[katelyn123]

Hi, I have a platinum white half moon betta. I’ve had him for over two years so he is pretty old. He lives in a 10 gallon aquarium but I just recently moved him to a 5.5 quarentine tank due to his fin rot. I read somewhere that elderly bettas can get chronic fin rot and never get better. I treated him with aquarium salts, tannins, api fin and body cure, and constant water changes when not being medicated. All that happened was that his fin rot got worse. (His water parameters were also perfect) My biggest fear is him is losing all of his tail and the infection eventually leading to his body, resulting in a painful death. What do I do, he is already stressed enough but I don’t want him to die!

 

[katelyn123]

attached is a photo. there used to be red dots on the end of his tail but they are gone ever since going in the quarentine tank. the progression of the fin loss has gotten greater though.

 

[Mbpoppy]

Hi!
If this were me, I'd do fairly frequent water changes and vacuum the substrate so his environment is absolutely pristine. He has a heater and filter?

Have either indian almond leaves or plain decaffeinated rooibos tea so that his tank water is fairly darkish. These ease stress and are also anti fungal and anti bacterial.

 

[katelyn123]

Hi!
If this were me, I'd do fairly frequent water changes and vacuum the substrate so his environment is absolutely pristine. He has a heater and filter?

Have either indian almond leaves or plain decaffeinated rooibos tea so that his tank water is fairly darkish. These ease stress and are also anti fungal and anti bacterial.

there is no filter in this tank since it is a quarentine tank. i do have an air stone. the water was very dark before the water change i did today. (from my leaves) there is no gravel in this tank and the water is pristinely clean. he does have a heater and the water is kept at 80°F. i could put him back into his other tank and add a large piece of wood to release tannins but i’m afraid it will not work. i’ve done so much but it’s only gotten worse:/

 

[KekeTheBettaDoc]

Could you please fill out a form?

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Fill out this form so we can...

Many thanks to BF/TFK Member Mike for developing this questionnaire. It is the same form with a few additions. Please copy and paste into a new message and fill out this form when seeking help for your Betta. This information and a clear photo posted directly into the thread will help us give...

www.bettafish.com

 

[katelyn123]

Could you please fill out a form?

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Fill out this form so we can...

Many thanks to BF/TFK Member Mike for developing this questionnaire. It is the same form with a few additions. Please copy and paste into a new message and fill out this form when seeking help for your Betta. This information and a clear photo posted directly into the thread will help us give...

www.bettafish.com

How many gallons is your tank? 10 gallons but he is in a 5.5 hospital tank.
Does it have a filter? his normal tank does, hospital tank only has a air stone.
Does it have a heater? yes
What temperature is your tank? 78-80°F
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? yes
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? no

Food:
What food brand do you use? micro pellets for tropical fish
Do you feed flakes or pellets? mini pellets
Freeze-dried? no
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? a few pellets every day or every other day

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? once a week.
What percentage of water did you change?25-50%
What is the source of your water? tap.
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? Vacuum.
What additives do you use other than conditioner? What brand of conditioner? api stress coat+.

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: 0ppm
Nitrite: n/a
Nitrate: n/a
pH: n/a
Hardness (GH): n/a
Alkalinity (KH): n/a

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? a month or two ago.
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? yes, his fins are very ragged.
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? nothing much.
Is your Betta still eating? yes.
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? i started off with aquarium salt and tannins but when that didn’t work i treated him with api fin and body cure and saw no results.
Does your Betta have any history of being ill? yes, a few years ago he had fin rot but he healed 100%.
How long have you owned your Betta? around 2 years (he is pretty old)
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? nope

 

[Paradise Betta]

How many gallons is your tank? 10 gallons but he is in a 5.5 hospital tank.
Does it have a filter? his normal tank does, hospital tank only has a air stone.
Does it have a heater? yes
What temperature is your tank? 78-80°F
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? yes
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? no

Food:
What food brand do you use? micro pellets for tropical fish
Do you feed flakes or pellets? mini pellets
Freeze-dried? no
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? a few pellets every day or every other day

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? once a week.
What percentage of water did you change?25-50%
What is the source of your water? tap.
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? Vacuum.
What additives do you use other than conditioner? What brand of conditioner? api stress coat+.

