[YogisMom]

I think he is biting his fins and tearing them. This is most likely due to stress from being kept in a small environment that was not getting enough water changes. A one gallon bowl with a plastic plant can definitely be tricky as far as moving around so he may also have been tearing them on the plant. Unstable parameters happen very quickly in small fish bowls. Unless you are keeping it bare bottom and removing poop and uneaten food through the day and doing very very frequent large water changes, the water spoils very fast and is dangerous and stressful to your betta. This is also the case for a newly or uncycled 2 gallon tank.

Either way, the best thing you can do for him now is what you’ve mentioned, up the water changes with conditioned water. When cleaning the tank, I recommend a siphon (Python is best IMO). Just removing the rocks and rinsing is not enough. I would really get into that gravel and stir up all the poop, uneaten food and dead plant matter. You need to suck all of that out of the tank so it does not cause an ammonia and/or nitrite or nitrate spike.

I would also add some tannins to his water. I actually prefer these to a methylene blue bath as removing him from the tank may be stressful on him. You can prepare and Indian Almond Leaf tea or add a Plain Roobios tea bag to his tank and let it float.

Is the white you see cottony looking? Fungus is pretty obvious. If it does appear to be fungal, a MB bath can be helpful, but it’s best to confirm this is the case before putting him through the move. It can not be directly added to the tank as it will stain everything blue.

Was this tank cycled?

A tip on the Anubias, I would allow them to float or affix them to hardscape with super glue or thread. Or even an elastic band. They will rot buried like this. The rhizomes can not be buried at all, and they will grow and look better long term since you don’t have a nutrient rich substrate for the roots to feed (not recommended for you either). You can also use suction cups to stick them to the glass.

It’s always nice to provide a little cover for bettas too. A small tunnel or any sort of betta safe hideaway is good. Live Floating plants like frogbit are great too.

First, let’s see what your parameters look like. Keep us posted.

 

[YogisMom]

I would also perform a water change asap. 75% Use conditioned water, appropriate temp, add the leaves or tea if you can grab some. Regardless what your parameters are at the moment since you don’t have a test kit, he’s very overdue. For a cycled two gallon, you are looking at water changes at 50% two times a week. If the tank is not cycled, you’ll need to do more until it is. You will also need to pick up some bottled bacteria like Stability.

 

[YogisMom]

I'm using a 7 in one strip and using comparative colors for the numbers. Here are the test results:

Ammonia: unknown
Nitrite: 1mg/l
Nitrate:25mg/l
pH:7.6
Hardness (GH):150mg/l
Alkalinity (KH): 120-180mg/l
Carbonate: 120-180mg/l
Cl2: 0mg/l

I live in an area with lots of limestone. I'm guessing that's why the pH is higher and the hardness is on the high side.

So go ahead and do the methylene blue tomorrow? Do I just need to change out the water when I see the nitrate/nitrite level creep up?

Thanks again all!

Hi,
I agree with both @Thebettabubble and @RussellTheShihTzu. Yes, your Ph is totally fine. As long as it stays consistent and no major leaps up or down, it’s perfect. I would also read the tutorial link on cycling. It’s super helpful. There’s a nice chart on there that you can use as a guide with your test result readings to determine what’s next as far as wc amounts, etc when reading your parameters.

I’m still not sure on the MB bath. If you’re not seeing any cottony growths or lesions, I don’t think it’s necessary. It won’t hurt him, but I think if you can push your nitrites and ammonia levels down to zero, that’s key. Clean water with safe parameters and tannins are really the best medicine when it comes to fin and scale issues. Along with it’s healing and antibacterial/antifungal properties, it will relax him. Maybe calm that urge to nip or bite, if this is the case. But like I said, it won’t hurt him, I am a bit conservative when it comes to removing and moving my bettas out of their tanks since it’s stressful on them.

As for the water change schedule I recommended with two 50% per week with a cycled filtered tank, disregard. Go with the other recommendations since their experience and knowledge is best for the smaller filtered tanks.

