Fin rot??

[my_little_tetra]

My betta suddenly has a ragged tail! Is this fin rot? My tank is filtered and heated with live plants. I do weekly pwcs and my parameters are good. Where did fin rot come from?

I also noticed some filmy white floating on top of the water? I get this from time to time. Is it related?

I am going to do a 50% pwc now and add 1tsp per gallon aquarium salt. Anything else I should do?

 

[dwayne.aycock]

Are you changing out your charcoal every 3-4 weeks? If not...start there, it could be leaching toxins back into your tank. There is a natural preparation called PIMAFIX...give it a try

 

[my_little_tetra]

I'm not using carbon In this tank, so I don't think that's it. He is acting normal and eating so I am taking that as a good sign. I will look for primafix at petsmart.

 

[my_little_tetra]

Thought he was doing alright, but his fins look worse than ever today. Now his tail and his pectoral fin look horrible. It is a very noticeable worsening since yesterday evening.

 

[okapizebra]

If it is finrot, I believe that is bacterial and that you may need to resort to antiobiotics. I'm not sure which one, so you may want to do some research on which fish antibiotic would be best. I think erythromycin should work.

Do his fins appear to be melting away? Is there a clear/black area around where his fins are decaying? If not, then he could just be biting his tail.

 

[Oscar98]

Try melafix im going right now. Im trying to save a JD that i think is talking to the reaper now lmao

 

[okapizebra]

Melafix is not good for bettas and can damage their labyrinth organs.

 

[my_little_tetra]

It's not so much melting as fraying. I don't see any border around the frayed parts. When I first bought him a large chunk was missing from the middle of his tail and it had recently grown back in nicely.

If he is doing this to himself...what can I do to get him to quit? I've never heard of fish biting themselves before.

I will try to get another pic and post it, though I know it's hard to see from iphone pictures.

 

[Oscar98]

Ooo srry

 

[okapizebra]

It is a somewhat common problem with bettas. It could be caused by stress or could just be in his personality. Try googling about betta tail biting and see if that might be what he has.

 

[my_little_tetra]

I'm not seeing the black or red edges apparently visible in fin rot. Maybe he is just biting? Plus it was an extremely quick change.

 

[okapizebra]

Could be biting. I have no experience with that so you may want to wait for someone else to chime in.

Are there any rough surfaces that he could be getting his tail caught on? Pointy plant? Jagged rocks? Maybe getting caught in the filter intake?

 

[dwayne.aycock]

Metro flake is a good general med for most fish. PIMAFIX is a natural remedy made from leaf resins. It worked when my bkack skirt tetras were having problems. It is best to remove fish from tank and treat in a bag, and after 30 minutes, return to tank. After about 3-5 treatments you should see results.
D

 

[my_little_tetra]

I looked at primafix, but it is for fungal infxns. Does not appear to do snything for fin rot? Melafix says its for fin rot, but its supposed to be bad for Bettas.

I may try treating with abx. Gonna do some research. I'm beginning to think it is biting, but a short course can't hurt.

 

[dwayne.aycock]

Metro flakes have the med already in them and is readily eaten by betas.
There is also a product called "general cure" which has metro and an anti fungal.
Must do LWC after use and not use charcoal, but it works.
Also when using general cure, an airstone is good to have as BB can be starved of O2.
D