[Slt]

The end of my tailbiter's tail is looking a bit black today. I'm hoping its just regrowth, but a bit worried its turning into an infection. Just looking for opinions. He's really made a mess of his tail over the last two weeks, and I just want to make sure I'm doing all I can to help him heal up. (Well, that's a distant dream since he keeps biting, but at least want to try to keep it from getting worse)

 

[obiordi]

Are you sure that is tail biting? This looks like fin rot, not tail biting. I have a tail biter, and I know it when I see it. Have you witnessed him doing it? This looks like fin rot to me.

 

[Alaura123]

It looks like fin rot :/, my boy Rocket got it from tail biting, and I have been cleaning his water daily in a hospital tank. I am not sure but that looks pretty severe, but I think someone more experienced should confirm this.

 

[Slt]

I'm fairly sure it started as tail biting as it came off in huge chunks over night when it started. Since Saturday it seemed to stop getting worse but now has the black tips in the first picture. I've been doing 20%-25% water changes every day to every other (10gal tank). And using stress coat. I bought rooibos for the first time and put in a tea bag last night and ordered IAL but that won't arrive for a while. I have a one gallon vase-like tank I got him originally, should I move him back to that to treat him?

 

[Veloran]

Yea, looks like he started fin biting but picked up a bit of fin rot there. Usually clean water will take care of it, but if it's stubborn, you could try some Triple Sulfa or Tetracycline. Treating him in the 1g might make it easier for you unless it's exacerbating his biting.

You're also going to have to figure out why he's biting, it could be literally anything, it's going to have to be trial and error on your part.

 

[Slt]

How much water should I be changing a day if I leave him in the 10gal? Leaving him seems easier than trying to catch him every time I need to change the water. He had started tail biting when I added a Pleco, but I've since returned him. I think a mix of the company and possibly high ammonia levels caused him to bite. The tank hasn't cycled yet (I've had it 3 weeks) so I started testing the water daily and changing water more frequently and it had seemed to help until noticing the black tips. He hates the tank light so i don't always get a good look at his tail. I ordered the IAL since it sounded like that helped some other tail biters. He seems to have a pretty neurotic personality to begin with. He glass surfs a lot, eats like he is starving (he's not, he gets treated like a little king) always jumping when I go to feed him, and attacks the gravel vacuum. For a supposedly hardy fish he's only had one problem after another since I got him last month!

I'll pick up the medication today, how long should I treat with water changes before resorting to using medication?

 

[lilnaugrim]

There is actually no fin rot there, it's all fin biting. Often Bettas will only chomp on the webbing because it's easier to rip off than the harder ray. When initially done the wound looks ragged and bloody; it's like you biting off some skin between your fingers, yeah it's going to bleed and look nasty but if you take care of it, it won't get infected. All he needs is clean water and he'll heal up just fine if he doesn't keep biting.

Keep him in the 10 gallon for sure, just do your regular once a week water changes 25-50% roughly or if you do more, that's fine too. If the tank is fully cycled then he'll heal up on his own. Daily/every other day water changes are for people with uncycled tanks or tanks smaller than 5 gallons.