Help with Carl's fins

[GailC]

Can anyone help me figure out what is going on with carls fins? I don't know if its fin biting, damage from decorations or fin rot. His fins don't seem to be getting shorter, nothing that really looks like rot, no blood.

Housing
What size is your tank? 3 gallon as of today, previously was in 25 gal community.
What temperature is your tank? 75*
Does your tank have a filter? yes
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? one snail

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? new life spectrum
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2 times a day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? every other day
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? prime

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
unknown, I don't have a testing kit.

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? His fins are quite ragged
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? no change, seems happy. eats well
When did you start noticing the symptoms? a few days after I got him
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? tried betta revive in qt tank. seemed to help some
Does your fish have any history of being ill? ragged fins pretty much since I've had him, roughly 3 weeks.
How old is your fish (approximately)? unknown.

took these today after moving him into his new permanent 3 gallon.

[Perry the platypus]

Does his fins have some kind of silver marking like this?








Also, I recommend you getting a test kit. It may cost extra but if you're willing to help your betta then I suggest getting it.

[GailC]

No, he doesn't have any discoloration like that. All the silver and black is his natural color, it shows more where the fins have healed up.
I"ll check into a test kit or have the lps run a test for me. It will have to wait though, we are getting pounded with a snow storm.

[Perry the platypus]

I've never had a snow storm. The best you could do now is do a water change for Carl.
Best wishes,
Perry

[GailC]

The water is clean, he was just moved into a new tank today. I'm more concerned about trying to figure out what is causing the ragged appearance. He should have nice smooth fins, not a comb tail look a like.
He starts to heal, then in a few days they get ragged again. The big tank he was in does have a plastic plant that is sharp. Whatever it is, I'm hoping a solo tank will help.

[tekkguy]

How is the water movement in his normal tank (high flow, low flow)? What other fish were in the community tank with him? Was the community tank where he was before you got him?

Have you noticed the fin degradation in the 3 gallon tank? Is there a filter in the 3 gallon?

[GailC]

When I first brought him home, he went into a 2 gallon taller tank, 3 days later he started biting his fins. Once they healed up, I moved him into the 25 gallon.
There are 6 neon, 3 guppies, a dwarf bristle nose pleco and some cherry shrimp. It uses a adjustable HOB filter and I keep it turned down as low as possible.
He was in a cup when I got him. The other fish did not harass him and he never was tossed around by the water flow. He does swim like mad though, he is very active and likes to hange around the plastic hornwort looking plant.
He doesn't seemed stressed, eats very well and is generally one of the more docile Bettas I've ever had. The 3 gallon he is in now has a filter but its a very slow current and I gave him large leaved real plants to play in. He's only been in the 3 gallon for a few hours now but the damage has happened in every tank he has been in.

[Perry the platypus]

I think maybe he is biting them?

[tekkguy]

He must be a tail-biter. That's the only thing that makes sense if the flow is low and you're not seeing any rot, and it keeps happening in every tank. I wouldn't put it past those neons to snap at his tail while he slept, either. They're pretty active at night since they prefer less light, and they're mean little buggers.

[GailC]

Would biting cause that ragged appearance? Will they ever heal up proper and look smooth again?
At this point should I do anything beside keep him clean? I did add a bit of salt to his tank as a precaution.
I don't think they neons nipped at him, they are extremely peaceful and still quite small.