Is this fin rot?

[AlexXx]

Whats bettafix?!

[doggyhog]

It's a medicine for Bettas.

[dramaqueen]

Its made from tea tree oil, or Melaleuca.

[InsideTheBurg]

Originally Posted by dramaqueen

Its made from tea tree oil, or Melaleuca.

Is there anything special I should try with this? I'm going out to buy some BettaFix tonight. What's a good dosage for his amount of fin rot? I'm terrified of doing something wrong and making him more sick.

[dramaqueen]

You use a half teaspoon per gallon. Its the samme thing as Melafix, except its not as strong.

[InsideTheBurg]

Originally Posted by dramaqueen

You use a half teaspoon per gallon. Its the samme thing as Melafix, except its not as strong.

So, should I use MelaFix? I dont know the severaity of his case because I have nothing to compare it to. Sorry for all the questions, I have never dealt with fin rot before.

[dramaqueen]

You CAN use Melafix but I would watch him very carefully to see if he has any bad effects from it.

[Kim]

I've had bad effects with melafix and I really don't trust bettafix either. I know lots of people here use it, but I just wouldn't feel right recommending it to you. I've used Jungle Fungus Clear with great results on multiple rescue fish however.

The first thing I must ask is
1) How long has this fraying been present
2) Has it gotten worse
3) I can't tell from the pics so maybe you can look at the edges of his fins and see if you notice any discoloration or fuzzyness
4) Have you ever noticed him biting his tail

Before you medicate any fish it is always important to get the whole picture to make sure that you aren't medicating unnecessarily. Meds are stressful on fish so you want to be sure before you use them that you are using the correct one...and that meds are actually necessary.

[InsideTheBurg]

Originally Posted by Kim

The first thing I must ask is
1) How long has this fraying been present
2) Has it gotten worse
3) I can't tell from the pics so maybe you can look at the edges of his fins and see if you notice any discoloration or fuzzyness
4) Have you ever noticed him biting his tail

I've actually been noticing it for a while, but never thought anything of it. Maybe a couple months? It hasn't gotten any worse. His tips aren't fuzzy looking, they are just stringy and frayed I've never seen him bite at his fins, he always seems very energetic and happy. Bubble nests and he's very active. That's why I never thought about it before, until reading some posts from people who have very sick fish and I don't want him to get like that.
Thanks for any advice you can give! I appreciate it!

[Kim]

If it hasn't gotten any worse in a couple months then it's probably not fin rot. Fin rot usually moves quickly and can demolish a tail in less than a week if left untreated.

I'd just keep an eye on it. It can be easy to over diagnose after reading all the threads in the disease section ;) If it gets worse then you have a problem, but if it stays the same or begins to have some clear regrowth then you're fine. If it's from an injury then the strands may eventually seem to wither away and eventually they will fall off because they are dead. This isn't a problem and the tail will begin to regrow normally. There's also the possibility that he was just born like that if he was like that when you bought him.