Mufasa's Fins!

[iloveteddybears]

So, I have my Mufasa in a 1/2 gallon tank with a heater and a fake plastic plant. A couple of days ago I noticed that his fins were falling off, so I figured that either he was sick, or he was ripping them off on the plant. I removed the plant and changed his water. I was wondering how long it could take them to grow back, and how I could help them grow faster. If you need a pic, just say so and I would be glad to post one!

[sainthogan]

frequent water changes are the best thing to help them grow back. For a 1/2 gallon, you should be doing daily water changes anyway, or at least every other day, so that should be all you need if it indeed was the plant that was causing it. Do you notice black or red around the edges? If so, he has fin rot which needs to be treated with daily changes and possibly aquarium salt. It's also possible he was biting them.

P.S. Just to warn you, most of the people here, including me, feel that a 1/2 gallon is way too small for a Betta - so be prepared for that. The general rule for all fish is 1 gallon MINIMUM per 1 inch of fish - so if your fish is 2 inches long, the MINIMUM size tank you would need is 2 gallons.

[iloveteddybears]

I'm new to owning fish; Fasa is the first pet I have had that doesn't have any hair haha, so thanks for the advice. I will look into getting a bigger tank. No ,I don't notice any black or red around the edges. Also, if I get a bigger tank, should I also get a water filter?

[sainthogan]

You could, but it's not necessary, as long as your doing frequent water changes. There's a really great link about water changes stickied to the top of this forum by oldfishlady. If you get another plastic plant, be sure to do the pantyhose test - rub pantyhose all over it and if it snags at all, then it's too sharp for your fish. Silk plants are good, live are better.