White spot on end of fins

[fishyinpa]

Hello all. Well I got a betta fish on monday from petsmart. I didnt notice at the time because of the blue water that two of his fins,that are in front but on the bottom,seemed to be curled up and have white on the ends. Also he does have a small hole in his top fins. Ive read some conflicting information on fin rot,so I am not sure what to believe. Some sites say the white/clear means regrowth of fins but others say the white is the beginning of fin rot. So which is it? Im so confused.

For a little information on his set up. He was in a 2.5 gallon tank for about 2 days,but I thought it was too small for him so I got a 5.5. Its all set up with an aquaclear filter on the lowest setting for flow,he also has a 25 watt heater. I do have a thermometer,I finally got his water up to 80 degrees. Its been hovering at 77 for a couple days now but i turned it up a bit as the temp gauge seems to be a wee bit off on the heater. Its a visi therm heater,or is it visti..I dont recall sorry. ive only tested his ammonia so far,I will test all the others soon as well.

Thanks for anyones help,I just want my lil fishy to be happy and healthy! Ive not had fish in about 15 years but then I didnt take care of them,my dad did so I really dont know much. I have read up on them though the past few days or so,I am learning!

[Kim]

Hello and welcome to fishforum!

Hopefully I can clear some of this up for you. Clear fins on the end is a sign of regrowth. Regrowth is smooth, and uniform looking. Some types of fin rot are fungal. If the spots are white and "fuzzy" looking it may be a fungal infection (certainly wouldn't be the first time I've heard of fungal infections on pet store bettas!) in which case it would need to be treated with an antifungal med. Fin rot can also cause the edges of the fins to turn black or brownish and appear to disintegrate. Black edges on fins can also be ammonia burn. Basically, if the fins are getting shorter and have black edges it is fin rot, but if the fins stay in the same condition it is probably ammonia burn which will disappear with time.

I have a visi therm heater. Just put it at whatever setting it takes to get your water to reach the desired temperature. They are good, accurate heaters, just the setting number does not often match the water temperature. It's no big deal because all you really need is the water temp to be correct and stable.

Your setup sounds great! It's actually a lot like mine ;) The only thing I would strongly prompt you to do is to read up about the "aquarium cycle". Do a google search on it and read up, then if you have questions I would be happy to answer them :) It's just easier for you to look it up than me writing a book on here!

[fishyinpa]

Thanks Kim! I appreciate your help. Hmm well I am going to post a couple pictures so you can see what I am talking about. Yes I will read up on cycling! Lol. I cant do that with him in though right?









Well there ya go. The last one is his current set up in his 5.5 gallon. Whatcha think?

[Kim]

Do you mean the white on his ventral (the long fins under his gills) fins? If so, that could just be his normal coloration. It certainly doesn't look like fungus or fin rot. In fact, he looks really healthy for a pet store betta :) A betta that I just rescued from school has the same white on his ventrals.

Anyway, he is a gorgeous color! I like his tank, and it always makes me happy to see bettas in 5 gallon or larger tanks :) I just have one suggestion. Run some nylon over your plastic plants. If it snags I would replace them with silk just because bettas have delicate fins that can be easily ripped on plastic. The huge snail is really cute! Merry Christmas.

[fishyinpa]

Oh okay! I feel like a dummy now haha. Glad to know its just his coloring. Can ya tell im a newb. Oh yes,he was in his 2.5 for like two days and just watching him trying to swim around I was like thats not enough room! Even if he is a lil thing lol. Ah okay,ill do that and probably just get silk plants for him. Thanks for letting me know that! Merry Christmas to you too!

[dramaqueen]

He's a very pretty fish! Reminds me of the first one I had.

[fishyinpa]

Thanks dramaqueen! Now I was reading around this forum and says you shouldnt cycle with a betta bc itll prolly kill him. Dont wanna do that! Ok on to q's. * Full or partial water changes since I do have a filter? * How do I determine when to do a water change,does it depend on the test results? * How often for a 5.5 gallon tank does it need a wc? * Should I get a gravel vac to clean/siphon water for changes or is there an easier way? * If gravel vac,which one is a good one to get? Im not keen on tasting fish water,so are the self start kind okay? * Is there a way to cycle still,with him or just forget it? I dont plan on adding more fish any time soon so will he be okay w/o a cycled tank? I think thats about it for now. :)

[dramaqueen]

I was told that it depends on your water parameters as far as how much to change and when to change.It would be better to do a fishless cycle. Cycling is very stressful for fish. You just need to do partial changes. A gravel vac would be good so you can clean uneaten food and waste from the bottom of your tank. As far as testing your water, I think they reccommend the master test kit, by API. Hope this info helps you.

[fishyinpa]

Oh okay thanks. ill keep that in mind. So much to learn!

[dramaqueen]

Yeah, but there are a lot of knowledgeable people on this forum so feel free to ask questions. :)