Holes in Fins

[UrbanHavok]

One of my bettas who I thought had fin rot is now getting holes in his tail. I just changed the water and added conditioner, stress coat as well as aquarium salt (I dissolved it then added it to the water.) The water temp is 79 and the size is 2.5 g.

He isn't acting weird at all though, he is eating (quite greedily I might add) and swimming. He stopped flaring for a few days but today he started again. He shares the tank with another betta but he's the only one having this problem. I've been changing the water every 2 days until I can buffer the filter I have. He's had fin rot for about 8 days now and today I noticed that he had holes (almost like a mini hole puncher caught him in the fins) Am I doing something wrong?

[Myates]

Holes is an indication of fin rot. You should put him in his own QT for the duration of his treatment.

For fin rot you need to do 1 tsp per gallon of AQ salt, with 100% daily water changes. Why having him in his own cup/container is the best. He needs super clean water with fresh salt to clear it up. Normally takes about a week to clear it up, but usual treatment period is 10-14 days.

I'm confused, does he share the 2.5 gal and you used AQ salt in it while the other guy is in there? Or is the 2.5 his QT and you just added in the salt and fish?

You said you thought had fin rot... do you know for sure? Are the edges black and fraying/shredding? Or just missing pieces? If it's just missing pieces it could very well be biting his own tail. That comes from boredom/stress/heavy fins.. every two days water changes is a lot in a 2.5 gallon home.. 1 50% and 1 100% per week is enough. That alone could cause him to bite his tail. Is there a way to get pictures at all to either varify fin rot or something else?

[UrbanHavok]

Both bettas had fin rot at one point but the red one (Spike) is better. But the other (Spud) still has the fin rot. The edges of his tail are usually red but the tips are dark and frayed/shredded. I have been adding AQ salt to the tank while both were in there. Should I separate them now that one is better?? The only other tank I have is super small (as in less than a gallon). Is that ok to use as a QT? Or should I try changing the water less to see if that helps? Also what's is the waiting period for Stress Coat? Do I have to wait a while before adding the fish back to the tank?

[Myates]

Originally Posted by UrbanHavok

Both bettas had fin rot at one point but the red one (Spike) is better. But the other (Spud) still has the fin rot. The edges of his tail are usually red but the tips are dark and frayed/shredded. I have been adding AQ salt to the tank while both were in there. Should I separate them now that one is better?? The only other tank I have is super small (as in less than a gallon). Is that ok to use as a QT? Or should I try changing the water less to see if that helps? Also what's is the waiting period for Stress Coat? Do I have to wait a while before adding the fish back to the tank?

You want to separate them. If one has already been through the treatment, you don't want to continue with the salt since it can harm them with prolong use.
As long as it's not smaller then a half gallon, it should be fine to use as a QT. Float it/tape it to the inside of the tank in the water to keep it warm (if you can, otherwise do what you can to keep the temp at 76-78 range). Do 100% daily water changes with 1tsp/gallon AQ salt for 10 days. (I would normally say up to 14, but since you have been using it, I don't want to say use it that long). Do a 100% water change on main tank (if it is filtered, do 50% over the next few days to rid it of the salt). Premix the AQ salt and water conditioner (or stress coat instead of your normal water conditioner) in a 1 gallon jug (cleaned very well, no soap) and use that to do the water changes. Makes it faster and easier.
Changing water less will make fin rot worse, as well as help make it happen when a fish splits/bites their fins. You always want to keep up with the weekly water changes, and daily when treating.
As for Stress Coat, it's just like water conditioner, with a little extra in it. Put in the dose recommended for a 1gal into the jug with the salt for the daily treatments. You can always add in a couple drops of Stress Coat into the tank when you normally clean it along with your normal conditioner. There is no wait period on when to add in the fish after adding in Stress Coat. Just the usual acclimation. I've been using it for 16+ years and never had an issue.

[MistersMom]

also what i used that helped, always iscolate thewm, and i used QuICK cure from walmart and it helped, its easy too. my fish had fin rot when i bought him and i usd that and he hasnt had it since. i put the suggested amount in each time i change ALL the water. good luck!

[Miyazawa]

Originally Posted by MistersMom

also what i used that helped, always iscolate thewm, and i used QuICK cure from walmart and it helped, its easy too. my fish had fin rot when i bought him and i usd that and he hasnt had it since. i put the suggested amount in each time i change ALL the water. good luck!

I thought fin rot is a bacterial infection and Ick is a parasite infection so how does that work ...?

[UrbanHavok]

Thank you so much. Let me make sure I understand.

Treat the half gallon (Stress Coat and AQ salt), use as a QT tank and change it 100% everyday. Then tape it to the inside of the 2.5 (to keep it warm).

Do a 100% change on the 2.5 (to clean out the salt) and use Stress Coat as a conditioner (from what I understand it's okay to use as a normal condition. I've read that in several places but I have also read about concerns regarding the aloe. So I'm a little wary about using it regularly. Is it safe?)

Since Spike isn't sick I don't need to use AQ salt correct?

[MistersMom]

Originally Posted by Miyazawa

I thought fin rot is a bacterial infection and Ick is a parasite infection so how does that work ...?

it said it treated fin rot, ick, and parasites. thats all i know, and that it helped.

[UglyMuffin777]

Fin Rot in and of itself is not contagious, but if you keep fish with another betta you may have it catching the rot. This is because the bacteria that cause Fin Rot are opportunistic bacteria - poor water conditions stress fish out, and when fish become stressed, their immune systems become weak. Weak fish are not able to fight off illnesses that healthy fish easily can. So if you have poor water conditions or something else causing stress in the occupants of your tank, you may have an "outbreak" of Fin Rot. From what I read, your fish does NOT seem to be in poor conditions, so when you got him did he have it? Or is he just stressed?

SO start off with isolating your fish.
It is much easier to keep the water absolutely pristine when you have a fish in an isolation container. The secondary big reason (maybe this should be first) is that many medications used to treat fin rot can kill your biological filtration, live plants, and may be harmful to other animals in your tank (depending on the medication and the other animals). It's also just generally a good idea to isolate any sick fish when treating them so that they are not getting picked on and there is no chance of passing any secondary infections on to other fish, as well as making it easier on you to monitor the health and progress of your fish

You may have good luck getting rid of it by simply increasing the number of water changes you do. If your betta is in a small, unfiltered tank, simply doing daily 100% water changes for a week may reverse the beginning stages of the illness. Adding 1tsp of aquarium/rock salt per gallon of water to the isolation tank along with doing daily water changes may also help take care of these bacteria in the very early stages.

Some good medications to treat fin rot are Jungle Fungus Eliminator and Tetracycline. If you are unable to find either of these medications, other options are Maracyn II (you can use it in combination with Maracyn if you want to cover all the bases) and Kanacyn. Simply follow the dosing directions on the medication, keeping in mind that since you are treating in a small container you will have to do full water changes and add new medication instead of doing the partial changes many medications specify.

Hopefully, your fish will recover(which im sure he will) and live to a ripe old age, lol.

**EDIT: ALSO I use Stress Coat. It'll help the fin regrowth and establish a protective layer that will prevent further complications.

*****EDIT 2: Relized UrbanHavok already mentained StressCoat. Sorry I didn't read any of the further posts

[UrbanHavok]

@UglyMuffin.... Thank you. I was doing 100% changes to the main tank every other day. But I am going to change him to the QT tank right now. It's half a gallon so I will add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.

He was not this way when I got him. But I had to go away for a week and leave them with my parents. They didn't change the water enough, so that's where the fin rot came from. Spike is doing better so I am going to move Spud over.