Help!?

[Katt44]

Okay so Ive had my fish for about 2 months now. i got him as a prize in a wedding he was the center piece.
The past week he hasn't been eating regularly, and usually when i come up to the bowl he comes up and waves his fins frantically but he hasn't been doing so.
his top fin seems kinda if shredded?
is this something to worry about?

[Synthisis]

What size bowl.

Your new and have 1 post so Ill go orer the basic:

Your betta needs 1.5gallons of water to be happy.

Your betta's water needs to be between 78-82 degrees.

If there is nothing in the bowl, and his tail is shredded up, then you could have an undergoing serious issue. Its either getting nipped, torn, or rotting away.

Do a full water change, and get some Jungle Fungus and Marycin. Adjust the dosages to the size of the tank, and continue a 50% water change every day.

[kelly528]

Basically your problems are

a) Bettas are tropical fish (they prefer a water temp of about 80) and don't do well without a heater unless you live in the Sahara.

b) The larger the tank, the more diluted his waste will be when it dissolves in the water. So in a really small tank, his dissolved waste (aka ammonia) is highly concentrated. You may recognise ammonia as the active ingredient in commercial cleaning solutions. In a 1g tank, you would have to change the water 100% tevery 2-3 days o keep ammonia levels safe for fish. Anything below that you will have to clean once a day or even twice a day. You are better off picking up a 5g tank from petco that only has to be cleaned once a week. Always remember: the solution to pollution is dilution!


Here is an awesome care sheet on bettas. You will be suprised at the amount of care they require compared to what you thought they needed based on the many myths circulating about bettas.
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/b...are-faq-20058/

And a mythbuster about the natural habitat of bettas. Hint: A bowl will not keep them happier than a full-sized tank!
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/b...ive-tiny-8923/

By the way... welcome to the forum!!!