Fin Rot?

[LadyVhaira]

So I've had Gorgoroth for a week (exactly). I noticed that his fins looked a teeny tad tattered (they had from day one but something kept bothering me about it) so I removed the plastic plants I had in his tank. But two days later (this morning) I noticed he has 3 small holes in his middle fin/tail :( :( :(

I think the pet store said I have a 15 day health guarantee so I will be calling them first thing in the morning. His water did need to be changed so I scooped him into some fresh water in the tub I bought him in. I figure I might keep him there over night in case they want me to bring him in. I'm hoping they will give me free meds... >.> I was unable to get pictures of the holes cuz he just won't stay still for the amount of time it takes to snap the picture lol

The water smelled worse than it looked. I have a 2.5 gallon tank and this is my first fish. I don't want anything to happen to him. I'm wondering if I should just toss the rocks rather than attempt to clean them.

Feel free to ask me any questions about my set up, food, etc...
I'm not exactly sure what you want to know but I just want to know if I should attempt to clean the rocks or if they will just cause the problem to persist.

[bryanacute]

Can we see pics? That would help a lot. It could be tail biting, and that can look like fin rot.

[LadyVhaira]

I just tried taking pictures again, I can't get the holes to show on my camera cuz he just moves too fast/much. I will try again in the morning when I have sufficient natural light. There's also a few places were the edges of the fins look tattered.... not severely but it seems to be getting worse.

I will try to take more pics before the night is out. But I think I need better lighting.

[callistra]

Holes in the middle of the fins indicate ammonia burns.

Yes, please try to get some photos as they would be very helpful. Also more info would be helpful to make sure we're not missing anything: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233

In the meantime I just want to let you know that a 2.5g will need two water changes a week - one 50% and one 100%. You also need to be using some kind of conditioner that removes both chlorine and heavy metals.

Here is how to safely do a water change without shocking:

To do a water change, use a little cup like a plastic solo cup - this cup must be only for him and have never been used with soap or other chems. Scoop him up in this cup (keep him in the cup about 1/4 full of water - it doesn't need to be much because he won't be in it for long) and leave him in the cup while you change his water. To do the 50% use a turkey baster - dedicated only to him that has never seen soap or chems - and drag it through the gravel and try to suck as much of the poop out as possible, in addition to 50% of the water. Use a thermometer under the running tap to get it to be the same temp as the water that is normally in his tank (in your case you say 72 degrees). When the thermometer says the flowing tap is the right temp, fill back up his tank. At this point, add the conditioner (dose for how much water you change - if you change half the water you add half gallon worth of conditioner, If you do a 100% water change dose for the full gallon change). Float his plastic cup with him in it in the new water. Slowly add a couple tablespoons of the new water into his cup every 10 minutes for at least an hour. Finally, dump him in gently but try to get as little of the old cup water back into the tank as possible. When you do the weekly 100% you will do mostly the same thing except empty his tank fully and rinse everything in it very well under warm water but never use soaps or chemicals. Once it's fully cleaned/rinsed you can refill it and repeat the cup/acclimate phase.

[LadyVhaira]

But I'm more asking, if it is, should I throw out the rocks?

As for the questions, I might not be able to answer most. I've only had him for a week.

Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5gallons
What temperature is your tank? Trick question. This is what probably causes the issue. I bought a heater on the second day. It says "up to 5 gal" and the lady at the store said it would shut off at a certain temp which would be suitable for my fish. The next day, I woke up and my thermometer read 86, which is the highest it goes. I figured that I don't want to cook my fish, so I turned it off. My water didn't feel that hot though... but I was also extremely sick and my bedroom temp was past 25 ...
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? See above
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? A small mystery snail

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? I have flakes, pellets and freeze dried blood worms... figured I'd switch it up.
How often do you feed your betta fish? twice a day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? I was told to do it once a week... we only got to week one.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? I removed all the water today. I have not put the tank back together yet.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Betta conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? I tried testing my water. Stupid test told me to go online to decipher it. Couldn't make heads or tails. The options it provides doesn't make me feel that it has very good accuracy.

Ammonia:
Nitrite: 0.5
Nitrate: between 0 and 20
pH: 7.0
Hardness: General was somewhere between 60 and 120, carbonate was 80
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Holes appearing in middle of tail, edges of tail seem tattered, top fin seems to curl.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? n/a
When did you start noticing the symptoms? day 2
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Not yet really, he's in the small tub I bought him in (for the night) so that he is in clean water and possibly transport him to the pet store in the morning.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? n/a
How old is your fish (approximately)? no idea. Seems like an adult.