Let us know how he’s doing today.

 

[YogisMom]

It’s really hard to tell for sure, but whether fin rot and/or biting, and/or tearing on objects, the protocol is the same as far as treatment goes (clean water and tannins). Are there any other symptoms you notice with him? Lethargic, spending a lot of time at the top or bottom of the tank? Missing scales? Anything unusual on his scales? Unusual behavior? Bloat? Constipation?

Just another suggestion, 75 is considered a “safe” temp for bettas but ideally, it’s best to keep bettas between 77-80 degrees. Since he’s used to 75 degrees (as long as it’s consistently 75) you could aim to raise his tank temp slightly. A degree or two over the next day. The cooler the water the slower his immune system wiill work which in turn opens up bettas to more disease and infection. 75 is the lowest temp regardless, so just keep an eye it never goes below 75 degrees. If he were my boy, I’d push his temp up a bit. Don’t push it up too quickly. Half a degree per hour is appropriate. Turn off his tank lights. Let him rest. He’s had a busy day so far. Hopefully with the MB bath and clean water and tannins, he can rest and let his immune system work on healing his fins.

 

[YogisMom]

Oh and I know I mentioned the Anubias before, lifting them out of the gravel. If you haven’t done that, I would. If the rhizomes are buried, look out for any rot. Mushiness, yellowing or browning. The plant might look beautiful even with rotting rhizomes (very temporarily). I only mention this because any rotting or dying plant matter can and will cause an ammonia/nitrite spike just like any other waste in the tank. You could allow one to float or suction it to the upper corner of your tank to make a nice resting spot for him. My bettas love to lay on and under the leaves while floating. Just another suggestion to keep your water pristine.

And Anubias won’t be affected by shutting your tank lights off. I can grow them in buckets with little to no light for months. They are super hardy.

You could superglue a piece of a root or tiny spot on the rhizome to a rock so they sink again. An elastic band, fishing line and string work great too. You can grow them virtually anywhere on anything but not without their rhizome exposed.

 

[YogisMom]

Thank you so much!

No problem at all! The one other thing I will mention about fin issues is it is not uncommon at all for their fins to regenerate but never really look the same again. I had a betta that had beautiful flowy fins but he was a “chronic” fin biter. I seriously believe that sometimes those fins just get in the way for them so they’ll bite them. I tried everything, they’d regrow, not really ecer the same but then he’d bite them again. It drove me crazy but he was otherwise a healthy happy boy.

The major things to notice are any infections of course, fungus like we talked about. And that he’s Happy, eating and otherwise acting normal. And the tea and clean water will help prevent infection.

Maybe you could order a little hideaway for him. Bettas love to explore and have a dark place to retreat too or just explore. I picked up a few of these from Etsy and they are wonderful. Super easy, stick on well and I have yet to see a betta that didn’t love them. Little coconut hideaways are great too.

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I hope this all helps.

 

[YogisMom]

Here's a picture of the anubias out of the gravel. I see some brown dots. Would this be rotting? Anyway to help the anubias? Maybe gently scrap the brown off? View attachment 1049682

Hi, I only have a minute but can explain in more detail later, but go ahead and cut off any mushy dead areas. I can see the ends of the rhizomes are starting to rot, You can cut it with a knife or strong scissors. The brown spots maybe some left over rock wool but it looks more to me like it’s starting to rot. If the leaves or stems break off easily, I would remove them from the tank. Give them a good tug, they should be very hard to break. I can’t tell if the bottoms look mushy. The rhizome and stems should be strong and hard to cut through. When you cut the ends of the rhizome, just make sure the end cut is nice and green and healthy looking. Should feel firm and strong all around. Same with the roots, if you pull them and they fall off, I would discard. They usually get a bad odor too so you can always smell them. You’ll know. The small is gross. But they may be saveable. If you question anything, just remove them and put them in a bucket or anything really with conditioned water and I will check them out and get back to you tomorrow.