Extremely clamped need advice

[Julio1983]

There was a vase in there that I believe caused little holes but I'm not sure what caused this huge tear.

[Stone]

78 is ok all of mine I keep around 80, torn fins are not that big of a deal as long as their water is kept clean clean water is like us putting on a clean bandage keep his water clean plus stress coat will do wonders and he will heal up in a week or 2

[Julio1983]

Thank you so much for your advice I really appreciate it.
Should I increase his water changes or will my normal schedule be ok?

[SharkyTheBetta]

If you have a thermometer please measure the temperature in different places of the tank (surface, bottom, near the heater and so on). Due to the fact that there is no filter it may be possible to have many different temperatures inside the tank. Furthermore, warm water always stays up, while at the bottom the temperature is lower. How is your heater placed? Horizontal or vertical? If the temperatures vary too much, they will affect your little Julio and stress him. It happened to me also.

[SharkyTheBetta]

Did he eat? Did he pop? In the case he is not constipated, I would give him 2-3 freeze dried bloodworms. Bettas love them and I am sure he does that too. :) He needs a varied diet, not only the same type of pellets. One day a week you can give him 2-3 bloodworms. Also don't forget about the fasting day.

[Julio1983]

I did check his temp last night and this morning and it's constant throughout the tank. I actually got a new heater over the weekend as his other one wasnt strong enough (only 10 watts) and the temp was fluctuating. It's more stable now with the new heater. It's placed vertically in the left corner.

I did his 100% change last night and there was a heap of poo at the bottom. I havrnt noticed any poo since his water change last night. And he has been eating his appetite is the same. I feed him from 2 different brands of pellets one type in the morning and a different one at night. His fasting day is Sunday.

This morning he did greet me like he normally does however he is still clamped and looking sad. And he ate as normal. He's jut resting on his leaf a lot I guess his tail hurts :(

Thank you for your help

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Selected quotes:

his tail fin has split 1/4 of the way up

his temp is 78, should I turn his temp up?

Can you post a picture of the new split? Also, are the edges dark, or the same color as his fins?

78F is fine. If you can adjust your heater, you can raise it up to 79F, as that would be even better.

Are torn fins fatal? Sorry it might be a stupid question but I've never had fish before :(

There was a vase in there that I believe caused little holes but I'm not sure what caused this huge tear.

Torn fins are a very common occurrence. Just keep him in clean, warm water, and they'll heal.

The big tear could still be from the vase. Picture a sheet of tissue paper. If it catches on something, it can rip the paper.... That's like your guy's fins. They're very thin, so if they catch, they can get ripped up.

Originally Posted by Julio1983

Should I increase his water changes or will my normal schedule be ok?

Make sure to keep his water REALLY clean until his fins heal. I'd probably increase the changes slightly. They should start to heal pretty quickly. If they don't, let us know.

Originally Posted by Julio1983

I did his 100% change last night and there was a heap of poo at the bottom. I havrnt noticed any poo since his water change last night. And he has been eating his appetite is the same. I feed him from 2 different brands of pellets one type in the morning and a different one at night. His fasting day is Sunday.
This morning he did greet me like he normally does however he is still clamped and looking sad. And he ate as normal. He's jut resting on his leaf a lot I guess his tail hurts :(

It's good that he's eating and pooping. Since he did this today, and also greeted you, it sounds like he's OK.

Are you doing a water change today? That might help. (If the ammonia level was a little high, the new water should make him feel better.)

Some people also add Indian Almond Leaf (IAL) to promote healing. If you don't any, you can use a few dried oak leaves. Make sure they're pesticide free, and just rinse them off so they're clean.

If you can post a picture of the new tear, that would be great. Another treatment option is to add Aquarium salt. (Not table salt.) But before we discuss that, I think a picture would be good, so that we could see the extent of the damage.

It sounds like you're taking excellent care of him. Tears and rips happen. (Or, they can be like my guy, and bite their own tails off. ) Keeping the water warm and clean will go a LONG way towards healing the damage.

[Julio1983]

i tried getting a photo last night but it was too difficult because he was so clamped... The edges are the same colour as his fins...
I will adjust my heater when i get home from work and set it a little higher.

the vase is out of the water 100%. i did the panty hose test and they snagged so i never put it back in.

should i add an extra 50% water change? i check his levels everyday and they are normally spot on.

i did his scheduled 100% change last night... i checked the amonia and ph before i changed it and the amonia was 0, ph was 7.3.

i will try and get a picture tonight...its hard to get good pictures of them thought!

Thank you so much for your help and reassurance its helped put my mind at ease.

[LittleBlueFishlets]

If you can post a photo, that would be great. Believe me, I know how hard it is to take pictures of them! But they do help people identify what's wrong.

It's good the that edges are the same color as his fins. It sounds like he probably caught them on the vase.

Since you did a 100% water change last night, and the ammonia has been 0, no, I don't recommend another change today. No sense in stressing him out if his water parameters are already OK. It sounds like you've been taking good care of his water. The pH is just fine, so you're good there, too.

As for the clamped fins.... How do you acclimate him after you change the water? Are you going slowly with reintroducing him back into the tank?

Also, you mentioned both Stress Coat and Prime in different posts.... They both do the same thing (except that Stress Coat contains aloe, and Prime temporarily neutralizes ammonia). You don't need to use both. Just one of the other. Since you're doing frequent water changes right now, and trying to heal the tear, you may just want to use the Stress Coat.

Thank you so much for your help and reassurance its helped put my mind at ease.

I ought to show you a picture of my guy after he ripped his tail off, and it got infected. After I nearly passed out, I posted a "help!" thread. People replied. And fortunately, he's just fine now.

So next step is to try to get a picture of him, and post it.... Also, let us know how he's doing tonight.... But you're doing a really good job of caring for him.

[Julio1983]

when i acclimate him i normally float him in his cup in the tank for about 15-20 mins then i add about a tablespoon of new water to the cup every 10mins or so for about an hr. thats how ive been advised to do it from other members on this forum.

i actually asked about that at the aquarium when i purchased the stress coat over the weekend and he told me to use the stress coat while his fins were healing and then use the prime again after he was all better

omg i can imagine how devistated you were! here i am in tears over a tear~!

ill do my best to take a pic tonight... and post it. wish me luck!
And thank you again