Fin tears?

[Zappity]

Housing
What size is your tank? He just (I mean JUST, like 5 minutes ago) moved to a 2 and 1/2 gallon bowl instead of his 1 gallon.
What temperature is your tank? Room temperature..
Does your tank have a filter? No, he freaks out if there is any type of water movement.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? No, but, after reading on here, I need to get him one, eh? He has a very, very bright light that I shine over his bowl, but I don't know if that really helps.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? Do plants count? haha, none.

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Bio-gold Betta Pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2-3 pellets once a day.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Once a week.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Water Dechlorinator :)

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
I really don't know, but I just did a water change, so hopefully no ammonia or nitrite..
Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Not really, but his top and bottom fin looks torn and the two fins that hang down have a little black on them. ALSO his fins look a little..wrinkly? it's not much, but I noticed it. The top fin isn't really torn, its more like there's a little hole in it.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? It hasn't.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Yesterday.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Only by changing the water.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Besides his SBD, he's been fine :)
How old is your fish (approximately)? Ehh... I got him in August, and he has grown MUCH larger since then, so like, I don't know..6 months? Maybe?
I'm just concerned about his fins, is it finrot? Fin loss? He doesn't have anything in his bowl other than a few anubias and a moss ball.

[Luimeril]

i wouldn't worry too much about it. don't add anything to his tank, and just up the water changes to about 2-3 times a week. watch the holes, to see if they get bigger, or if anymore rips or tears form. i don't know how well aquatic plants do with salt, though...

[Zappity]

Thanks..It's worse today. The hole in his top fin is now a tear, not a hole. My mom doesn't think he has finrot, but I do. I think he's had it before, like before I got him, cause half of his tail is white and the rest of him is orange. How do I cure finrot? Epsom Salt? AQ Salt? Medication? Please help :)

[tsoto80]

Hard water can curl their fins, so I wouldnt worry about that part either. You she remove whichever plant or object that keeps ripping his fins, or else the care you give him will keep going in circles.

[Luimeril]

are there any objects with sharp ends, or plastic plants in his tank? when curing fin rot, i don't use anything. last betta of mine that had it was Chappy, before she passed, and i changed her water more often, and used Aquarium salt the first water change, just to kill any bacteria... after that, no salt. cleared up really fast, in a matter of about two weeks, then i saw new growth. x:

[Zappity]

There's nothing in his bowl that could possibly be tearing his fins, only gravel and lots of live anubias. I went to the petstore and the guy I know there said we could use Melafix, but he said really we should just leave him be and change the water, which seem to be what everyone is telling me (including you guys! :) ) so I'll do that :) Thank you so much for your help!

[Luimeril]

any of the meds that end in -fix, could harm him more than help him, so i'd leave that alone. x:

[Zappity]

Originally Posted by Luimeril

any of the meds that end in -fix, could harm him more than help him, so i'd leave that alone. x:

Yeah, I didn't buy it. I'm just gonna keep changing the water until it gets better :)

[Luimeril]

that's all ya gotta do. :3

tannins help the fins grow back a tiny bit better and faster, so if you can get some Indian Almond Leaves, decaf green tea, or natually-dried oak leaves, those'll help. :3 i used to use IAL when Cup would rip up his fins.