Ember tetras nip betta help!

[Fin35]

I’ve had 9 ember tetras in a 10 gallon tank for months now with a betta. I’ve been noticing my bettas fins are very frayed. At first I thought it was the driftwood, then the coconut cave, ext So I took it all out. Today I noticed for the first time that the embers nipped my bettas fins like 3-4 times but at feeding time. II was so upset I was going to take them back to the store, but I can’t catch them at all, impossible. I tried for 30 minutes and I couldn’t get them. So I’m trying to get a black water effect To reduce stress and darken it up a bit, I have cattapa bark and almond leaf to do this I also have hornwort plant coming in the mail to really add greenery and hiding places in addition to the low tech lights I do have. Do you think feeding the embers twice a day instead of once can reduce their nipping around feeding? The betta gets the food too so that why I only have been feeding once, but I can reduce it and feed more often. Getting another tank is not an option right now, any other suggestions? I really don’t want my lovely betta to suffer and be picked on, but I’ve never seen them do it and when I did it was around feeding time, his fins show that it’s been happening enough to fray them though.

 

[tlindsey]

Don't think the nipping will stop even with the double feedings some species of Tetra just like to nip flowing fins of fish such as a Betta.

 

[Fin35]

Ember tetras are not supposed to be fun nippers! Maybe I’ll try to catch them again

 

[HannahJo]

Try to catch them at feeding time. They can get distracted by the food and make it easier to catch them. Or try catching them when you do a water change- less water in the tank might make it easier to get them.

 

[Fin35]

Ok so it took me an hour but I caught all 9 of them and gave them to a fish store. I feel bad and nah have given one a heart attack, he was one of the last ones that I caught and he was just laying on the sand, I hope he recovers. How long should it take my betta fins to recover? They’re in pretty bad shape poor guy, all this time I had no idea what was causing it and kept removing things from the tank like driftwood, coconut cave, ext. now all he has in there is plants and a mesh wall that’s filling in with java moss. How long do I don almond leaves take to release tannins? Input some in yesterday and I don’t see any tannins yet, hoping this heals him quickly.