I don't get it...

[iheartmybettas]

My HM, St Patty, has recently become a tail bitter. He seemed like he was doing better and I come home today to he top fin almost gone. BUT he has a massive bubble nest! I don't get it! If he is happy enough to make a bubble nest then why the destruction of his beautiful fins. I guess this is more of a rant than anything. I just don't understand! It started around the time I switched from tetra to prime water conditioner. Could that have affected him?

[Luimeril]

he's probably bored, or something's stressing him a bit. those are the main reasons. i don't think the change in chemicals could have done it, but that's just my opinion.

[iheartmybettas]

I'm going to redecorate his tank and see if it helps any

[LittleBettaFish]

One other possibility aside from stressors and boredcom, could be the simple fact that your male feels his fins are too heavy and are interfering with his mobility.

I have a tail-biting HM. At full length, his caudal fin drags the back half of him down in the water, so from time to time he tears both it and his dorsal fin to shreds. Right now it is almost back to normal, so I'm just counting down the days until he decides to do some pruning.

As long as your water is clean and your betta is healthy it should heal fairly quickly. This is the second time my male has stripped his tail and dorsal fin back, and both are growing in fine. I don't bother with salt, just make sure my water quality is good.

[iheartmybettas]

I am hoping he was just bored. I added a different decoration and a relatively long betta log with a couple of openings. He seems to really like the log. His fins for a HM didn't seem all that big and bulky. I don't even understand how he got to his dorsal fin. I mean he ripped part of it off like down to his body.

I finished an aquarium salt treatment 6 days ago. Would it be too soon to start another? I don't want him to get an infection where he ripped it down to his body. I wouldn't be so worried if it had just been nipped fins but exposed flesh is a little different. It is pitiful looking.

My other HM bit his fins off too but not as bad. I moved him to a divided 10 from a 3 gallon with lots of decor and he seems to have left his fins alone. His are more flowing and seem bulky so giving himself a trim was more understandable.

[Thunderloon]

Prime doesn't contain any water conditioners, so yeah that could do it.

You don't really need conditioners for healthy happy bettums but I can advise Stress Guard from seachem if you want to put em back on fishie.

Its not cheap but you don't need much per dose.

[iheartmybettas]

Thanks thunderloon! I will look at getting some. My other bettas are perfectly fine except this one.

[bettafish15]

Actually, Prime is a water conditioner.