My male betta (Mr. Bubbles) is a veil tail. Lately i've noticed that his fins have been getting smaller, or shorter since i got him. His fin color has become less vibrant and more dull...he eats less and less each day and im getting very worried! Please help!! :shock:
Please fill this out to give us some more ideas on what is causing your betta's fin issues.
Housing
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?
Housing What size is your tank: 1 gallon
What temperature is your tank: about 74 degrees
Does your tank have a filter: no
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration: no
Is your tank heated:no
What tank mates does your betta fish live with: 1 Ivory apple snail
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish: Pellets (Tetra betta)
How often do you feed your betta fish? Every day: 3 pellets
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change: every 4 days
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change: 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change: Betta Safe water conditioner and aquarium salt every other water change
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? No
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed: smaller fins, dull color
How has your betta fish's behavior changed: doesn't eat as much
When did you start noticing the symptoms: 3 days ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how: No
Does your fish have any history of being ill: Not that i know of
How old is your fish (approximately): I got him at the pet store about 3 weeks ago, so i don't exactly know
Are the edges of his fins black: Now that i look close enough, yes. but not a lot
Since he's in a 1 gallon, I don't think the snail is compatible with the space given. If you upgraded your tank to 2.5 gallons or more, you could safely keep both without worry for toxicity building. Snails poop a lot, so that builds up while you're not cleaning the tank.
If his fins are getting smaller and the edges are darker/black, it usually indicates a rot. Add 1 tsp/gal premixed aquarium salt for a max of 10 days to fight the rot. Change all of his water every day. You'll want to take the snail out since I don't think salt is good for them.
After the rot is gone, change all of his water every other day.
I suggest getting a slightly larger tank for swimming space and to make changing water less frequent. 2.5 gallon tanks can be quite convenient in size for storing places and they give a good amount of swimming space. You'd only need to do 1 50% and 1 100% water change very week instead of every other day.
If you can find a heater that safely heats your tank size or if you can find a tank to upgrade to and a heater compatible with it, your betta and snail will be a lot more comfortable in water temperatures around 78-80*.
EDIT: You don't need to add aquarium salt regularly. It is actually bad for their kidneys when it is ever present and makes treatment with it less effective since bacteria and parasites can build up a resistance to it. You'll be good with just the water conditioner and tap water.
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