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Emergency!!!!! No fins left!!!! Filter accident!!!!!!!!! Heeeeeeellllllllllpppppppp

2K views 21 replies 10 participants last post by  Omega3 
#1 ·
Help him!!! Quasimodo was ground up by a filter and now has no fins!!!! I know this sometimes happens in fin rot, please help!!!! He's in his cup so he can get air and not have to swim so much and it's floating in his tank for heat. I got him a new filter and heater, the heater is turned to 84 and I'm watching the tank to see if that's accurate. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP!!!
 
#2 ·
Oh, and I put some BettaMix in the cup if that helps. I dare not post pictures, but his caudal fin is missing and the others are mostly gone. ANY AND ALL ADVICE DESIRED! He can't die!!!!
 
#3 ·
Is his pectoral fins still there?
How much of his fins are gone, I mean there is a point they can't really grow back and also a point where they still can.
I'm so sorry that happened to your betta. :(
Here is a link that describes their fins and what they are used for, etc:
http://bettacare101.com/anatomy/
If that helps......?

I do know some good things that help them heal are indian almond leaves,
and of course very clean water.
Low level water but in a very long tank is good if they can't swim well at all.
 
#6 ·
THANK YOU!! I will check on his pectorals. I didn't notice him rising for air, but it hasn't been long and I was in tears. I'll check.


Poor fella.....

Good that you have him QT and floating in the heated tank.....

I would pre-mix some treatment water and start 100% daily water changes for the next 10 days

Get a 1gal jug and fill with like temp dechlorinated water and add aquarium salt 1tsp/gal-if you have tannins to add all the better....either naturally dried and fallen from the tree Oak leaf (10-12 crushed/gal) or Indian almond leaf or blackwater extract or decaf green tea...add one of these to steep for at least an hour before use-the longer they steep the more tannins will be released the darker the water the better the Betta will like it....shake well before use and use this treatment water for the 100% daily water changes in the QT container floating in the heated tank.

Make sure and equalize the water temp between the treatment water and the QT fish water before use to prevent temp related shock issues

Diet is also important to promote healing-a good varied diet high protein-live or frozen works the best...frequent small meals....

I had a Betta get its fins eaten by a marble crayfish and I had new growth within a few days with this treatment...it took about a month for full re-growth and lots of water changes

Good luck and keep us posted....

10 DAYS? So there's hope? I already add salt to my tank to keep back bacterial infection, although I did put a lower concentration in his 10G. He hasn't been eating for a few days, but bless him, he tried and spat it out. I bought him Hikori Biogold and he spits it out, but I'm going to try to feed him that since I can better control the amount. His tank is brand new, so I'll use that as his treatment water since it's already warm. I'm going to go turn out the lights ASAP to keep him calm.

There's a fish at a pet store that has more extensive caudal fin damage due to fin rot, but his other fins are beautiful and he darts around when I pick him up. I think he can still regrow them, with proper care. I still have his 2.5 G, so I'm going to go ahead and prep that for a large QT tank if he gets better. Poor dear, I think he's in shock.

What are tannins? How many tea bags per gallon? Is there any specific way to steep them (1 bag/cup, add cup to 1 gallon)? I'm worried about him floating in the cup- it moves and bumps into the sides and ammonia can build up so quickly.


THANK YOU, everyone!!! I only wish I could express my gratitude. I love this fish.
 
#4 ·
Poor fella.....

Good that you have him QT and floating in the heated tank.....

I would pre-mix some treatment water and start 100% daily water changes for the next 10 days

Get a 1gal jug and fill with like temp dechlorinated water and add aquarium salt 1tsp/gal-if you have tannins to add all the better....either naturally dried and fallen from the tree Oak leaf (10-12 crushed/gal) or Indian almond leaf or blackwater extract or decaf green tea...add one of these to steep for at least an hour before use-the longer they steep the more tannins will be released the darker the water the better the Betta will like it....shake well before use and use this treatment water for the 100% daily water changes in the QT container floating in the heated tank.

Make sure and equalize the water temp between the treatment water and the QT fish water before use to prevent temp related shock issues

Diet is also important to promote healing-a good varied diet high protein-live or frozen works the best...frequent small meals....

I had a Betta get its fins eaten by a marble crayfish and I had new growth within a few days with this treatment...it took about a month for full re-growth and lots of water changes

Good luck and keep us posted....
 
#8 ·
No...

I keep my tank at around 80F-82F normally...

Don't worry it's the same with people you have the people who like it cooler and the people who like it warmer. Fish I feel are the same to an extent.

