Betta fish with fin rott?

[livingdeadpaula]

I've had my betta for a few months now and he's been healthier than ever. A couple days ago I began to notice a tiny, tiny hole in at the tip of his tail. It's getting bigger...

I've never dealt with a sick fish before, but I'm guessing this is fin rott? Does anyone know how I can treat this? I don't want my betta to die!

Thank you SO much,
Paula

 

[CiRXSi]

There are several possibilities. Fin rot is one. Bettafix and Bettamax are good meds for this type of thing. DO NOT use melafix. Is is not good for bettas. Also, does your little guy have any tank mates? How about an air stone? Often, bettas can tear their fins from flaring at neighboring bettas, other fish, or even just their reflection. This can also happen if your betta likes to "play" in the bubbles from an air stone. How about plastic plants? Most plastic plants are not suitable for bettas, you should go with the silk ones. A good test: Take an old nylon and rub it against the leaves of your plant. If the nylon snags on the leaves, then they're sharp enough to snag your bettas fins.

 

[livingdeadpaula]

CiRXSi -

Thank you for the helpful info. Magellan's solo, no tank mates, and he doesn't have an air stone. He does, however, have a plastic plant...and he lingers around that thing all day. I never realized it could be a threat. I'll definitely replace it with a silk one, just in case. Do you think I should go ahead and use the Bettafix or the Bettamax, or should I wait to see if it gets worse since it could've been from the plant? Again, thank you tons for responding!

-Paula

 

[CiRXSi]

I'd wait. If you can avoid medicating ANY fish, it's best to do it that way. Now keep in mind, now that's it's already torn, it'll be that much easier to keep tearing, even just from the motion of him swimming. It may still get worse. The only things you can do is a judgement call of how bad it gets (whether you medicate or not). Also, do a thorough inspection on him when you switch the plants. If any new tears in different areas develop after the switch, then I would medicate. But as long as you're keeping his water in good condition, it's probably the plant. What size a tank is he in? Filtration?

 

[livingdeadpaula]

I'll definitely be keeping my eyes on him. Also, if the tear was caused by the plant, will it heal on its own with time or just continue to get worse?

As far as the tank goes, it's not terribly large - it holds about a gallon or so, and no filtration is used. Is this bad?

Thanks so much,
Paula

 

[CiRXSi]

It should eventually heal if it's just torn from the plant. With no filtration, it is that much more important to keep his water clean. 50% water change every other day is ideal. Make sure you try to match the temp of the new water as closely as possible to the existing water.

 

[livingdeadpaula]

Thanks for the helpful info again, CiRXSi - I'm off to change his water now as a matter of fact! And that stupid plant will be gone by tonight