7 ·
a 3 gallon tank is perfectly fine and is, by no stretch, tiny... It's certainly bigger than the tiny cup you got him in correct? Anyways, it can take months for fins to grow back out, like human hair for example. It just takes good water and patience for fins to grow! :)
 
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