Fins Got Teared Up

[hannguyen]

Hi Everyone,

I just found out tonight while getting ready to bed that my fish's fin got teared ! He was fine when I changed the water this afternoon. I didn't know what was happening. So I'm just going to go ahead and answer these questions

Housing
What size is your tank? 5 gal
What temperature is your tank? 80
Does your tank have a filter? yes
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? no tank mate

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Pellets, flakes, bloodworms, shrimps
How often do you feed your betta fish? twice a day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? twice a week
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? 1 mL of Tetra Plus, 1 mL of Stress Coat

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:0
Nitrite:0
Nitrate: 0
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Fin got teared
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He seemed normal
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Just now
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I put 1 teaspoon and a half of Bettafix in the water. I've never used this before because I've got him for a month only
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?


I don't know what might cause the problem. I put the same decorations in the tank after the water changes. He likes to sleep on the filter. Would that be the problem??

Thank you

[MSG]

Morning Han,
Do you have a picture of your ENTIRE fish tank? I have a feeling I know what might have caused it, but the photo of the whole tank would make it a lot easier to give you a definitive answer.

What make & model is your filter?

[Kim]

Looks like tail biting based on the appearance of the tail and the fact that it happened so suddenly and for no apparent reason. However, you could put some nylon over the filter intake just to be cautious. If it happens again despite that, then you most likely are dealing with tail biting...a frustrating habit to be sure.

[MSG]

I think it's related to the water output from the flter. Betta is probably biting because he can't move fast enough to get out of the current.

Han did just upgrade to a larger tank.

[hannguyen]

Good morning everyone :)

In the picture below, you will see the entire tank with the filter. I've just upgraded the tank about 2 weeks ago.

I was on vacation from Tuesday til Thursday. When I got home, I fed him flakes then changed his water. Could that be the reason why he bite his tail ?

I also have AQ Salt, should I use it ? Or bettafix is good enough ? I'm planning on using that for 7 days then make a 100% water change (It's what it said on the bottle).

Thank you :) :)

[hannguyen]

And I don't know if the filter is the reason, He LOVES to sleep on it and hang around it...

[hannguyen]

Anyone please help :(

[MSG]

Hey Hann, I thought someone would have responded by now.

I think your filter is causing the problem. I have similar filter, but mine doesn't have any sort of control for the water flow. Yours however I think may have a flow adjustment @ the bottom, but I would need to know the model number or just the name of the tank kit you purchased.

[MSG]

Check out this link if you have time. I think it's similar to what's going on with your betta. Akuinnen's betta has the same problem as yours & he took really good pictures as well.

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=109343

[Maura]

Originally Posted by hannguyen

I also have AQ Salt, should I use it ? Or bettafix is good enough ? I'm planning on using that for 7 days then make a 100% water change (It's what it said on the bottle).

Steer clear of Bettafix, Melafix, Pimafix, and anything else with -fix. It contains tea tree oil, which causes damage to the labyrinth organ, which is how bettas breathe.

Pristine warm water and maybe some AQ salt is all you need. Be careful not to salt for more than 10 days. Because of this, I choose not to use salt for my chronic tailbiter. Up to you though.