[PaintingPintos]

I bought a Marimo Moss ball last week on Sunday....and Omelette has had absolutely no interest in it whatsoever until today. We've been battling another bad bout of fin rot since Saturday of last week, the day before buying the moss ball. I cannot see any parasites at all on Omelette, but today I noticed him rubbing against the moss, which has been floating after the water change I made earlier today. It's weird because he'll just curve his body to mold around the moss, and he'll just brush close by for a few seconds. I caught him doing that several times today.
Any suggestions to what may be wrong?
EDIT:
I've been replacing the water in his tank every day, adding 1 tsp. of Kosher salt every day which seems to be working better than Aquarium Salt which I used last time. He lives in a 1 gallon unheated tank (my house is always really warm), without a filter. Temp is usually 72-80. He also has a glass dug into the gravel leaning securely against the side of the tank where he can hide out to nap or whatever. I haven't seen him rub against the rim, which has a soft corner, but would be more effective for scratching an itch than a moss ball, considering it doesn't float away when bumped.

 

[PaintingPintos]

Update:
I'm becoming worried because Omelette is exhibiting strange behavior. He had just swam slowly by the front of the tank and his head twitched to the right 4 times, and then he just swam right into his glass. I think I saw him twitch one more time.

 

[Myates]

I would remove the moss ball until you are done with the salt treatment..
Keep in mind, the water will be 3-5 degrees cooler then the room temp, the smaller the tank, the colder. A toasty room at 74 will still be not ideal for the betta (and your moss ball..).
Fluctuations in the temp is common in an unheated tank, which in turn is a risk each time it fluctuates as if it is too quick it can easily put your fish in an unreversible shock.

How often are you doing the water changes on a normal basis, so we can figure out why you continue to have fin rot happening? Fin rot happens in aquariums that are not being properly cleaned.. the bacteria is in the tank and when the betta (or any fish) damages their fins in any way, the bacteria will set in and cause rot. Are you sure it's rot and not fin biting?

He may just like how the moss ball feels against him, or he's looking for a way to rest on/in it. Other then a glass (which I am assuming is clear), do you have any other plants, real or fake? A place where he can hide and not be seen, to sleep on (bettas love plants to sleep on/in).. if all he has is a glass in his tank, he is using the moss ball for some form of entertainment/mental stimulation..

 

[Bombalurina]

I also want to add that that's a relatively large temperature fluctuation. 72 is definitely cold, but the fact that the temperature is variable by 6 degrees is a bit worrying. I would try wrapping a towel or blanket, or even foil, around the tank, to trap in the heat and keep the temperature more stable.

 

[PaintingPintos]

Thanks for all the advice. I definitely agree that I thought that the temp was a little on the chilly side, and I'll be wrapping up the tank with foil then a towel. Right now I'm searching the internet for a fish tank heater, which I feel Omelette NEEDS. If I don't order one, I'll be buying one from Petco tomorrow when my mom brings me shopping after church.
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Omelette has no other plants, because I bought a silk plant earlier and he ended up tearing a fin on it (??????) even though it was....really soft. Maybe he is getting mental stimulation but what about the weird twitching? My sister thought it was adorable when he was rubbing against the moss which I thought was cute but odd, and the twitching just made me really worried.
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....Maybe he IS biting his tail because the tips of his tail fin don't look black at all. Just along the "seam" on the very very very tip where he could've bitten seems slightly blacked. It doesn't seem like his tail is blackening. And it was weird because I completely flipped out when I noticed Omelette's tail was in little ribbons because I thought I was being horribly neglectful for not noticing the already advancing finrot. I'm so confused right now.
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I'm also going to buy Omelette a 2.5 gallon tank asap because he looks quite cramped right now. He does like to rest on top of the glass, though. He has a thermometer with a suction cup on it and he likes to sit between the wall of the tank (against the suction cup) and the glass of the thermometer. Maybe I shouldn't be worrying so much (Maybe I should really just be giving him a nicer apartment)......
Thanks for all of your advice though!!!

