Fin rot?

[Mikayla]

I have noticed my betta, Fistandantilus, isnt looking the way he usually does and I suspect fin rot. Here is a before and after pic. Any ideas on what to do?

I know the picture is blurry, but it shows his tail and coloring fairly well.



Another before pic.




This was taken yesterday. Huge difference. Tail is a brownish color and very thin. Not sure what to do to fix/help it.




Any suggestions?

[callistra]

That's some pretty intense rot.. the top looks like it's about to hit his body.. can you fill this out please? http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233

[Mikayla]

Housing
What size is your tank? 5.5 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 70's
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
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? Just put an Otocinclus in there today.

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Top fin betta pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? 1-2 a day. (Usually just once)

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Usually once a week, but I slacked recently, I think that is what caused it. I would say I went about a month(maybe two?) without realizing it.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? Usually about 25%-50%. This last time I did almost 100% because it had been so long.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Topfin Betta conditioner

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

Water hasn't been tested.

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Tail has lost all its blue tips, jagged and ripped looking.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? No. He has always been a sluggish fish. Still is.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? I really noticed them yesterday, but saw minor changes after i returned from my summer job of 2months and my sister had been taking care of it.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Yes. API Fungus Care. Just put the first dose in tonight.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Nope. This is his first time.
How old is your fish (approximately)? Not sure. I bought him from PetSmart 1 year and 2 months ago. So, almost 2 years?

[callistra]

The water needs to be tested. You're probably going to have to make a series of several small 25-50% over the next several days to get the water parameters back under control. They should be 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and <20 nitrate. Treat with Prime as your conditioner to help.

He doesn't have a fungal infection. He has fin rot and ammonia burns from bad water quality and infrequent changes. I would stop the treatment, add carbon to remove the meds from the water, then treat conservatively with salt like here: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=73332 or with a good antibiotic like Kanaplex, Maracyn Plus or Furan 2.