short fins long fins HELP

[brookeandbubba]

my fish bubba , u may know him , i had pics of him a while back when i first got him, he had longer fins than he has know, he keeps tearing them on his plants, i need help growing his finns back how do i do it? he might just be old and doesnt want fins long , mabe i dont know if hes old i have had him for a year and i got him at a petsmartt , hes a halfmoon , thats what they labeld him . he doesnt look like it know :( , i odnt have any pics tho

Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5 gallon i think
What temperature is your tank? i have a heater , its just not adjutible, if the heaters on , 79-80 but off , its like 72-77
Does your tank have a filter?no does he need one?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?he sometimes has a bubbler but we took it out so we can make room for the heater,it may go back in
Is your tank heated? sometimes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none yet but i want to get him a mossball

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? aqueon betta food
How often do you feed your betta fish?once a day , 0-4 pellets

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? every 2 weeks, i try to but sometimes i dont sometimes its every 3
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? i do a 90 percent i guess , he stays in his cup while i dump out and clean his tank
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? tetra aqua -aqua safe water treater

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia: i dont know how to test my water , i dont but i need to
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? his fins were long, know they are short , he tears them on his plants
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? , hes slow, but thats beacue its to warm for the heater (it is not ajustible :( )
When did you start noticing the symptoms?since i first got him , he keeps tearing his fins becuase all my plants are scratching him , we need his fins to grow back
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? , not realy, i switched his plants out
Does your fish have any history of being ill?nope, hes from petsmart tho, we thoght he had finrot
How old is your fish (approximately)? i have had him for 1 year know, but i dont know exactly , he might be older becuase petsmart

[brookeandbubba]

also whats the smallest container u can keep 2 females in ?

[LittleBlueFishlets]

The best way to get fins to heal and grow back is to keep them in clean, warm water.

Your 2.5 gal tank is fine. A temperature of 79-80F is good, so just leave the heater on all the time.

The tank doesn't need a filter, but you'll have to do more frequent water changes than you've been doing, if you want his fins to grow back. For an unfiltered tank of this size, OFL's water change thread recommends doing two water changes per week: One 100%, and one 50%.

A marimo moss ball would be fine in the tank. Do you have plastic plants though? If so, they can tear his fins. Look for soft silk ones instead. Or, you can try live plants.

What do you mean that you feed him "0-4 pellets" each day? Is that a typo?

[brookeandbubba]

its either i dont feed them that day (if they look fat) or i feed them 1-2 more commonly 4 or 3 if i hev forgot to feed them for 2 days 9 i know im a bad mommy

[brookeandbubba]

do i need a special water treatment or something for damaged fins that are freshly damaged? also i do have plasticplants but i cant get soft or real plants. dang u petsmart , hey whats the smallest tank u can put 2 females in i know sometimes if u have alot it needs to be big , how mutch for 2 females?.

[LittleBlueFishlets]

The Tetra Aqua Safe that you're using to condition the water is fine.

But you'll have to do more frequent water changes than you've been doing, if you want his fins to heal. They won't heal if the water quality is poor.

For an unfiltered tank of this size, do one 100% water change, and one 50% water change every week. Doing this will keep the water clean, which will allow his fins to start healing.

Petsmart sells silk plants. They are $1.99 for the small size, and $3.99 for the large size. Here is a link to the plants.

Having a tank that houses several females (called a sorority) can be tricky. They will need a tank with lots of room to swim, and LOTS of hiding places and plants. I think that before you get a tank with several females it, you need to work on getting your male's tank into good shape. This means either doing frequent water changes, or establishing a planted or filtered tank, and you also need to not forget to feed him for a few days at a time.

[brookeandbubba]

i know abput the feeding thing , my sister says IL DO IT and she doesnt , yea

[callistra]

The most important thing is that you increase the water changes and you do it properly.

Do it exactly like this to avoid shock and reduce fish stress:

The 50% changes the betta can be kept in the bowl and use a turkey baster to remove half the water and as much of the debris as possible. For the 100% you need to remove him - scoop him out with a plastic solo type cup and set aside while you thoroughly rinse the bowl and gravel to remove the debris. Then he should be acclimated to the new water by floating for an hour while you slowly add a couple tablespoons of new water to the cup every 10 minutes. When you release him, try to let as little of the old cup water back into the tank as possible. All water changes should use same temp water, matched to running tap using the in tank thermometer and the water needs to be premixed with conditioner before adding it to the betta tank. If you don't already have anything, you can use gallon water jugs from the grocery store - rinsed thoroughly in hot water but no chems.

Also, bettas need heaters..and must be kept at a temp between 76-82, with 78-80 being ideal. The temp must be stable and not be dipping or jumping around. In a 2 gallon you can get an adjustable 25w heater. Any new heater should be tested for 24 hours in similar size container with in tank thermometer to make sure it will hold a constant appropriate temp between 78-80F. Then the betta must be acclimated to higher temp either by floating in a cup inside the main already fully heated tank for an hour, or by adjusting the heater to increase the temperature of the tank no more than a degree per hour and 5 degrees per day.


No matter what else you do he cannot get better until these things are fixed.

[brookeandbubba]

ok , il try to mess with my heater a bit, plus with the 100 percent , i put him in the cup i got him from in the store , smart huh?, i just need help for him to grow his fins back becuase they are a bit short and he keeps tearing them