 

[Myates]

Thanks for all the advice. I definitely agree that I thought that the temp was a little on the chilly side, and I'll be wrapping up the tank with foil then a towel. Right now I'm searching the internet for a fish tank heater, which I feel Omelette NEEDS. If I don't order one, I'll be buying one from Petco tomorrow when my mom brings me shopping after church.
Keep him in the warmest location of your house with a towel and he should be fine. Make sure he is getting light though during the day so he doesn't stress too much.
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Omelette has no other plants, because I bought a silk plant earlier and he ended up tearing a fin on it (??????) even though it was....really soft. Maybe he is getting mental stimulation but what about the weird twitching? My sister thought it was adorable when he was rubbing against the moss which I thought was cute but odd, and the twitching just made me really worried.
If you use a net to do water changes, that could cause tearing too. I would still add in a silk plant or two, just make sure there aren't any points is all.. some of the silk ones have tiny points in the flowers.
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....Maybe he IS biting his tail because the tips of his tail fin don't look black at all. Just along the "seam" on the very very very tip where he could've bitten seems slightly blacked. It doesn't seem like his tail is blackening. And it was weird because I completely flipped out when I noticed Omelette's tail was in little ribbons because I thought I was being horribly neglectful for not noticing the already advancing finrot. I'm so confused right now.
Fin rot will be black/red with it looking somewhat "crusty" and pieces flaking off normally. If they are clean cuts, some looking like C or U then those are bite marks. Fin rot tends to move a little slow, so over night you shouldn't see medium or large portions missing if it were rot.
If there is a way to post a picture of him/his fins, we can verify for you if you wish.
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I'm also going to buy Omelette a 2.5 gallon tank asap because he looks quite cramped right now. He does like to rest on top of the glass, though. He has a thermometer with a suction cup on it and he likes to sit between the wall of the tank (against the suction cup) and the glass of the thermometer. Maybe I shouldn't be worrying so much (Maybe I should really just be giving him a nicer apartment)......
Thanks for all of your advice though!!!
Petco sells kritter keepers, which I'm a big fan as they are cheap, and sturdy (if handled correctly during water changes). A medium is approx 1.75g, a large is approx 2.75g. They are heater friendly as well, with plenty of room to decorate, and you can use a desk lamp to light it up if you wish. It's a cheaper alternative to a lot of tanks that are similar sizes.
Otherwise, a 1 gallon is a suitable home for him as long as you have a heater- I have a couple boys in 1 gallons that they prefer and are healthy/happy in them.
He may like the spot between the thermometer because he doesn't have any tall places to rest on- bettas also like to be close to the surface at times when resting so they can get air easier.

As for the twitching, if it continues let us know.. I don't want to speculate just yet what it could be, but I've seen mine do it at one point or another.
So for now, I would just give him clean, unsalted water with conditioner and see how he does. Use the thermometer to get the temp of the new water close to 80, so that it stays a bit warmer longer with the towel wrapped around it.

For anything under 5 gallons, unfiltered you are looking at 1 50% and 1 100% water change per week.. at the very least a 1 100% water change every 4 days.
With a filter under 5 gallons, 1 50% water only, and 1 50% with substrate cleaning per week.
Those should be enough to keep the water clear of a lot of the bad bacteria.

Good luck to you and your little guy!

 

[PaintingPintos]

Thanks for the advice everyone It looks like Omelette is bored and is definitely tail-biting... doesn't look like finrot at all! I'll be upgrading his tank (it's a corner tank) because it seems really small to me. Anyway, I'd get more room to decorate. Live plants, sand, a nice cave, and a good old heater xD

 

[PaintingPintos]

ALSO. The day I noticed his tail was nommed on, he had made a HUGE bubblenest. Today I found another bubblenest, only about half the size from before, and his tail was nommed again. Big chunk missing. Today I added a purple plastic plant to his tank. Hopefully swapping around decorations will keep him busy until this weekend when I will buy him a bigger tank, new decorations, a heater, and a couple of ghost shrimp to keep him company (unless they become noms)