Help Needed For Identification of...Whatever This Is

[LicoLico]

Hello everyone, I am a new betta owner, and would really appreciate some help.

I bought this betta a little over a week ago from Petco, and transferred him to a tank a few days after that, along with a few plants. He gradually began to eat more as he became more used to his surroundings, and made a hobby of building bubble areas near the corner of the tank. Then the tank heater failed, and it took a few days until I was able to get off campus to buy a new one. During those few days, he became very lethargic and stayed mainly in his bubble corner. His pelvic fins also became crumpled at the ends, and he rarely spread his dorsal and caudal fins. Once I got the heater, I did a 50% water change.

He is more enthusiastic about eating now, but still stays in that corner. I don't know if it's because that is where it is the warmest (the heater only seems to be able to keep the water at 72 F), or if it's because of his patch of bubbles.

Yesterday, I noticed that the tips of his pelvic fins and anal fins seem to have white areas at the rays. On some of the tips, the white parts look like small globs, and on his right pelvic fin, there's a sort of filmy and fluffy thing trailing from the end. I'm at a bit of a loss as to what this is, since nothing I see on google is really matching this description.

Housing
What size is your tank? 10 gallon
What temperature is your tank? 72 F
Does your tank have a filter? No
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? None

The glass tank was a gift from my sister, who once had a turtle in it. I washed both the tank and the gravel with a vinegar solution and let it sun dry a few days before the betta was placed in there. The only other thing in the tank currently are a few live plants and a marimo ball. The first heater failed, and my betta suffered a few days of cold temperature until I could get a new one. However, this heater only seems to be able to keep the water at 72/73 F.

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Freeze dried bloodworms
How often do you feed your betta fish? 1 - 2 times per day, 2-3 worms each time

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Every half 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? Aqueon Water Conditioner

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Pictures of my betta, Belphagor

[SharkyTheBetta]

Hello and welcome to the forum and in world of this amazing fish like every betta is! :)

You have a very cute betta. I guess he has started to have fin rot, fungal or bacterial, caused by the low temperature and stress. Isn't the heater adjustable? Or is he in a cold room? The water temperature should be 78. At this point, I would buy a thermometer, if you don't have one already, and measure the water temperature in some different places inside the tank. For example next to the heater, at the bottom of the tank, at the top of it and in the place that is most far away from the heater. Note that without a filter to produce water movements and in a cold room (if this is also your case) the heater cannot warm the entire tank properly. 10 gallon is a pretty big tank. In this case you'll have many different temperatures inside the tank which can affect your betta's health. Maybe the place where he spends most of the time is the warmest. Try to figure out. If you will solve the issue with the temperature, I would not worry too much about the fin rot at this stage. It will most probably heal on its own. Be careful not to increase the temperature too fast. I would do this very slowly, not to stress the fish, for example increasing one unit temperature every 24 hours. At a low temperature, like 72 is, your fish metabolic rate decreases and as a consequence the need for food decreases too. So your betta will eat less. Speaking about food, usually bloodworms should be used only as a treat. Try to buy some betta pellets which have the main ingredient some fish protein, not wheat or vegetables. Omega One Betta Buffet or New Life Spectrum are good.

[Tikibirds]

Is that a tetra heater? If so,they suck. I have a 50 watt which should heat up a 10G tank but it can't even keep 2 gallons over 72-74.

If you can, I would return it and look on amazon or ebay for a 50 watt - sometimes you can find them for cheap. Look for one that's adjustable not preset like the tetra ones. Anything but Tetra and supposedly top fin is pretty bad too - people say they break in the tank.

Fin rot? I don't see it...I do see sometihng on the fin tips but...I'm thinking it may be new growth since its on all the tips and looks clearish to me.

If you add a filter, it will help move the heated water around the tank but then you will also be doing a fish in cycle and you should read the stickies about it before you add a filter.

Since the Tetra heaters are crap, he is probably chilling by it because its the warmest spot.

[shellieca]

As previously stated get an adjustable heater that you can put the temp 78-80F. I have 3 Top Fin, a Fluval, & an Aqueon heater in my 5 tanks with no problems thus far, oh & I have a Petco heater for my QT tank when I need it. And I agree about the food, blood worms freeze dried (should be soaked before feeding) or frozen shouldn't be his main diet.

[LicoLico]

Thanks everyone. I have ordered an Aqueon heater along with some Hikari fish food. Hopefully this will help my betta recover.