Bettafix + Maracyn 2 at same time?!?! NEED HELP ASAP!!!

[KristiLee]

Henry's poor fins are being torn apart (by what, I have no idea...). It doesn't look like fin rot; the edges aren't discolored at all, and it looks shredded, not rotted... I started using Bettafix yesterday, but is it safe to use maracyn 2 as well, just in case, as well as to prevent infection?? (I'm also using stress coat for his water conditioner)

[1fish2fish]

It sounds like tail biting to me. Do you have any pictures? If he is tail biting, medicines will not work.. its either stress, boredom, or just psychological. You will have to systematically go through to find his trigger.

Its good to treat for parasites, fin rot, and other fungal infections (if you see symptoms) first to rule out a medical problem.

[KristiLee]

It doesn't look like tail biting to me =/

Here are a couple pictures (and yes, that is an Ironman background =] )

[KristiLee]

Wow.. Within the 5 minutes it took me to do that, the ends of his tail fin are completely frayed..

And the big chunk that's missing started off as a hole about a centimeter long that caught on something and split..

Tail biting wouldn't cause fraying like that, I don't think.. Would it? (It literally looks like it went through a mini betta-sized paper shredder...)

[KristiLee]

And now about twice as much is missing... At this rate, he'll have no tail by Monday! GAHHH!!

[1fish2fish]

That looks EXACTLY like tail biting. Here's a few pics of my tail biters over the years:







As you can see biting comes in various forms.. big chunks, slits, biting between the webs only giving the "crown tail" appearance.

[KristiLee]

What causes tail biting?? He's NEVER done it before, and I haven't actually seen him do it... Hmm.. Although I suppose that could explain the lack of tail pieces in his tank when I cleaned it.. (I switched from the gemstone gravel [aka the giant mancala pieces] to the smaller kind so it would 1.) be easier to vacuum, and 2.) his fins wouldn't get caught in the spaces and tear even more).. It did start as just a hole in his fin, so could he have randomly taken a chunk out of the middle and gone from there? Or possibly it caught on something and he's just going crazy from it.. Gahhhhh this is so stressful o.o

What can I do for biting, if that's what it is??

[1fish2fish]

Are you 100% sure there is nothing in his tank that could poke a hole in his tail? You may want to try treating for parasites. I don't use medicines as I prefer a natural method. Garlic is a natural parasitic that you can mash up and feed to him with his food (2 parts garlic to 1 part food).. I have a recipe I can give you for home made food that is really healthy.. it takes a while (6 weeks or so) but at least you could rule out parasites as the reason he is going after his tail.

Its also possible that he blew his fin which caused the hole and for some reason that caused him to bite... Its really hard to say why they bite.

What I would do is rule out parasites, treat with aquarium salt for 10 days, raise the temp to 82-84* to help kill any bacteria, and do daily 10% water changes for the 10 days you use aquarium salt so he has nice clean water. Clean water is the #1 thing that will help him heal.

[KristiLee]

Are you saying that the garlic takes 6 weeks?? And can I just go to the grocery store and buy garlic there, or do I need a special kind? Although I really can't see any parasites on him... I've removed everything from his tank but a very SMOOTH rock structure for him to play around.. Poor guy's probably mad that I took his silk plant out.. And do I need to get aquarium salt if I'm treating with Bettafix?

[1fish2fish]

Yeah the garlic will take about six weeks to start showing signs of improvement (it has to get into his system). Fresh garlic straight from the grocery store :).. but it has to be fresh not jar.

I wouldn't treat with bettafix.. its just an antiseptic so unless he has a cut its pretty worthless. Try the aquarium salt. It will help if he is stressed and biting and it is anti bacterial which will help keep his fins from getting infected. I try to always go the natural route.. I find it is a lot less stressful on the fish.

If you would like I can give you a recipe for a homemade fish food that you can freeze and thaw out pieces to feed (it contains garlic). I posted it on another thread that may have a tail biter.

Its definitely not fin rot because that doesn't cause large chunks of his tail to disappear suddenly.

There is really no "medicine" or magic cure.. you have to find his trigger. For some its too much light, too much interaction outside the tank, tankmates, too few water changes, boredom... I can go on and on. If you can find out what causes him to bite and remove that trigger your home free. If you can't find the trigger you may just have a chronic tail biter. Freddie in my sig is one of these.. nothing I do will stop his biting I just have to live with it.