Hope those help. Pictures in the morning. The lighting available in my apartment is not sufficient enough to take photos.

[bryanacute]

As callistra said, holes in the middle mean ammonia burns. It's kinda a bad thing u don't know the level or it. That could be the entire problem

[LadyVhaira]

Well the test, I THOUGHT I was buying, was not what the lady handed me as I found out after I got home and opened it. My friend and I were supposed to have the same one. We tested his betta's water at his house and then I went home to do mine. The test I ended up with was different and did not have everything I wanted. So I'm angry/disappointed because all my xmas money is gone and I can't afford new ones until Feb.

I'm also annoyed with the lack of correct information pet stores have/give.

I nearly decked my roommate for saying "Fish have no feelings, it's ok to mistreat them."

[callistra]

Well first off, those rapid temp swings are extremely hard on fish, but they shouldn't cause pin holes in the middle of the fins. Your tank is large enough you can get a good adjustable 25w heater like this: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=21322 That's my favorite 25w one but there are others.. some better and more reliable than others. Make sure to use your in tank thermometer to determine temp and not rely on the heater setting as they are usually at least a couple of degrees off. What you do is set the heater several degrees BELOW what the thermometer has the tank at. Slowly click it up one degree until it comes on. From there you can raise a degree or two every hour and no more than 5 degrees per day until he reaches 78-79 range.

You should not keep a snail of that size in a 2.5g. They are extremely dirty and will muck up the water very fast. At the very least you will need to do a lot more careful montioring of ammonia and probably a lot more water changes.

Since you're not using a filter you will never seen nitrites or nitrates. It's ammonia that you want to keep an eye on. With a tank that size you need at least 2 water changes a week - one 50% and one 100%... but that was without the snail. Personally would not keep a snail in that size but I would definitely be doing extra ammonia checks through the week until I got an idea of just how often water changes needed to be done. Your fish should never see as much as .25ppm ammonia. A good drops kit like the one by API is ideal.
Since you're not using a filter you will never seen nitrites or nitrates. It's ammonia that you want to keep an eye on. With a tank that size you need at least 2 water changes a week - one 50% and one 100%. Also with a snail they are very dirty and can be getting the water quite mucky quickly. Personally would not keep a snail in that size but I would definitely be doing extra ammonia checks through the week until I got an idea of just how often water changes needed to be done. Your fish should never see as much as .25ppm ammonia. A good drops kit like the one by API is ideal.

This is how to safely do your water changes:

To do a water change, use a little cup like a plastic solo cup - this cup must be only for him and have never been used with soap or other chems. Scoop him up in this cup (keep him in the cup about 1/4 full of water - it doesn't need to be much because he won't be in it for long) and leave him in the cup while you change his water. To do the 50% use a turkey baster - dedicated only to him that has never seen soap or chems - and drag it through the gravel and try to suck as much of the poop out as possible, in addition to 50% of the water. Use a thermometer under the running tap to get it to be the same temp as the water that is normally in his tank (hopefully you get this around 78-79 soon). When the thermometer says the flowing tap is the right temp, fill back up his tank. At this point, add the conditioner (dose for how much water you change - if you change half the water you add 1.25 worth of conditioner, If you do a 100% water change dose for the full 2.5 change). Float his plastic cup with him in it in the new water. Slowly add a couple tablespoons of the new water into his cup every 10 minutes for at least an hour. Finally, dump him in gently but try to get as little of the old cup water back into the tank as possible. When you do the weekly 100% you will do mostly the same thing except empty his tank fully and rinse everything in it very well under warm water but never use soaps or chemicals. Once it's fully cleaned/rinsed you can refill it and repeat the cup/acclimate phase.

At this point, clean warm water is extremely important to his recovery. You can also add stress coat at 1 ml per 1 gallon to help fin regrowth and you can also treat with aquarium salt predissolved at 1 tsp per gallon for up to 10 days. You shouldn't use salt with the snail. You will replace as much salt as water you take out along with your water changes.

ETA: Can you take the test kit back and get the right one?

[LadyVhaira]

I have a thermometer that sticks to the glass... and they didn't have any adjustable heaters like I asked about so I took what I could get at the time cuz the lady made a very convincing case. I regret it entirely. :(

Does doing partial water changes stress the fish? Cuz I could do 2 partial changes. 3 day, 5th day and then a full on the 7th.

[LadyVhaira]

I will ask about the kit when I call tomorrow and I will try to find the snail a new home asap.