So I was looking at my betta's fins and such. It looks like the webbing part is getting short but the tail itself is still around the same length. he swims a lot and sometimes hangs down in the bottom corner. he eats everything i give him. Never spits anything out. Is it fin rot? Like the webbing part is white and the tail is red. At where the webbing is getting shorter, there's like a black dot. Some are bigger or little lines. It could be blue cause some of the end of the tail is blue. Sorry if the pics aren't that clear. Tried my best haha.
Housing
What size is your tank? 3 gal
What temperature is your tank? Not sure, don't have a thermometer. Getting one soon
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? none
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? NLS small fish formula and frozen bloodworms
How often do you feed your betta fish? twice a day and fast on Sunday
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? 3 times a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 2 1/3 change on mon and wed. I just take out and add in 1 gallon. And 100% on Fridays.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Just the betta conditioner. The bettacare. Plan on getting prime once it runs out
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
pH:Dunno, don't test my water
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? I think it might be tail rot. Noticing after like 2 weeks? Webbing getting smaller but the tail thing is not getting shorter
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He seems normal. Swimming around and eating
When did you start noticing the symptoms? About 2 weeks now
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No, starting to post today and see what's wrong with him
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Not that i know, got him at Petco
How old is your fish (approximately)? Not sure, got him about a month ago.
Hi FateError - Based on your post, your husbandry is stellar. Rot is generally caused by poor water quality and his water quality is great if you're changing water 3x week. If you've had him a month and he's been in clean water, then I'd venture to say you're not having a fin rot problem. Your boy is beautiful and has nice, big finnage. I've had plenty of males that just get ragged edges from the extra swimming space. Your guy looks like he's having the same issue. Most of the males we purchase have lived the majority of their lives in 1gal and less until they're purchased. Then we put them in 2+gals. It's like taking a nice big flag and sticking it out in a high wind for a week - the edges get ragged. I don't see any obvious signs of rot, but pics don't always show the details that you can see. You stated that you posted pics from 2 weeks ago. Does his tail look the same or has it advanced? If it looks the same, then he just has ragged edges. You'll need to keep his water clean to avoid issues in the future. You also need to purchase a heater because lower water temps lower their immune system and make them more suseptible to disease. They're tropical fish and need to be kept between 78 to 80 degrees. If the tail issue has been advancing then an AQ treatment is required right away. As Bladezero stated, 1tsp/gal with 100% water changes for 10 days max.
Hi FateError - Based on your post, your husbandry is stellar. Rot is generally caused by poor water quality and his water quality is great if you're changing water 3x week. If you've had him a month and he's been in clean water, then I'd venture to say you're not having a fin rot problem. Your boy is beautiful and has nice, big finnage. I've had plenty of males that just get ragged edges from the extra swimming space. Your guy looks like he's having the same issue. Most of the males we purchase have lived the majority of their lives in 1gal and less until they're purchased. Then we put them in 2+gals. It's like taking a nice big flag and sticking it out in a high wind for a week - the edges get ragged. I don't see any obvious signs of rot, but pics don't always show the details that you can see. You stated that you posted pics from 2 weeks ago. Does his tail look the same or has it advanced? If it looks the same, then he just has ragged edges. You'll need to keep his water clean to avoid issues in the future. You also need to purchase a heater because lower water temps lower their immune system and make them more suseptible to disease. They're tropical fish and need to be kept between 78 to 80 degrees. If the tail issue has been advancing then an AQ treatment is required right away. As Bladezero stated, 1tsp/gal with 100% water changes for 10 days max.
I think it got a little shorter in the past 2 weeks. Nothing so huge. It's just the webbing getting shorter. but the tips are still white and nothing major is gone. Should I just treat him with aq salt anyways? I will most likely get a heater this weekend.
I have 2 tail biters 2 males with ragged edges. If the tips are white then I don't think it's rot. Fin rot has this gross, blackened, melty appearance on the majority of the tips. I lost my favorite CT to rot and it's no fun at all. Ragged fins are well . . . ragged. Then you'll see some of the tail grow back and it will be whitish clear. I'm not too concerned that his tail is a little shorter, because that's what happens when they get ragged. They get tattered and shorten up and then they slowly grow back a little. My guys grow and then shorten and then grow and shorten. Sad cycle actually but I just can't put them back in a tank under 2 gals. Also, I tend to be overly conservative when it comes to treatment and I tend to jump right to meds. However, the wonderful mods on this forum have calmed me down over the last year. Based on your pics, I don't think he has rot but I can't look in his tank and tell you for sure. If you feel that an AQ treatment is needed, then go with your gut. But as aokashi reiterated, no more than 10 days.
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