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Betta tail fin spliting in 3 places acting sluggish.

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fin problem help betta fish sick sluggish snial
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C

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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
Please help!
I have had my Betta for about two weeks now and I have noticed about 4 days ago his back fin looked like it was starting to split. :shock: After seeing this I did some research to find out what I could do to help him. (Vincent Van Gogh my fish name) I bought some of this API brand Bettafix stuff and put in the recommended amount starting on the second day that I noticed. So today I noticed him acting more sluggish than before and his fin splitting looks a little worse. Im not sure what to do to help him!

more info: when I got him at the pet store his bottom fin looked a little shriveled up as well. His water was clean when I got him. I did have to keep him in a small but larger than the cup he was in container until my 2.5 gal tank arrived in the mail but I don't thing that was a problem cuz he was really active. Also when I got him his two long fins that hang down had like a white stripe to the tips Idk if this is just his coloring or if its something bad but he didn't seem bugged by it.

Living habitat:
2.5 gal tank
heater, thermometer, filter, 4 silk fake plants, Betta leaf (so he can rest on it), natural gravel.
I do 2 water changes a week about 50% (with water condisinor)
There is also one mystery snail but he dosent bother it and the snail dosent bother him.

I can put up pics later of what he looked like when I got him and what he looks like now if that would help. let me know if you think I missed any info that could help!

Please let me know what i can do for him I really don't want to loose him! :cry:
 
C

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Discussion Starter · #5 ·
Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5gal
What temperature is your tank? 77 to 81 degree Fahrenheit
Does your tank have a filter? yes
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? one mystery snail

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? freeze dried blood worms and pellets Betta bio-gold
How often do you feed your betta fish? once a day with 3 pellets and 2 or 3 blood worms and one fast day on Saturday

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? 2x a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? API tap water conditioner
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
last time I tested was 2 days ago
Ammonia: the color was between the 0 and the .25
Nitrite:0
Nitrate:0
pH: color between 7.2 and 7.8
Hardness:75 (soft)
Alkalinity: 120

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? 3 parts of back fin look torn his coloring seemed to change a little almost brighter in color I think?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? was acting normal and active when I first noticed but today looked sluggish
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 4 days ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? yes with Bettafix by API
Does your fish have any history of being ill? (just got him so idk)
How old is your fish (approximately)? Unsure just got him
 
RussellTheShihTzu

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#7 ·
He could be fin biting. Does his fin look as if u-shaped chunks taken out? Does he have black edging on his fins or are they just torn looking? If it's fin biting the best you can do is keep his water warm and clean.

A Mystery snail has a pretty large bioload so you may need to up your water changes to 50% three times per week instead of two.

Check out this thread. It is a simple explanation of aquarium cycling. Since you have a filter you can cycle your tank which will make life much easier for you and healthier for your boy. You would do well to get a small bottle of Seachem Prime. It is a water conditioner which also neutralizes Ammonia. You use two drops per gallon of water.

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=507585
 
C

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Discussion Starter · #8 ·
Here are some pics when I just got him and what he looks like now (1st 4 when I got him) (I had him in a small temporary .5 gal tank)
(last 3 what he looks like today) (in his 2.5 gal tank)
 

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RussellTheShihTzu

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#9 ·
Fin biting. There's no definitive reason established for fin biting so no real "cure." Mostly both are just theories. The important thing is to keep his water clean and warm.

Some believe more interaction helps (place him in a trafficked area or near where you spend a lot of time. Some think occasionally moving decor around helps.
 
FinnDublynn

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#12 ·
While Fin Biting is probably more likely, I'm wondering if since the rest of his tail is fairly well intact, no other shredding or bite marks, and one of the splits seems to end in a V more than a U shape, is it also possible that it's a "fin blowout" from flaring? I know some people have talked about that, tho not sure how common that really is. But if he was a very active fish, it seems like maybe it's possible in this case? I'm mostly asking because that one split really looks more V like to me than U...

Not trying to contradict you, at all, or add any confusion, but my first thought when I saw it wasn't U shape.
 
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RussellTheShihTzu
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