Cloudy eyes and fin rot???

[alphaphoenicis]

I recently returned from holiday and I picked up my betta from my friends' house whom I had left him to be taken care of while I was away. For transport, I transferred him into a smaller container and emptied his tank 100%.

After transport, I refilled his tank and added BettaPlus conditioner and a bit of table salt to fight off bacteria. This was Sunday and he was fine. This morning (Wednesday) when I went to feed him, I noticed his eyes were cloudy and his fins were very clamped, finrot-like. He is still eating and responsive. His pectoral fins look like they are clamped/folded in half.

I did a 50% water change (no salt this time) before I left for work, I got home and he looks the same. It makes me very sad to see him like this and I am truly concerned. I wanted to get some information first before I possibly make things worse by going out and buying a treatment.

My tank: Fluval Spec 2 gallons

Temperature: 78.8 with heater

Water: Filtered with carbon filter for drinking, then conditioned with Nutrafin BettaPlus water conditioner.

Tests: none

Water Change: 50% every 4-5 days and periodical cleaning of leftover food and poop. I don't know how good of a job my friend did when I was away..but when I returned the water was cloudy and that is why I decided to do a 100% change when transporting.

Food: 3 Pellets in the morning, 1 pellet in the evening. Occasionally dried bloodworms

How long have I had him: 2 months

Do you think this could have happened because of salinity stress? Did I put too much salt into the water? His water is clean so what is this? What should I do and what results should I expect?

Here are before and after photos.


BEFORE:


AFTER:

PS: His fins were always darker color at the base so I don't think the dark color on the base of the anal fin is a symptom. Also, the red line under his belly is not an infection, its his red colored ventral fin.


Let me know if you need more information.

Thanks for your help.

[sainthogan]

clamped fins don't usually indicate finrot, they indicate an illness. With finrot, you actually see the fins rotting away, with holes, tears, etc. And from your pictures, it doesn't look like finrot.
Also, table salt is usually not recommended for treating fish unless you are absolutely sure it doesn't have iodine in it. Iodine is dangerous to your fish.
If the water was cloudy when you got him back, it could also be ammonia or nitrate poisoning.
Do another water change and don't add any salt at all. Check him with a flashlight and see if you notice any gold or rust colored dust or film on him. If you do, then he has velvet and you'll need to treat him for that. Just because his water looks clean now, doesn't mean his water was clean and his health wasn't compromised while you were gone.

[alphaphoenicis]

Thank you for your prompt reply.

I checked him with a flashlight and he doesn't seem to have a gold/rust colored film. The salt container has no indication whether there is iodine in it. It only says: sea salts, yellow prussiate of soda.

I will do another water change now.

[alphaphoenicis]

Update: There are small pieces of fin that are hanging from the ends of his anal fin like the fin is falling apart.

[DoctorWhoLuver]

This may seem like a strange question, but what does his poo look like? He may have internal parasites.

[alphaphoenicis]

his poo looks like a thin, reddish/brownish half-pellet sized thing. its not stringy. there is no change in his poo from when he was healthier.

[alphaphoenicis]

this morning, small pieces of fin tips were coming off and his cloudy eye seems to have gotten worse..

[DoctorWhoLuver]

Could he have cataracts? Some bettas do get cataracts .

[SpookyTooth]

His anal fin looks very grey, that could simply be the lighting though. Does he have any greyness on his fins or body at all?

[alphaphoenicis]

Update: Since Wednesday, I have been doing multiple partial water changes every day and cleaning leftovers. I noticed yesterday (friday) that his cloudy eyes had started to clear up and today they are completely clear. His fins are still clamped but they certainly stopped falling apart and are improving. His pectoral fins also look wider and less folded today. I didn't use any treatment other than changing the water.

This is what I found this morning and I am thrilled:


Thank you everyone who attended my post and gave me advice. I really appreciate it.

I'll follow how the fins are doing and post another update.