Tail Biting Tips

[Dozzem]

I have a tail bitter at home and he eats himself to the body, leaving almost no tail fin. I have tried a few things, many of them not doing a thing, to make him stop. The things I have learned is something you don't go looking for but just happens.



Give Him A Friend
Let your betta see another male nearby. This causes him not to get 'bored' as he struts his stuff and defends his tank. Maybe let him see a lady friend, he needs big fins to impress the females!

Feed Him An Extra Pellet
Your betta fish might be a little hungry! Got to keep that belly full. This might not make him want to eat himself!

Throw In A Plant
I placed a very small bit of ANCHARIS in his tank and a week later, as I was doing his water change, I noticed his plant had no leaves on it and was shredded! Maybe he just needed a toy to beat up!



I hope this can be helpful to you guys! If anyone has anything to add or has a problem please post it so I could edit this. These ideas may not work for your betta (all bettas are differnt!)

Everyone likes pretty fins! :D

[carbonxxkidd]

A couple things I noticed with my tail biter - he stopped after I raised the temp in his tank from 76 to 80. I also removed a bunch of his tank decor/plants, so he has more room to swim around now. I think the combination of the two really did the trick, he hasn't bitten his tail off since I made the changes! It's only been a week, but his tail is still showing new growth and no signs of biting, so I think we have a winner (I hope) :D He also made his first bubble nest this week!

Ps; I love your avatar!

[Nothingness]

Turning down the water flow on the filter can help a ton as well

[Dozzem]

That is great! Come to think of it, I also changed my fish's tank by making half of it bare bottom and placing his fake plant to one side of the tank instead of the middle! Thanks I should of added it to the list! Fish need room to dance (flare and swim!)
Temp. is a funny thing, they are tropical fish after all.

Bettas are not the best of swimmers because of their long tails. So maybe your fish shortened it to make it easier on himself. Good idea!

Ps; Thank you! That is my tail biter, Ula, after far to many pictures! He was getting angry at me and the flash of the camera but that only gave me better pictures! That was maybe a year ago! He is all black now

[LittleBlueFishlets]

*Sigh* I've tried all these things, but my HM still bites his fins....

I've tried:
- letting him see another male / hiding him from other fish
- letting him see a female / hiding him from her
- adding live plants / removing live plants
- raising the temp / lowering the temp
- adding oak leaves / removing oak leaves
- changing the brand of pellets
- feeding him more pellets (which caused him to bloat!) / feeding him fewer pellets (because I was afraid he'd bloat again)
- increasing light / decreasing light / covering his tank with a towel
- adding hiding spots (caves, swim-throughs, etc) / removing hiding spots
- moving his decorations towards the middle / moving them towards the outside
- adding new decorations / removing decorations
- changing the brand of water conditioner

(I don't have a filter.)

At first, I thought he had a secret desire to be a CT. But now, I think he's going for the 'scalped' look.

Anyone know a good fish psychologist?