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Fin loss

647 views 4 replies 2 participants last post by  MakoBetta10 
#1 ·
So I put my 3 month old male betta in a 40 gallon grow out tank, and approx a hour later his fins started splitting. He is with some non aggressive killifish and he has never been aggressive. Ammonia and nitrates are fine and I dont have a ph tester right now. He is acting fine and eating. Please help! I have had him since he was a baby and I dont want to lose him.:cry:
 
#4 ·
First off, calm down! I just spent the last few days panicking over my boy and problem ended up making the problem he had worse. In the mean time, I'm not a pro, but I'll try to help you the best I can until other members pitch in. :)

First off, make sure it isn't fin rot. Check near the edges of his fins for discoloration and a "rotted" look. I believe bettas with fin rot will also act "sick." (Lethargic, eating less, etc) The discoloration is the big thing, though. If you do not notice these things, there is probably a different and less severe problem.

Did you move the betta to the 40 gallon tank recently? It may be that something with rough edges in the tank is cutting his fins (although if they are still falling out in a .5 gallon tank which is undecorated that is unlikely). What I suspect is that your fish is probably tailbiting. If it is tailbiting, it may be stress from the tank somewhere--the killifish might stress him out even if they don't bother him or it could even be the size of the tank. Many bettas like wide spaces, but some really stress about it! If it is tailbiting, a blowout, or anything that ISN'T fin rot, you can treat with Stress Coat and Aquarium salt (1 tsp/gallon for no more than 14 days) to aid in healing his fins. As a side note, if it is an extreme case of tailbiting moving him into the smaller tank may have stressed him out again (sometimes you just can't win!) which led to, of course, more tailbiting.

One of the best things you can do to help us help you is to try to get some pictures up for us. Many forum members can tell the difference between blowouts, infections, tailbiting, and finrot just from a picture.
 
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