Eclipse System 3 filter may be too strong for my betta

[Donatron]

History
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I just recently put my betta in an Eclipse System 3 tank. I got him in November and started him off in a .5 gal tank. I then put him in a 10 gal tank with heater/filter, but he got fin rot within a day. I tried getting help here to diagnose the cause, but it ended up being inconclusive. I put him back in the .5 gal and medicated him. He got better in no time. I ended up keeping him in the .5 gal for a couple months to be safe, and then upgraded him to a unfilter/unheated 1.7 gal. He stayed in there for a couple months, too, no problem.


Fish Gets Fin Rot
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I put him in the Eclipse System 3 on Sunday morning. It's using the standard filter, but no heater (Although the temp has maintained a steady 80 degrees). He was doing perfectly fine, even until this afternoon. But I just came back from class, and now he has fin rot again. I'm thinking it's the filter that's causing him stress, which is causing the fin rot.


Tank Info
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The tank is new, so it hasn't cycled yet (Bio Spira is in the mail). But it's still new enough that there aren't any spikes. Here are my tests:

pH - 8.0 (same as with the smaller tanks)
Ammonia - 0.25
Nitrite - 0.0
Nitrate - 0.0


What Should I Do?
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If you think it's due to the filter being too strong, too, what do you suggest I do? Should I take out the filter and just do frequent water changes? Should I try modifying the filter to decrease the flow?

I looked on this site: http://www.bettatalk.com/answer58.htm to find ideas on how to deal with the filter. But the only practicle solutions he gave were to use the floss on and use a lot of plants. I already have a lot of plants in there (all silk), and it didn't help. And he said that the floss really didn't work all that great. I'm hoping some of you guys have better solutions. Thanks.

 

[fishstixs05]

Keep him in the cycled tank! putting this fish into a brand new tank is not healthy. Keep him in the tank where he is healthy, cycle the eclipse, and then add him when it is done with ammonia and nitrite spikes
Ben

 

[An t-iasg]

A lot of things can cause finrot in bettas -- cool/fluctuating temperatures, strong current, and ammonia. Bettas aren't good starter fish. And sometimes, bettas are just prone to finrot. I've had a number of bettas and one got it constantly, one infrequently, and most of them didn't get it. Hopefully you can get your betta settled down and he'll be ok.

I have had a betta in an Eclipse 3 and the current was much too strong. I ended up returning the tank. If you keep it , you could either remove the bio-wheel and do frequent water changes, or you could add a sponge filter with a gang valve. The gang regulates the air coming from the airpump so the airflow isn't as strong, and the water doesn't have as much of a current from the filter.

I think another member here has modified an Eclipse 3 for a betta. His handle is swanandmokashi and you could PM him.

I would turn off the filter until you make the modification or get a sponge filter. I would keep him in the Eclipse. Too much moving him from tank to tank can be stressful. Do frequent water changes and keep checking your ammonia levels. When you get the Bio-Spira, you could pour some on the sponge filter or the bio-wheel, if you use the bio-wheel. Make sure to get the sponge or the bio-wheel wet with tank water first.

Before you cycle the tank is a good time to medicate, if his finrot is still bad. Some meds I've had good luck with are BettaMax, (NOT BettaFix), Mardel Maracyn 2, Jungle Fungus Eliminator (also has an antibiotic in it) or Triple Sulfa from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. Remove the medicine before you start cycling the tank. You could do a large water change or run the carbon cartridge of the Eclipse filter. I think you can run the carbon without using the bio-wheel. If you've modified the filter, you don't want the bio-wheel to touch the medicine water. Or, if you're using a sponge filter, add it now. Then add the bio-spira and monitor the ammonia levels to make sure the tank cycled.

 

[ChileRelleno]

Simply cover the filter outflow with some pantyhose, its what I do.
I have a AC300 filtering a 10gal 8O that houses multiple male Betta's.

This betta is probably prone to disease.
Commercially mass bred Betta's have a high incidence of genetic defects and predisposition to diseases. The stress of moving, current, temp flux or water chemistry ect, may be all it takes to let a bacterial/fungal infection take hold. Its hard to tell what the kicker is, if you think its the current then remove the current, not the fish (for now) and treat the disease. Unless its really bad, I'd suggest salt, Mela and Pimafix and frequent 10-15% PWC's.

 

[ChileRelleno]

There are four concepts to understand concerning fin rot.
First, finrot is usually a bacterial infection which results from any one of four causes,
1. Fin nipping
2. Parasites like Flukes or Ich inoculating pathogenic bacteria into the skin
3. Deteriorating water quality, inadequate filtration, or high bacterial counts in the water because a hobbyist is not using an undergravel plate and the gravel bed has become stagnant.
4. Poor nutrition