[IndeedPanda]

Okay, so treating my betta, Bo, has been endless. He was getting better, but now his fins are falling apart. I need some guidance.

So far:
2.5 gal hospital tank
No Filter
No/little amonia
AQ Salt (about 1tsp)
Tetracycline was used, but that treatment is over.
Heater set at 81
He eats Omega brand betta pellets
Only thing in his tank besides the heater is a vase he likes to swim in. The vase is clear glass.

My plan:
Purchase a 10gal so I can get him a filter and treat with Jungle's remedy fiz tabs.

I don't know what filter or heater to get for the 10gal. I was thinking an Aquaclear with a pre-filter sponge over the intake valve and a sponge in front of the outflow to cut down the current.

I don't want to cycle this tank because I don't want to put him through the cycling process. How do I keep it from cycling?

His 5 gal tank is cycles and inhabited by a snail, but I don't want to put him in there until he's fully recovered. Please help. I love this little fish so much. I have carpal tunnel in my hand so changing his water every other day is starting to really hurt, and he is losing his fins even though he was getting better. Am I doing something wrong? What should I do?

 

[HermitGuy101]

It seems like you were doing everything right up until the part about the clear vase and nothing else. If his fins depleted quickly, it could be because of tail biting- this happens when the fish is stressed... Add a fake plant and keep doing what you're doing and he should be okay.

 

[IndeedPanda]

Yikes, tail biting? He used to have more stuff in his tank, but I took it out when I noticed his tail had a hole in it. The vqase is because I had used it to keep bamboo sitting straight and he had a habit of squirming down in there- one time, he got stuck, so I took out the bamboo and put an amazon sword in there. He loved that, but the plant died because my light broke.

 

[Aus]

You don't really need a 10g hospital tank.. 2.5 is fine, so long as you keep up the water changes.

And yup, sounds like tail biting to me. Lay off the medications now - he's already been through a fair bit. If his fins are not black or moldy-looking around the edges and he's in otherwise good health/good spirits, consider spending that money instead on a pile of live, low-light plants and a light with the right number of kelvins (daylight colours.. 6500K is good for plants.. ) for his home tank - I have a small tank so I use a simple clamp-on LED light.

Lots of plants/ caves hidey places and being kept out of high traffic areas perhaps will help him feel more secure. One of my boys is a chronic fin-biter (he mainly bites his stupidly long dorsal fin..) and caves don't make a difference, but I have really noticed that since giving him a big ball of java moss and some wisteria that his fins are getting a chance to heal a bit.

 

[IndeedPanda]

I'll post a pic tomorrow, but I took your advice (both of you). His fins had been growing back so maybe he's a biter and I just don't see him do it. So I got him out of that boring 2.5 hospital and- well, my 5gal is infested with snails and kinda dirty because I was trying to cycle it and over did it... Sorry, I'm new. Anyway, a coworker had a 10gal sitting around and wanted to get it out of the office so now Bo is in a planted 10 gal with 3 amazon swords, 3 bamboo plants, and a java plant. He has his vase and floating log, and even a 'broken jar' decor that I thought he might enjoy, as well as the mandatory heater and filter. I will keep you updated. Right now he's gone to bed, but seems pretty happy.

I cleaned the tank out with vinegar and water as it had been sitting in the office for a few months.

 

[IndeedPanda]

Here we go

Okay, so here he is before the move, in his 2gal hospital tank. I know you don't keep bettas in vases! I can explain the vase. I had it holding up bamboo, and he squeezed himself in. So I took it out and he got sad. So I put just the vase in there and he ignored it until I added the amazon sword. Now he likes to go in there when frightened or just to play.

And here he is after the move, in the 10gal tank that a coworker loaned me and I decorated because I didn't want him to get bored- as suggested. Better?

 

[HermitGuy101]

Yes, totally! If you want, you can place a bottle cap in the tank aswell... he can push this around and it will relieve boredom.

 

[IndeedPanda]

A bottle cap? That's a neat idea! I'll post an updated pic Wednesday with his pagoda- I had to use aquarium sealant to block the small openings because he tried to squeeze through and got mad when he couldn't fit. The sealant says it's water safe in 48 hours, but I plan on waiting a bit longer to be sure.