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: 0ppm
Nitrite: n/a
Nitrate: n/a
pH: n/a
Hardness (GH): n/a
Alkalinity (KH): n/a

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? a month or two ago.
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? yes, his fins are very ragged.
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? nothing much.
Is your Betta still eating? yes.
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? i started off with aquarium salt and tannins but when that didn’t work i treated him with api fin and body cure and saw no results.
Does your Betta have any history of being ill? yes, a few years ago he had fin rot but he healed 100%.
How long have you owned your Betta? around 2 years (he is pretty old)
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? nope

One of my previous betta fish had fin rot and I put stress coat in there which didn’t help, I do recommend omega betta fish pellets, these will bring the color back to him and will help heal his tail, putting him in a quarantine tank is smart, so just add some api stress coat, some driftwood, maybe a bubbler because sometimes the betta is not strong enough to get up to the surface to get air so it is easier for the Bettas to get it from a bubbler, also add a heater, a filter, and a zoo med leaf bed.
Fin this does not work then I am afraid you will have to euthanize the fish with clove oil as the least painful way.

 

[Mbpoppy]

Could you please fill out a form?

oops, thank you, I forgot to ask.

Thank you for filling in the questions.

How often do you feed your Betta? How much? a few pellets every day or every other day

This isn't enough - gradually increase his feedings to twice a day and if those pellets are .5mm, gradually increase the quantity.

You can take your tank water to a pet store - they'll test it for free. You need to obtain water parameter test strips or a kit so that you know what is happening in his environment.

Stress coat isn't a water conditioner/dechlorinator like Seachem Prime is. You need to get this or something similar, Prime is added at a ratio of 2 drops per gallon.

add a heater,

The OP has one in the hospital tank

 

[Paradise Betta]

I was just making a list of what you needed

 

[Paradise Betta]

But the food I recommended is very much needed.

 

[katelyn123]

But the food I recommended is very much needed.

okay! will do, thank you so much!!

 

[KekeTheBettaDoc]

How many gallons is your tank? 10 gallons but he is in a 5.5 hospital tank.
Does it have a filter? his normal tank does, hospital tank only has a air stone.
Does it have a heater? yes
What temperature is your tank? 78-80°F
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? yes
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? no

Food:
What food brand do you use? micro pellets for tropical fish
Do you feed flakes or pellets? mini pellets
Freeze-dried? no
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? a few pellets every day or every other day

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? once a week.
What percentage of water did you change?25-50%
What is the source of your water? tap.
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? Vacuum.
What additives do you use other than conditioner? What brand of conditioner? api stress coat+.

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: 0ppm
Nitrite: n/a
Nitrate: n/a
pH: n/a
Hardness (GH): n/a
Alkalinity (KH): n/a

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? a month or two ago.
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? yes, his fins are very ragged.
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? nothing much.
Is your Betta still eating? yes.
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? i started off with aquarium salt and tannins but when that didn’t work i treated him with api fin and body cure and saw no results.
Does your Betta have any history of being ill? yes, a few years ago he had fin rot but he healed 100%.
How long have you owned your Betta? around 2 years (he is pretty old)
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? nope

Hi! So here are a few tips
-Add the filter back in. Without one, you will need to be doing every other day 50% water changes and if you even miss one it can kill the fish. Run a fish in cycle on the filter and perform a 25% water change every third day.
-Do you have a pic of the micro pellets? Or the brand name?
-It is really important to have a testing kit on hand to monitor parameters. This is how you will know if your tank is cycled.
-Try tannins again, but this time boil water for 10-15 mins and leave leaves in overnight. In the morning, pour in the darker water. This should help a lot.

 

[Mbpoppy]

do recommend omega betta fish pellets, these will bring the color back to him and will help heal his tail,

Just to mention, the food you're currently feeding isn't a bad food, although brands that have whole fish rather than fish meal are recommended. However, saying that the food will heal his tail is perhaps a bit strong.

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

Forward: In the world of fish there are a lot of opinions so you will get various reads on the same thing. An adage is "The only thing concrete in aquatics is nothing is written in concrete."

Did the fin damage happen over time or rather suddenly? If it was the latter (even if it's become worse) it's doubtful he has fin rot. From the appearance, he has been fin biting and has damage, possibly, from decor. Fin rot is normally a slow-developing issue where the edges of the fins are not clean but, rather, look more like burnt pieces of paper.

In addition, your maintenance and the 0 ppm Ammonia also gives me serious doubt that this is fin rot. That is 99% caused by long-term filthy habitat which weaken fish immune systems and leave them open to infection. Finally, actual fin rot is extremely rare. In nearly eight years on this Forum, 90% of suspected of fin rot was fin biting.

Indian Almond Leaves and plain, decaffeinated Rooibos Tea have antifungal and antibacterial properties so as noted, they are good to keep in his tank. Those, along with weekly 25% water changes, help stave off fin rot.

