Tail Chasing?

[Gagurl88]

Ok,last week I posted a thread where I THOUGHT my betta had fin rot. I did everything I had to get him better. But today I discovered what was really happening. I woke up to see my betta was missing half of his back fin! It was like it had been thru a stredder! It looks awful. I watched him for awhile and I know why. He is tearing his tail with his mouth. He gets in a corner of his tank and kinda bends himself so he can reach it and goes nuts. It there anything I can do to stop him from doing that? I also have pictures of the damage I can post if needed. Thank you in advance for any help.

[Kittles]

My betta had the same problem. It got to be pretty severe so I quarantined and treated him with Maracyn to prevent any further damage, but I believe you can just salt bathe your fish and it's fins should recover nicely.

As for why they do it, a number of factors may contribute. Are your water parameters normal? Is your tank planted well enough to allow spots to hide? Could even be boredom. After I treated Roy Cherry, I added several live plants to his tank as well as some cory cats which he loves, I swear. His habits have changed and he seems much more productive, and most importantly, his tail has nearly returned.

[BettaxFishxCrazy]

It sounds like you have a tail bitter on your hands. I would keep putting aquarium salt in his tank and make sure to keep his water extra clean. Do you have a heater in the tank? What size tank is he in? Are there a lot of plants and hiding places for him?

Sometimes they'll bite it if they're bored or nervous. It's like us biting our fingernails when we get nervous. It can be hard to stop them from doing this because it can become a bad habit that they just do.

[VioletNight]

There are some Bettas who will chronically chew their tail to the point of not being able to swim. Even with a perfect environment and a little stimulation they still cant help themselves.

[kelly528]

It is possible to distract them somewhat from biting but before we go further can I ask you to describe your lighting? I always struggle with Lou's tailbiting and I have found light to be a large factor in biting. For instance bright light and little shade drives him nuts so sometimes after pruning my plants he goes bonkers. Also when the room is dark but the tank lights are on it can create a reflection in the glass which likewise drives bettas nuts.