Change in fins

[UhohCheerio]

Alphie is acting completely normal and there has been no change in his environment recently. However, I noticed his fins are looking pretty ragged. Nothing else has changed. Is this tail biting or fin rot?? I looked at the pics in the stickies, but I'm not certain. I think it's been slow progress to here - I didn't realize how trashed he looked until I saw the old picture of him. Poor little guy.... Pictures below of him when I got him and today. He wouldn't cooperate for the photo - kept trying to look at the camera!

Housing
What size is your tank? 1 gal
What temperature is your tank? Room temp
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? Aqueon betta food
How often do you feed your betta fish? 4-5 pellets twice a day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? 1-2x 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? API Tap Water conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? No - no supplies

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Fins ragged - see pictures
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Acting normal
When did you start noticing the symptoms? ?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Last water change Tuesday
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Tried to die once about 6 months ago when I used bottled water in a water change
How old is your fish (approximately)? I got him at Petco about 18 months ago

[prodrumernate]

i would think fin rot.i cant see clearly..is there any black stuff on his fins?and does it look as if its deteriorating?

also u need to change the water a lot more often..ur ammonia is going to be too high with only 1 or 2 water changes a week..try 100% water change every other day.making it 3-4 water changes a week.its better to do it everyday..especially no filter and being in such a small container...

personally i think he is being fed too much.but i dont know exactly how big he is.try 2-3 pellets.once or twice a day and skip 1 day a week to allow their digestive system to catch up and rest.thats my personal opinion and im ure others would agree.its ur choice though ;) but reducing the amount of feeding will also reduce waste and help with water conditions.allowing him to heal better.

since u had him for 18 months,he is getting pretty old already...he was probably at least a year old when u got him from the store...

[UhohCheerio]

They're tiny little pellets, so 4-5 is probably the same as 1-2 of other brands... He lives at work, so he gets to fast on Sat and Sun.

Is it possible that he's just old and that's why his fins look like that? Are there age related changes to betta appearance?

[prodrumernate]

then that should be fine and since he has 2 day fasting im sure he enjoys when he gets to eat :)

im not for sure but it could be y he is like that..since the water is only changed once or twice a week though im going more on the fin rot side.being in a 1 gallon it needs more changing.

some age related changes i know is they loose their color.below is a little reearch that would give more detail as well

* His color may change subtly or dramatically over time and eventually become very dull and even brown.

* Despite regular feeding you may notice the fish becomes gradually thinner and even bony.

* The individual scales may become more prominent and your betta may loose his scales more often

* You may have noticed the occasional white, acne-like spot on your fish in the past.

* Chronic fin rot may creep up. This fin loss tends to last indefinitely and does not improve with medication or changes in water parameters.

* Loss in sight - You may find that your betta frequently lunges for food and misses or doesn’t recognize movement outside the tank like he used to.

* Becomes more lethargic - Older bettas often lay in the plants or on the bottom of the tank most of the day (this should be a gradual slow in activity levels)

* Older bettas may not show the enthusiasm for food like they used to.

* Their tenacity for flaring may lessen over time as well.