What worries me more is his body shape. He looks awfully thin. Can you post a photo of him from above? While older Betta do tend to be thinner, I'd like to make sure. For comparison, his body should look like a bullet with no indentation behind his head and a straight spine:


As Mbpoppy noted, there are many fine foods out there. Omega One is okay but there are others equally as good: Fluval Bug Bites (best for insectivores like Betta), New Life Spectrum, NorthFin Betta Bits, Aqueon Betta or Color formulas (not "Betta Pro"). Fluval Bug Bites come closest to providing an insectivore with what eats most: Insects. I can find nothing from Omega One that indicates any of its foods will help heal caudal fins so I have contacted them for comment.

 

[Mbpoppy]

Stress coat isn't a water conditioner/dechlorinator like Seachem Prime is.

It's been brought to my attention that I made a mistake - StressCoat IS a water conditioner, I apologize - I got mixed up between it and stressguard. I'm sorry!

 

[katelyn123]

Forward: In the world of fish there are a lot of opinions so you will get various reads on the same thing. An adage is "The only thing concrete in aquatics is nothing is written in concrete."

Did the fin damage happen over time or rather suddenly? If it was the latter (even if it's become worse) it's doubtful he has fin rot. From the appearance, he has been fin biting and has damage, possibly, from decor. Fin rot is normally a slow-developing issue where the edges of the fins are not clean but, rather, look more like burnt pieces of paper.

In addition, your maintenance and the 0 ppm Ammonia also gives me serious doubt that this is fin rot. That is 99% caused by long-term filthy habitat which weaken fish immune systems and leave them open to infection. Finally, actual fin rot is extremely rare. In nearly eight years on this Forum, 90% of suspected of fin rot was fin biting.

Indian Almond Leaves and plain, decaffeinated Rooibos Tea have antifungal and antibacterial properties so as noted, they are good to keep in his tank. Those, along with weekly 25% water changes, help stave off fin rot.

What worries me more is his body shape. He looks awfully thin. Can you post a photo of him from above? While older Betta do tend to be thinner, I'd like to make sure. For comparison, his body should look like a bullet with no indentation behind his head and a straight spine:
View attachment 1025218

As Mbpoppy noted, there are many fine foods out there. Omega One is okay but there are others equally as good: Fluval Bug Bites (best for insectivores like Betta), New Life Spectrum, NorthFin Betta Bits, Aqueon Betta or Color formulas (not "Betta Pro"). Fluval Bug Bites come closest to providing an insectivore with what eats most: Insects. I can find nothing from Omega One that indicates any of its foods will help heal caudal fins so I have contacted them for comment.

hi! this is what he looks like from the top. also i have never seen him bite his fins. i’ve decided that i am going to put him back into his 10 gallon and there is a piece of drift wood that will leak some tannins out. also the fin damage happened over time.

 

[katelyn123]

Hi! So here are a few tips
-Add the filter back in. Without one, you will need to be doing every other day 50% water changes and if you even miss one it can kill the fish. Run a fish in cycle on the filter and perform a 25% water change every third day.
-Do you have a pic of the micro pellets? Or the brand name?
-It is really important to have a testing kit on hand to monitor parameters. This is how you will know if your tank is cycled.
-Try tannins again, but this time boil water for 10-15 mins and leave leaves in overnight. In the morning, pour in the darker water. This should help a lot.

here is a picture of the food i feed him. i’ve decided to put him back into his old tank (with filter) because he seems stressed out in that quarentine tank. i put a piece of driftwood in there that will leak tannins into the water and i added some leaves that will leak tannins as well.

 

[Mbpoppy]

You'll increase his food (either this or one of the brands mentioned above), gradually so that he's able to eat more and fills out?

Also, you'll be able to do more water changes and vacuum the substrate?

also i have never seen him bite his fins.

You won't - I had a chronic fin biter (may he RIP) and I never once saw him do it (except for one time early on, when he became so frustrated trying to get to food but couldn't because in his case he had super heavy finnage and couldn't get out of his own way, that I --think-- I saw him bite at his tail).

 

[katelyn123]

hi! this is what he looks like from the top. also i have never seen him bite his fins. i’ve decided that i am going to put him back into his 10 gallon and there is a piece of drift wood that will leak some tannins out. also the fin damage happened over time. View attachment 1025239

You'll increase his food, gradually so that he's able to eat more and fills out?

Yup, I just ordered Fluval Bug Bites as well that will come in on Sunday Hoping for the best

 

[Mbpoppy]

lol, we were typing at the same time , I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! I edited my post above regarding fin biting, just in case you didn't see it.