TL;DR: Halfmoon Betta has fin rot that won't go away, and wispy white stuff in his 5gal tank.
To start off, I got a Halfmoon Betta from Petco, and he was one of the healthier looking ones that they had available. I put him in a 5gal with a 10gal rated automatic heater and a Aqueon AT10 filter.
After a few weeks, I noticed his tail was deteriorating, and I took a few measures to counteract it with no success. Firstly, I tested the water conditions, and everything was in order besides a high nitrate reading, so I did a 50% water change. Then went to the store and got a bottle of API Bettafix. I followed the instructions, and when the dosing was complete after a week, I did a 30% water change. After a few days, I noticed the fin rot had not progressed, but there was no repair or new growth. So I got another bottle of the Bettafix, and have just finished that one as well, and changed the water again.
On top of the fin rot, between the time of starting the first bottle and now, I've noticed a lot of wispy white stuff in the tank. At first, it was just sitting on the surface, and I thought it was possibly debris from the air, because his tank has no lid. But now I'm noticing it on his decorations and the heater and filter. I'm not sure what it is and it is an unsightly addition to the tank. And I'm wondering if maybe the fin rot and the wispy stuff are connected, but I don't know!
So if anyone can help me get his fin rot under control and get this stuff out of his tank, I would greatly appreciate it! Here are the best pictures I could get.
To start off, I got a Halfmoon Betta from Petco, and he was one of the healthier looking ones that they had available. I put him in a 5gal with a 10gal rated automatic heater and a Aqueon AT10 filter.
After a few weeks, I noticed his tail was deteriorating, and I took a few measures to counteract it with no success. Firstly, I tested the water conditions, and everything was in order besides a high nitrate reading, so I did a 50% water change. Then went to the store and got a bottle of API Bettafix. I followed the instructions, and when the dosing was complete after a week, I did a 30% water change. After a few days, I noticed the fin rot had not progressed, but there was no repair or new growth. So I got another bottle of the Bettafix, and have just finished that one as well, and changed the water again.
On top of the fin rot, between the time of starting the first bottle and now, I've noticed a lot of wispy white stuff in the tank. At first, it was just sitting on the surface, and I thought it was possibly debris from the air, because his tank has no lid. But now I'm noticing it on his decorations and the heater and filter. I'm not sure what it is and it is an unsightly addition to the tank. And I'm wondering if maybe the fin rot and the wispy stuff are connected, but I don't know!
So if anyone can help me get his fin rot under control and get this stuff out of his tank, I would greatly appreciate it! Here are the best pictures I could get.