Betta tail mysteriously disappearing

[Bettagirl101]

So my betta Roy is a small veil tail royal blue male betta fish. So a couple weeks ago I noticed that his tail is falling a part. I took out the plant that I thought was causing this to happen. I put in a soft plant that shouldn't hurt his tail. As I was getting ready to leave for a mission trip, I noticed that his tail was starting to fall apart again. So I went to wal-mart and got Quick Cure Fast Relief for Ick and Protozoan Parasites. My mom has been putting in 1 drop everyday, while I was away for a week. When I got back a few minutes ago I noticed that his half his tail has disappeared. He's a rather small betta at a little less than 1 inch. Any idea why his tail is disappearing?

[LebronTheBetta]

Why would you give him a medicine for Ick and parasites? He's not experiencing it right now. Do a 100% change right now to rid the water of those meds. Are the edges of his tail black? I assume it's Fin Rot. Fill this out please: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233

[Bettagirl101]

Because my mom wants to buy the cheapest medicine she can buy for a fish. If we have too we will go to petco to get some medicine. I'll even bring some water to be tested. The ends of his tail or not black at all. Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 75-80 degrees f
Does your tank have a filter? no
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? once a day 6 days a week

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? once a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? betta safe water conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? no If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Yes half his tail and bottom fin is gone
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? No
When did you start noticing the symptoms? A few weeks ago
Have you started treating your fish? Yes If so, how? The Betta Safe water Conditioner and Quick Cure
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No
How old is your fish (approximately)? Less than 6 months

[LebronTheBetta]

Hm... You should be doing 1 100% and 1 50% per week since you don't have a filter. Can you post a picture? It's either that or he's tailbiting. To cure AQUARIUM SALT, (Not EPSOM) and VERY clean water. Can you keep the water's temperature steady? A warm Betta is a happy Betta. :) High-protein foods are optional to grow tissue faster.

[Bettagirl101]

I'll try to post a picture but the quality of the photo's on my camera are horrible. Yeah I am able to keep the water temp steady. If I do go to petco and bring some of his water to get tested would it be free for the 1st time? If not how much would it cost? I'll start doing 50% and 100% water changes this week. However I will be going out of state for 10 days on Friday. So I guess the water changes for that week will have to wait till I get back.

[LebronTheBetta]

The testing is free. :) I'll try to see what it look like regarding quality. When you're in vacation, remember to do a 100% right before you leave and you don't have to feed him extra.

[Bettagirl101]

Ok. I'll do the 100% change on Thursday. Also my camera seems to be broken so I can't post any pics.

[LebronTheBetta]

Oh, OK. If it's tailbiting, there are like crescent marks. Here's a thread about it:
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=108355 It also has pictures of it but yours sound more severe.

[Bettagirl101]

I think it might actually be tail biting because I had moved him into a 2.5 gallon from a 5 gallon because my biggest betta's bowl broke and the 2.5 gallon seemed much too small for him so I put Roy into a 2.5 gallon tank I had laying around. When he was in the 5 gallon he had a cave he liked to hide in, then when I moved him to the 2.5 gallon I didn't move the cave. I moved it into the 2.5 gallon and now I'll see if his fins start to get better.

[LebronTheBetta]

OK. Just make sure that the cave can't rip his fins. He must've really liked that cave! :) I hope it's just because of that! The main reasons of tailbiting are stress and boredom so it has to be one of those 2. Let's just hope he's bored.