betta-shredded tail.

[Guest]

I just bought a beautiful "twin tail" beta at the fish store last week and put him in my 10 gallon and he was doing great. But i just looked at him and his Tail looks like it has been shredded!!!!! I put him in one of those hang over betta containers in the 10 gallon in case any of the occupants are a culprit but i havent' seen any aggression and i can't figure out what it could be!

Fish in my 10 gallon
2 GBR
3 Cories
3 Otos
1 albino bristlenose
1 SAE

what could it be? It has all live plants and there's nothing sharp in the tank. He swims around the middle and top of the tank and ALL The other fish hang out towoards the lower and bottom areas so i can't for the life of me figure out what it is. I did add a dose of melafix to the tank to help heal his fins. Anything else i should do???

 

[Meredith]

I have two guesses, its either the rams or the filter. But I would lean more toward the filter. When I had the hob on my 10, every time he swam past the intake, his fins would get sucked in. Putting a sponge over the intake will help.
Also I have read from several other members melafix can irritate the bettas labyrinth organ. I would opt for daily water changes instead. And move to meds if that does not seem to be helping.

 

[Guest]

I have two guesses, its either the rams or the filter. But I would lean more toward the filter. When I had the hob on my 10, every time he swam past the intake, his fins would get sucked in. Putting a sponge over the intake will help.
Also I have read from several other members melafix can irritate the bettas labyrinth organ. I would opt for daily water changes instead. And move to meds if that does not seem to be helping.

i have yet to read a legitiment article about the melafix... its tea tree oil and i don't understand what it can do to the labrynth organ, but ive used it for beta's before with good results.

the filter intake could be a culprit... but i have been watching him and i havent seen him go around the intake at all.. but ill put something on it anyway just in case.

and i always do daily to every other day water changes in this tank.

 

[Guest]

he died the mornig after this post... and i never even added the melafix. Must've had something from the LFS. so sad becuase he was so beautiful.

 

[An t-iasg]

Sorry to hear about your betta He probably was sick when you got him, if he died so fast.

I have read that Melafix irritates the labyrinth organ like a noxious gas irritates our lungs. I used Melafix on my first betta and he seemed agitated. After another dose, he dropped like a rock to the bottom of the bowl. I have read of instances where others had my experience, and a few who didn't. IMO, there are better meds for bettas, although from everything I read it's a great med for other fish. Just be aware that, when you're giving any type of medicine, you should watch out for stress in the fish.

I even noticed that one of my bettas fell to the bottom of the tank after I dosed some plant fertilizers, and I made a slight change in how I dosed. The fertilizer made a bit of an oily sheen on the water's surface, like the Melafix did.

 

[Guest]

Melafix even being a all natural med has a oil in it that blocks the betta air tube allowing him to do from the laick of air. The best thing for a betta is priamfix it's easyer on there lungs and dosn't affact any of there breathing or inturnal orgains.

 

[humdedum]

My betta bites his own fins.Maybe yours is? I actually caught him in the act. Buy a female, and let him flirt away and ignore his tail...that worked for mine at least.