Torn/Split Fins-Fin Rott

[Frack]

Not sure exactly what's going on with Reggie. I got him Monday. Monday I kept him in a 1 gallon QT tank. Tuesday I did full water change to QT tank while his new tank finished cycling. I noticed while changing water that it looked as if his fins might be splitting. Last night I got everything finished on his tank, it finished cycling and I put him in late last night. He stayed down towards the bottom, as close to the rocks as he could get. His new tank is a 3.66 gallon and i figured he was probably tired from swimming and exploring it. However once I put him in it he wouldn't eat, and when he did he spit it back up.

I got him Stress Coat and Aquarium Salt today that I'll put in as soon as I get home from work.

Is there anything else I can do? I'm afraid it shocked him by moving him, even tho I let him sit in his cup and adjust to the new water temp for about an hour before i released him.

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Housing
What size is your tank? 3.66 gal
What temperature is your tank? 74
Does your tank have a filter? yes (sponge covered)
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? 0

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? I switch between pelets and flakes (tetra beta care)
How often do you feed your betta fish? 1-2 flakes morning 1-2 pellets at night, 1 day off a week

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? N/A New Tank
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? Planning on 20% daily for a month. 50% once a week 100% twice a week to cycle it fully
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
No

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Fin's appear split
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? seems a bit depressed, stays at bottom of tank. (I was just told hes been swimming around today while I'm at work however)
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Yesterday
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Not yet - adding Aq Salt and Stress Coat when I get home.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? N/A
How old is your fish (approximately)? New.

[earthworm88]

Hi Frack,
Welcome to the forum. Where exactly is this split fin you are talking about? If looking at the last photo, do you mean the little piece that is "sticking" out? Unless it was for sure completely fused with the rest of the fin for the past few days, I believe it could be the dorsal fin "design" where the edges on both sides can be shorter and sometimes curly. In the event that it was really split, clean water and stress coat will fix it in no time.

Cheers!

[Frack]

Yes in the last post you can see it best. Looks like splits off in the middle towards top of fin and then again down towards base.


If it is just design, oh my i will be so so SO relieved. He's my first fish, and first betta, and i have very much been stressing.

I'll add the just the stress coat for now if we are thinking that's all it is, just to be safe. I'll skip the AQ salt for now, unless it gets worse.


Thank you so much!

[Sakura8]

He's a very handsome betta. I second Earthworm, I believe it's just how his dorsal was made. It's the same on my veiltail where a bit branches off his dorsal. And don't worry, it's perfectly natural to stress about your first fish. And your second, third, fifteenth . . . XD

Since you haven't had him for long, it's also normal for him to be a little mopey and not eat. One thing you might want to do is bump up the temp in his tank to about 76-78 degrees. 74 is just a tad cold for him.

Good luck with him. :)

[Frack]

Good news! Reggie ate this morning, and has been swimming around all last night/day. I did add a bit of Stress Coat to the water just for safe measure.

Thank you guys for all the help!

[Sakura8]

That's great! I'm really glad to hear he ate something and Stress Coat always helps. :)