[tinyfriendtinybowl]

Hello.


I purchased a halfmoon betta almost 4 months ago and have recently run into some slow but steadily progressing tail biting. Last time I had a halfmoon betta he also bit his fins and he eventually had almost no tail or dorsal fin left. It was awful. :'c


This fellow is on a similar path and I'm not sure what to do!
His water is consistent and clean, the tank is heated, the filter is modified to avoid sucking his fins and to reduce current, there is not a lot of light in my room and he has a nice hiding spot and a silk plant. I even change up the background of he tank (old calendars) and will play with him with my finger sometimes.

Should I look into indian almond leaves? Or start monitoring the pH closely?

Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? It's a 3gal fluval.
Does it have a filter? Yes.
Does it have a heater? Yes.
What temperature is your tank? 78-80 degrees.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No.
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? No tank mates.

Food:
What food brand do you use? Omega one.
Do you feed flakes or pellets? Pellets.
Freeze-dried? Nope.
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? 1-3 pellets once a day, 6/7 days.

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? Once a week.
What percentage of water did you change? 20-25%
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? Vacuum.
What additives do you use? Prime and I us to use Stability to deal with a surprise film-bloom-thing.

Water Parameters:
Ammonia: <0.02ppm
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness (GH):
Alkalinity (KH):

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? 1-2 weeks ago.
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? Aside from shredded tail, no.
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? No.
Is your Betta still eating? Yes.
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? Just trying to reduce any stressors and trying to reduce fish boredom.
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? I got him in late October. He was in excellent condition when I got him.

Sorry for the poor picture quality. He is very active and this was the best shot of his shredded fins I could get.

 

[ThatFishThough]

I'm not seeing tearing/fin rot. Can you post a better photo, along with a full tank shot?

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

I can't tell much, either but he definitely doesn't have fin rot. Has all of the decor passed the panty hose test? Run hose over the decor and if the decor snags then so will his fins.

The reason you have a film is there's not enough surface agitation. There's no need for Stability but an airstone would help or you can turn the filter up. Placing a paper towel on the surface will remove the biofilm.

As mentioned above: A full tank shot would help and a flaring photo if you can get one.

 

[tinyfriendtinybowl]

More pictures coming right up!He still refuses to stay still for long, but his fins look like a sad tattered flag with dips and splits throughout. They were once really... normal, like in my icon. One large unsplit fin.


And yes, both have passed the nylon test. The plants are 'marina naturals' and a lil betta hammock I use to diffuse the filter.

 

[tinyfriendtinybowl]

 

[tinyfriendtinybowl]

 

[Hopefish]

Oh my, he is really munching away!
My best suggestions would be: more plants, especially floating/upper level ones; and trying Indian Almond Leaf.
Also, does this tank have a cover? If not, I'd be worried about him jumping out.

 

[tinyfriendtinybowl]

Hmm, I've always been nervous to get more plants, especially real ones. Any reccomendations?

And yeah... the cover doesn't fit so I need to get some glass cut.

 

[Hopefish]

Personally, I don't know anything about real plants, but there are people on here who do. Some more tall, soft, fake ones that reach the surface help provide shady hidey-holes for now, and help him feel less exposed to predators.


Indian almond leaf isn't grown in the tank, but they are sometimes placed in the tank. Some fish find the tannins soothing.


Almost anything would work for a temporary cover... plastic wrap with little holes... maybe plastic canvas cut to fit.