Betta fin rot. So frustrated, please help.

[Kerrbear]

Captain Jack has had what I'm assuming is fin rot for about two months now. I've done a 100% wc and cleaned all the tank deco in hot water (cave, plants, rocks - not gravel or filter media, they just got swished in old tank water and returned). I started daily 50% pwcs without using aquarium salt. Fins kept receding. I tried pwcs with aquarium salt - fins receded faster and I stopped doing it after about 3 days. There is no mold or cottony-looking stuff on him, and the fins aren't black or white at the edges; they're just going away. The rents in his fins are getting closer to his body, and I don't know what to do now. Commercial medicines?

Tank parameters:

5.5 gallon tank, fully cycled before adding fish
1 male betta (Captain Jack) - in tank since August
Silk plants
Rock cave
Small air stone
Top Fin filter with soda bottle baffle
Small water heater
Mercury thermometer

Everything in the tank has been put to the pantyhose test to be sure that he can't rip his fins on any of it.

Water parameters:

Ph 7.8
Ammon 0 - 0.25 (very slight green tinge, in very bright light)
No2 0
No3 0
Temp 80

This is right after a water change, so the ammonia is a little higher than usual and the nitrates are a little lower. I NEVER allow nitrates to go above 20 ppm. Since cycling, tank numbers have been stable. No fluctuations in ph, and little fluctuations in other #s.

I feel like I did everything I could for Captain Jack, and I'm losing the battle anyways. Am I missing something? What do I do now? Could I be maki it worse by fussing over the tank daily?

 

[shellieca]

Captain Jack has had what I'm assuming is fin rot for about two months now. I've done a 100% wc and cleaned all the tank deco in hot water (cave, plants, rocks - not gravel or filter media, they just got swished in old tank water and returned). I started daily 50% pwcs without using aquarium salt. Fins kept receding. I tried pwcs with aquarium salt - fins receded faster and I stopped doing it after about 3 days. There is no mold or cottony-looking stuff on him, and the fins aren't black or white at the edges; they're just going away. The rents in his fins are getting closer to his body, and I don't know what to do now. Commercial medicines?

Tank parameters:

5.5 gallon tank, fully cycled before adding fish
1 male betta (Captain Jack) - in tank since August
Silk plants
Rock cave
Small air stone
Top Fin filter with soda bottle baffle
Small water heater
Mercury thermometer

Everything in the tank has been put to the pantyhose test to be sure that he can't rip his fins on any of it.

Water parameters:

Ph 7.8
Ammon 0 - 0.25 (very slight green tinge, in very bright light)
No2 0
No3 0
Temp 80

This is right after a water change, so the ammonia is a little higher than usual and the nitrates are a little lower. I NEVER allow nitrates to go above 20 ppm. Since cycling, tank numbers have been stable. No fluctuations in ph, and little fluctuations in other #s.

I feel like I did everything I could for Captain Jack, and I'm losing the battle anyways. Am I missing something? What do I do now? Could I be maki it worse by fussing over the tank daily?

He may be fin nipping his own fins. I find it hard to believe he has fin rot with the water changes you have been doing & water parameters. If he is fin nipping himself it can be quite the challenge to get him to stop if you can at all. Can you post a pic?

 

[Kerrbear]

These are a little fuzzy, hope they're ok.

Why would he be biting his own fins? Is he stressed? Bored? He can't be hungry. I feed him the Hikari Bio-Gild pellets twice a day, six days a week. He always eats both pellets - I don't give him the second until he's eaten the first, and I wait until he's eaten the second before I close the tank again.

For a while I was leaving the light on while I was at work, could it be that he doesn't like having the light on? Maybe he needs a bigger rock cave to hide in? He doesn't really seem to go in the one I've got.

Thank you do much for your help.

 

[Kerrbear]

Oh yeah, this is what it looked like when it first started about two months ago.

 

[shellieca]

Oh yeah, this is what it looked like when it first started about two months ago.

I've not had one do it but I have read that it happens. Some theorize its from boredom others say size of tank. You could try switching up his decos, the tank size should be fine IMO. You might want to google it for more info. or hopefully someone on here with experience with it will chime in. From your pics the fins look torn which leads me to think they're being torn as opposed to fin rot.

 

[Kerrbear]

Okay. Bought some taller silk plants to add, and a huge rock cave with an air stone inside. Washed everything well and added to the tank. He's been zipping around the tall plants and in and out of the cave since they were in. I think he likes it. Hope this helps!

 

[shellieca]

Okay. Bought some taller silk plants to add, and a huge rock cave with an air stone inside. Washed everything well and added to the tank. He's been zipping around the tall plants and in and out of the cave since they were in. I think he likes it. Hope this helps!

You've been to Petsmart? I've got some of the same items. Glad he's liking his new stuff & I sure hope it helps. I set up a new 10g yesterday for a new male I bought last week & I don't think he's quit swimming in the last 24 hrs. LOL

 

[oscarchic11]

from the pics it def looks like he was eating his own fins. probably bored... a betta mirror might help.. its a floating mirror, just put it in his tank for like an hour every few days.

 

[Kerrbear]

Should I stop doing the pwcs?

 

[oscarchic11]

No. They will help his fins heal once you can get him to stop. But id switch to doing them every other day.

 

[Maxkolbe]

I also think they will sometimes bite their fins if they are too long and there is too much current. If this is a problem you could try making a filter baffle.

 

[Kerrbear]

Thanks for your help, everyone. I added a cling background to the tank (some research I did suggested changing the environment) and used the mirror thing once. He's already acting more like his normal self - patrolling, showing off when I walk by, "cruising" in between the plants and deco... I didn't notice how stressed and frantic he had gotten until now. Hopefully this helps the fins. Thanks again!

 

[shellieca]

Thanks for your help, everyone. I added a cling background to the tank (some research I did suggested changing the environment) and used the mirror thing once. He's already acting more like his normal self - patrolling, showing off when I walk by, "cruising" in between the plants and deco... I didn't notice how stressed and frantic he had gotten until now. Hopefully this helps the fins. Thanks again!

Good news!

 

[Kerrbear]

Good news! I think his fins are starting to grow back. I'm still doing 50% pwcs every other day to prevent infection. Do I need to be doing anything else to help the fin regeneration?

 

[shellieca]

Good news! I think his fins are starting to grow back. I'm still doing 50% pwcs every other day to prevent infection. Do I need to be doing anything else to help the fin regeneration?

That's great! I'd say since there's improvement there's nothing else to do, it may take a little while to complete regrowth. You can probably back off on the water changes since you're seeing improvement. I'd go to maybe every 3-4 days & see how it goes, if you're still seeing improvement increase the length more until you're back to your weekly 50% water changes. Unless of course you're more comfortable keeping it every other day.