Betta Fin Tear/Regrowth

[Jake3698]

Hey guys, i just have a few concerns about my Betta. I won him at the fair a while ago and he has been doing very well.
I have a good set up for him, Aqueon Evolve2 which is a little under 2 gallons, filtered. I change water once or twice a week depending if i have time. If it is only once a week then it is a 100% change. Feed him twice a day with betta pellets and occasionally give him a tiny chunk of Brine Shrimp (He hates blood worms, picky guy.)
Anyways back to the issue at hand.
I had a rock in the tank with some plastic leaves on it that tore his fins, when i noticed this i pulled the rock out and the next day did a 50% change to reduce ammonia levels and help him heal. I went to Petco and the guy recommended Melafix, i do two drops daily in my size tank and he seems to be healing up okay. He does have some translucent white tips to his fins now, they are very small but i just wanted to make sure that it is not a disease or something, and that it is most likely new fin growth. Pics from when i got him to now will be attached.
Just did a new 100% change today and he looks very happy.
Pics are as listed
Day home from fair, in small container.
Second day after tank was running for 24 hours, just added.
The next pic is the camera flash one, took that for the "Betta pic" section on forums.
The next pic is eight days later 7-28-12, tears on fin. Water change that day. Medicine the next.
7-29-12 Tears look about the same, white tips appear on fins.
Today - 8-1-12 White tips are more prominent fresh water change, tears look a little better.

Im extremely sorry for such a long post.. I just want to make sure my fish is going to be okay, and i know with the collective knowledge on this site he has a good chance. Thank any and all of you for your help.

[MSG]

I don't think you needed melafix. I think salt in the water for a few days would have been enough.

Your betta looks healthy to me. I wouldn't worry.

[lelei]

Aww..he is a cutie:) and looking very good, I am in the
process of using an Aquarium Salt treatment for a fishy I have my 3rd with some fin damage, I wouldn't trust Melafix, if you are using it, you may want to stop, It could cause damage to the gills, it is nice to see the new growth though, that is great:)

[Jake3698]

What would salt do for him?
I'm just paranoid.. when i was much younger (about six or seven) i had Betta's, but i had them in a 1 liter tank the little dinky things from Petco that say they are for bettas. I didn't know any better, it has been thirteen years since my last Betta, none of them lived for more than six months or so. I now know that they can live for YEARS.. i just want to make sure i can do everything i can for my new guy, i don't want him to die because of my mistakes like my old Betta's did.

Edit: Wait.. Melafix can damage the fins??
Can someone fill me in on the salt treatment/dosage and how i can get it?

[Kenny G]

If you want to go the holistic route just do daily water changes, keep him in warmer water and continue to feed him nutritiousness food with protein. You should start to see him healing in a week or so. Just monitor him to make sure he doesn't get new infections. I personally never used a salt treatment when one of my betta's had torn fins.

[MSG]

What type of dinky tank are you refering to? The kritter keepers?

They're good for collecting insects and other critters from outside.

They also work good for hospital/recovery tanks.

[LizzyP]

Melafix is known to cause damage to their labyrinth organ, which aids them in breathing outside of the water, which they need to do. If it is damaged then the fish will essentially suffocate. I would discontinue ASAP. Daily water changes sounds good to me to keep fins healing, or you can add 1/4 tsp (don't quote me on that I could be wrong) per gallon but do not exceed 10 days because it can damage their kidneys.

[Jake3698]

I just did a full 100% water change today.
I am leaving tomorrow till sunday and my dad will be taking care of him, he had a 100gal tank for upwards of 20 years before it became too taxing to take care of i think my fish should be fine until i get back.

Yeah i was talking about the little critter keepers. I did a couple drops of the Melafix today, before i knew the possible repercussions, and this is the third day. I tossed the bottle in the trash a few minutes ago. Going to buy salt Monday after class, ill check online to try and find more dosage instructions.

Also, in his fin are dark red almost black streaks between the bones.. A little worried because sometimes people say this is a sign of Fin Rot, as the pictures show the rest looks okay just a little torn. I can't get a good picture because my i don't have a small enough lens to focus that close and my phone camera doesn't show them.

[MSG]

It's a good product, it works well for fish that DON'T have the labyrinth organ.

You can use it to treat shrimp too.

It's just not a product you should use for bettas.

[Jake3698]

I have been doing the AQ salt treatment twice a day for 30 minutes, when i do he is in a 1gal bowl with 1tsp of salt, completely dissolved, the water temp is usually 78-80 and he seems stress free in and out of the salt.

I am sad to say that the fins have gotten worse. I am not sure if i am doing something wrong or if his new environment is bad for him. I moved him out of my room and downstairs on the kitchen counter so that i can change the water more frequently. He is away from the windows so the sun doesn't hit him much, and i reduced the amount of time the LED is on per day now so that he can rest more.

I stopped the Melafix treatment the day that you guys said to, i read that it might help to get some API Stress Coat+, is that true? I have not had this fish very long but he grew on me very quickly, whenever i walk by he swims back and forth along the front of the tank and up and down, he always seems excited to see people. My sister loves to feed him and i recently taught him to jump for the food, i hold my finger barely above the water and he jumps up and snatches food off of the tip.

Is there anything anyone could recommend to help my little Betta?
(As the pictures show there is excessive tearing on the Caudal fin, and some minor tearing on the Anal fin, then more excessive tearing on the Dorsal fin)