Fins rotting, I guess!

[MichaelNashat]

Hello, I am totally new to having a fish in my home, sorry for my low experience in this matter, I beg your pardon :).
Any help would be greatly appreciated, should I just return the fish back and get another one ? or is there any mean of easy treatment ?
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Application:

Housing
What size is your tank? 2 Liters
What temperature is your tank? No temp optimizer
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? No
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? Gourami, I bought the fighter yesterday and there are no signs of fights or anything at all.

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Dry food
How often do you feed your betta fish? Haven't fed it yet, but that would be every other 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? 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Anti-Chlorine crystals

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? No.


Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Its tail looks a bit rot in my opinion, there are two needle like spots on the tail at the mid of it which don't have any fins. But still not sure if that's because it hasn't opened its fins.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? A little bit lazy.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Since I bought it.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Yes, I read somewhere I should put a tea spoon of salt, I did so. I have also put Theofinicol 250
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Just bought it.
How old is your fish (approximately)? Just bought it.

Pics of it:

[Sparta321]

Hi! Well, your betta may be suffering from fin rot because of a lot of things.

First, 100% water changes aren't recommended. You could do 20% or even 50%. And I don't think doing them every other day is necessary...maybe like twice a week, especially since your betta is in a bowl.

Also, since your tank isn't heated, it lowers your fish's immune system, which would also cause sickness or lethargy. I would suggest getting a heater, and in a bowl that size you could probably get away with a cheap heater that only raises the temperature 5-10 degrees above room temperature. Since you have a bowl, the heater would look kinda funny dangling in the water due to the bowl's shape, but it's best for the fish. :) Around 78-82 degrees is perfect.

Gouramis aren't recommended as betta tankmates, but if they're not fighting or harassing each other, it might work out. I would still keep a close watch on them in case something happens.

While treating your fish, Epsom salt is recommended. Table salt has a lot of additives and stuff that won't benefit your betta.

If you want to increase your betta's lifespan and happiness, you could also buy a 2.5 gallon tank for around $30. It comes with a heater, betta food, water conditioner, etc. Amazon, Petco, and Petsmart have them.

I think you have a gorgeous betta :)

[MichaelNashat]

Hi, thank you very much for your reply. I really appreciate it.
About the water, I started to change it regularly (every other day) and fully when I read online that it helps treating the fish fins' rot. But I guess I should follow your advice (Thanks). Also about the heater, there is no small one which could fit this bowl, either an around 100$ one or nothing!
And let me say that ,unfortunately, there is nothing such to Epsom salt or even that 2.5 gallon tank (So rare!) where I live.
But can we say now that this is 100% a fins rot ?
And how old do you think this fish is ?

[Adelais]

I don't see any signs of fin rot, just a couple of rips in his fins, which should eventually heal with warm, clean water.
You are definitely going to need a heater. If you can't find any in the stores in your area you can try online. Amazon.com is a good place to look.
I would take the Gourami out ASAP and return him, because your tank is way to small to house anything more than one fish.
Sparta321 is right, 2.5 gallons is much better for them long term. You can find 2.5 gallon tanks on amazon as well for pretty fair prices.
I would discontinue the salt treatments for now because it doesn't look like he has fin rot. He is probably not moving around very much because the water is to cold. I would work on getting him a heater as soon as you can and see if that helps at all.
Keep us posted! :)

[MichaelNashat]

I think I will try to find a heater somewhere around, although the temperature here is 30C and in summer it range about 40-50!
The shop guy said that Gourami and Fighter can both live without any filters, oxygen or heaters, he probably was talking about where I live as the temp is pretty high.

[Adelais]

As for the water changes, according to the Oldfishladys recommendation for 1-4 gallon tanks (which you can find under Betta Fish Care) you should be doing two 50% changes and one 100% change a week.

[LittleBlueFishlets]

2 liters (0.5 gallons) is very small for even just one fish. Ammonia and toxins will build up quickly in such a small bowl.

I recommend removing the gourami. If possible, get an 8 liter (2 gallon) or larger tank. Or if you want to keep both fish in the same tank, look for one that is at least 20 liters (5 gallons).

If you can't get a larger tank, only put one fish in it and do very frequent water changes. You will probably need to do a 100% water change every other day (with just one fish in the bowl).

Also, bettas are sensitive to salt. It should only be used when treating a specific medical issue, and for no more than ten days.

It sounds like you live in a tropical area. Can you keep the water temperature around 26 celsius (79F) year round without using a heater?

[MichaelNashat]

Hi, thanks for your reply.
It's not really a tropical area, but the room temperature nowadays is around 20-25 and up to 40 in summer.

But do you think it has any rot ? And is it already fully grown ?

[LittleBlueFishlets]

The best way to treat, and to prevent, fin rot is to keep him in warm, clean water.

If you plan on keeping him in the 2 liter (0.5 gallon) tank, you will need to change his water every other day. (And you also need to remove the gourami.)

Do you see any discoloration on the edges of his fins? Look for black, gray or dark areas. This would indicate fin rot.

[Hadoken Kitty]

Hi hi! I will probably be repeating a lot of what other members have said, but here we go (forgive me, I will try and use the metric system. I may forget though):

Bettas enjoy temperatures of at least 25.5*C to a maximum of 30*C, with 27.5*C being ideal.

2 liters is far too small for two fish. I would either go purchase two heaters and a 4 liter tank for your betta, or I would have a very minimum of 20 liters for the both of them. If you decide to have them share a tank, I would make it heavily planted, or at least make plenty of places to hide for both fish to keep the peace (and get a filter!). If you go the two tank route, with your 2liter and your 4 liter (which is not really recommended, but I understand being strapped for cash), you will needs almost daily water changes as fish poop builds up ammonia levels in the water.

High ammonia levels can actually harm your fish severely, even causing burns. I will attach a picture of a fish of mine that I rescued from the pet store that has ammonia burns from being in unchanged water for too long. It will look like red streaks on the gills.

I am pleased to tell you that it does not look like your fish has fin rot based on the pictures. Actually, it looks as if he has clamped fins and most likely nipped fins which can lead to fin rot when untreated. I would not treat for fin rot if he does not have it, seeing as bettas are freshwater fish and over-use of salt can build up an immunity in his system (making salt treatments useless in the future).