[briannekelly]

My poor betta's fins have been all tattered up for almost a month now I immediately began doing water changes every 1-2 weeks and treating the tank with aquarium salt since I read up on it being good for preventing pretty much every illness. I've been adding aquarium salt every other day now and condition water with API stress coat. However, his fins are looking worse than ever. Don't get me wrong, they are not that bad (I think) but I don't want them to get any worse from here. He used to be in a 2.5 gallon tank but today I bit the bullet and upgraded him to a 5 gallon. His appetite hasn't changed and he's still as active as ever. The tips of his tail just seem frayed and are not unnaturally black or red at the ends. I read up on some medications like Pimafix and Melafix but everyone seems to have mixed opinions and I don't know what to trust. Does anyone have any recommendations or advice?

 

[ryry2012]

Can you fill in this form?


Many illnesses can be traced to water conditions. Your water-changing schedule is the most important element in diagnosing. Please be honest.

Housing:
How many gallons is your tank?
Does it have a filter?
Does it have a heater?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind?

Food:
What food brand do you use?
Do you feed flakes or pellets?
Freeze-dried?
How often do you feed your Betta? How much?

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change?
What percentage of water did you change?
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water?
What additives do you use? What brand of conditioner?

Water Parameters:
What are your water parameters? Please give exact numbers. If tested by pet store please get exact numbers. "Fine" or "Safe" won't help us help you. Important: Test your water *before* the regular water change; not after one.

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness (GH):
Alkalinity (KH):

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms?
How has your Betta’s appearance changed?
How has your Betta’s behavior changed?
Is your Betta still eating?
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how?
Does your Betta have any history of being ill?
How long have you owned your Betta? Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased?

PLEASE PROVIDE CLEAR PHOTOS

 

[briannekelly]

Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? 5
Does it have a filter? yes
Does it have a heater? yes
What temperature is your tank? 75-78
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? moss balls

Food:
What food brand do you use? omega one
Do you feed flakes or pellets? pellets
Freeze-dried? no
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? once a day 3-4 pellets

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? once every 1-2 weeks
What percentage of water did you change? 25%
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? vacuumed
What additives do you use? What brand of conditioner? API stress coat conditioner and API aquarium salt

Water Parameters:

I haven't tested the water

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? about a month ago
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? Tail is tattered/fraying at the ends
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? Hasn't changed
Is your Betta still eating? yes
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? Water change and aquarium salt added every other day
Does your Betta have any history of being ill? no
How long have you owned your Betta? Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? 4 months and not that I know of

(Pictures in the original post)

 

[ryry2012]

I think he is biting fins.
http://www.bettafish.com/99-betta-f...s/346377-lets-talk-fin-rot-vs-fin-biting.html


It's important to know the water parameters when something is wrong with betta. Petsmart can do free water test if you bring sample water.

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

We need to know what your water changing schedule was *before* your boy showed symptoms; not what you're doing now. Also, salt does not dissipate; that's why it should only be added with water changes.

I immediately began doing water changes every 1-2 weeks and treating the tank with aquarium salt...

I agree he appears to be biting but your maintenance may cause more problems down the line. A five gallon should have at least a 25% water change per week; more if parameters are not 0ppm Ammonia and Nitrites and under 20 Nitrates.

http://www.bettafish.com/99-betta-f...90086-imporant-watch-these-disease-signs.html

 

[briannekelly]

I did consider tail biting but ruled it out because it was not a sudden change and I've never seen him do it but the pictures from the thread to linked does make it seem like that may be the case!

I also stated that I only just got a 5 gallon tank yesterday so all previous treatments were 25% water changes every 1-2 weeks for a 2.5 gallon tank. I make sure to dissolve the aquarium salt in a separate little bowl completely before I add that to the water. I never just throw it in with him

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

I understood what you mean about how you added salt. What I meant was you can't just keep adding salt without replenishing the fresh water. It's not something you add daily or every other day but at water changes.

For a 2.5 it's a minimum of one 50% or two 25% water changes weekly until a tank is cycled.

Have you checked everything in the tank to make sure his fins won't snag? Use a pair of hose and run over all decor; if they snag so will his fins. For now you need to do two 50% water changes per week. I would suggest Seachem StressGuard instead of Aquarium Salt.

Lastly, can you post an entire tank photo? Betta do not do well in bright light without much cover/planting. It will stress them and can cause biting.

Here's something which will help. If you cycle your tank then one 25% water change per will will keep his environment healthy.
http://www.bettafish.com/30-betta-fish-care/507585-cycling-two-sentence-tutorial.html

 

[briannekelly]

I've tested his decor since I got new ones yesterday and they're all safe. I'm trying to find a large silk plant to take up more room but in the meantime this is what his tank looks like. He's in a room that's dark most of the time, I only turned on the LED light for the picture I don't think I'll use it much. Thank you for your help!

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

You're most welcome.

You might check out this plant. Even though it's plastic reviewers mention how soft it is and that it can be trimmed or broken up quite easily. F&S are good about taking returns, too. Even though I have heavily-planted tanks I'm going to get one so I'll know if it's truly that soft. If you need anything else they are doing free shipping at $19.00...I'm off to buy a gallon of dog shampoo, too.

Aquarium Decorations & Artificial Plants | Marineland 3-foot Artificial Bamboo Plant