When people are sick or injured we warm them up.

Since he's injured... 84F is very good.

Don't worry if he's still alive now he should be fine.
His fins may not be as pretty as they were buuuut like... 90% as nice as they were.
 
#10 ·
Don't worry it's the same with people you have the people who like it cooler and the people who like it warmer. Fish I feel are the same to an extent.

When people are sick or injured we warm them up.

Since he's injured... 84F is very good.

Don't worry if he's still alive now he should be fine.
His fins may not be as pretty as they were buuuut like... 90% as nice as they were.

Yeah, my sister had him before I did and she said he liked warmer water and I had read 84 was the high end of the betta temp. range, so I set it for that to see how he does.

And his fins weren't that nice to begin with, due to poor water conditions and cool temperatures he faced earlier in life. I already knew that his beauty is in his coloration and personality rather than the span of his fins and length of his rays. I actually kind of hope they grow back to be better than they were. Not that it really matters.

On heaters....I just bought this one this morning around 11AM and set it to 80, then 84, but the tank hasn't even reached 80 yet. I thought maybe it just needed time...maybe it heats slowly so as not to shock the fish. But I don't want to have something super hot in his tank so I am hesitant to set the temperature higher.

I'm really concerned because he was sick to begin with, so now he has to heal severe injuries and an unknown illness. I have an adorable video of him flaring at his reflection a few minutes before the incident.

This happened at about 12:10 PM, so it's been just over 2 hours.
 
#11 ·
poor Quasi!

tannins are, in my words, what turns the water dark when you put Indian Almond Leaves in the water. xD may or may not be true, but that's what i THINK they are. >.> IAL helps with fin growth, too. :3 i use it when Cup gets another split, or when Dante chews his fins.

i'm sure he'll be fine with a good diet, warm water, salt and IAL/Betta Spa, and a little extra pampering. :3
 
#14 ·
OK, so where do I get it and how much do I use?

I do love this fish!

BettaFish 15, THANK YOU!! I will do that!
 
#12 ·
he looks pretty rough, poor guy, but it sounds like his owner loves him tons and is taking wonderful care of him =D hope get heals quick!
 
#13 ·
You can fix the filter by putting an aquarium sponge inside the intake. You just turn the filter off, normally you can just pull the intake tube off, and stick a sponge way in there, right against the intake openings. Or put a piece of pantyhose around the intake, and tie it with thread. :)
 
#18 ·
Ha! It's magic! OK, I think I'll get some decaf green tea then!

Poor little guy. I hope he gets better. Do you have one of those leaves that you attach to the tank so they can rest on it? Hope he gets better.
No, but that's a good idea for later! Right now, he's in VERY shallow water in a cup. He'll be there for 10 days with 100% water changes, but I'm sure he'll appreciate an accessible rest close to the surface of his tank.

Thank you, everyone!!!!
 
#20 · (Edited)
I use duct tape to attach the small QT container to the side of the heated tank-so it doesn't sink or get bounced around by the filter

With daily 100% water changes in the QT container you should not have build up of ammonia-provide that you remove any uneaten food

The reason you want to keep the water temp in the lower range of normal is due to bacterial production-warmer water the bacteria reproduce faster and with a compromised fish and warmer water the normal bacteria that is always in the water can infect the fish...often you will see secondary infection with open wounds like columnaris...be careful with too high water temps.....

Tannins can be helpful in several ways-darker water helps with stress, antibacterial/fungal properties, soothing and promotes healing

Decaf green tea bags-1tea bag per 1gal of water-steep naturally...do not boil the tea bags or any tannins added for use with treatments-too hot water can kill the antibacterial/fungal properties

Often with badly damaged fins they will never look the same or return to their full glory...especially with ray involvement...
 
#22 · (Edited)
Thanks! I'm terrible with instructions! I'm letting it steep overnight and I'll float him in the smaller, slightly cooler tank with the tea tomorrow. I was wondering about the warm water being good for infections and bad for the fish.

I turned the filter off to prevent banging him around in the tank. Tomorrow, I'll float him in the tank with the tea and tape his container to the sides. I just didn't want to move him AGAIN. Poor little dude's been through enough for today.

Should culmanaris or any other secondary infection set in, what should I do?
 
#21 ·
Thanks everyone! It's been 5.5 hrs and he's still alive and he seems to be out of his initial shock. I saw him surface for air and move around a bit. I fashioned a tank cover out of a carboard box so he is in as complete of darkness as I can provide. Green tea treatment starts tomorrow!
 
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