Blown fins... :(

[7103]

So... my betta Lindan has a rather mysterious rip in the center of his tail. The only cause that I can think of is that he blew it flaring at the african dwarf frog. I would like for his tail to heal up, but my treatment options are limited. I am reluctant to use salt in his tank because of the ADF. I would do a salt bath, but my only alternate containers are so small that he would likely make his tail worse by struggling. I am considering bettafix, though I certainly won't have an easy time finding it (my college is quite remote). Does anyone know if bettafix will be harmful to the ADF? It would be better if I could postpone treatment for a few weeks until I am at home, but I don't want his tail to get any worse. Any suggestions would be appreciated. :)

[dramaqueen]

You could postpone the treatments as long as his water is kept very clean.Someone else will have to tell you whether or not aquarium salt is harmful to ADF's.

[ChristinaRoss]

i found this info for you:

One person asked about salt and ADF's. Some people say to avoid salt entirely but I use about a tablespoon of aquarium salt per 5 gallons, and my ADF's are fine. Frogs are more sensitive to salt than some fish, perhaps as sensitive as some of the scaleless fish. That means, you do not want a lot of salt but some is okay. I would not put in more than a tablespoon per 4 gallons or so. If you do not have fish with the ADF's, do not use any salt. It is not needed for the frogs. I use it to help the fish in with them as my water is super soft and low in anions, cations, and minerals. The salt helps with the osmotic regulation of cations for the fish (sorry, I am a chemist!) and reduces the stress on the fish. This information on salt probably holds true for all other amphibians as well! A little is fine; a lot is bad. Too much salt will make water try to leave the frog and can leave him without enough water inside the body despite being surrounded by water. I also use low levels of salt in my ponds which have green frogs, bullfrogs, and other frogs in them. No problems have arisen.

here is her site
Robyn's Aquarium Frogs Page

hope this helps

[7103]

Thanks for the info. I remember learning somewhere (not sure where) that amphibians were not too fond of salt. I may add a little, and step up the water changes. My betta has torn his tail before (last time on a plant, which I removed), and I added the salt, but had not in a while after hearing conflicting information about whether it was actually beneficial. I may just try to put him in a pitcher (top covered) for a salt bath...

[ChristinaRoss]

salt is very good for bettas

[dramaqueen]

Good info!