Fin rot?

[hmckin20]

x-x jeez, i can't get ahead with my little fishies.

so i noticed that Pierce looks duller from the other side when light is shown on him. i'm not sure if that's normal, or has always happened, but i'm a little concerned about his fins.













as a relatively new betta owner i feel like my babies are falling apart every time i'm looking at them! is it just me? or could it be fin rot? ammonia burn? chlorine burn? something i don't know about?

[youlovegnats]

Could you fill out the sticky at the top of the category?

[hmckin20]

/fifth time filling it out. xD



Housing
What size is your tank? 10 Gal
What temperature is your tank? 78 degrees
Does your tank have a filter? not yet. it was shipped on monday.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no.
Is your tank heated? yes.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? Pierce and Flair live in a divided tank, 5 Gal each.

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Top Fin betta pellets. I used to feed them freeze dried blood worms for a while and then switched. I'm still trying to break them back into it.
How often do you feed your betta fish? Once a day.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Daily 20-25%, weekly gravel vacuuming.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? above
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Top Fin Water Conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? No, I haven't.

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? He's just gotten a little duller? Appearance explained above.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Not really at all.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? A day ago.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? He felt icky a while back and then he got better.
How old is your fish (approximately)? Unsure.

[youlovegnats]

Hmm, looks like everything checks out to me. It might just be the way the light hits him in that 1st picture. Though the black edging on his fins may be the beginning of fin rot. I'd say, since you don't have a filter yet, do a 50% change (with gravel vac) and see if he doesn't perk up. Once you get the filter, then you can do 20% water changes weekly. :)

[hmckin20]

okay, awesome. c: thankyou!

[youlovegnats]

No problem :)

[hmckin20]

okay, it's def fin rot. it got worse today. he doesn't act any different but i quarantined him with some epsom salt.

[CoverMeInClay]

for fin rot you should get aquarium salts. 1tsp/gallon along with whatever conditioner you use, daily water changes.

[hmckin20]

i went and invested in some API fungus meds, and pierce is doing better! (: