Betta tail biting?

[afilter]

Well, I have had this fish about two weeks and another jumped.

Anyway, in the last week I have noticed his tail getting ragged and smaller with chunks missing every day.

After reading a thread in another forum I think he is biting his own tail. 8O

The tank is a 2.5 g planted with a whisper HOB filter coralife PC(2x5k) light and junior heater (tank stable at 80).

Overall fish seems very healthy and eats well. Color has even developed from the solid red to a hint of purple/blue in back and tail.

Here are some before and after pics:

Before:
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r159/afilter/HPIM0050.jpg

After:
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r159/afilter/HPIM0067.jpg

Anyone ever deal with this? thoughts on resolving the problem?

BTW, this setup is on my desk at work, so I am kinda limited on what I can do.

TIA,

Before:

 

[An t-iasg]

Although I've heard of betta tail biting, I wouldn't think of that first in your case. (I have most usually read about it while shipping bettas with longer and more elaborate tails.)

In your case (your betta's case, lol) it does look like an injury rather than finrot. Finrot appears as black, stringy edges on the fins.

I have the tank that you have and I had a betta in there for about 2 months until I put him in a bigger tank. I turn the filter down all the way on low. Maybe the filter causes too much water movement in a small tank, which can injure delicate fins. Also, I never liked this particular filter. I found it very hard to build up a good bacterial colony. I always had ammonia in this tank. I did a 50% water change every other day to keep the ammonia down, since the filter wasn't breaking down the ammonia. Very small tanks need good water flow to build up a good colony of bacteria, and bettas don't like a good water flow. I just never got anything under 5 gallons to cycle, so I always did extra water changes in this small tank. If you ditched the filter and got a small sponge filter, airpump, and gang valve, you may have better luck in getting it to cycle. Have you done an ammonia test? I remember that my readings were almost never 0 in this tank.

Bettas are often likely to show fin damage when the temperature is not stable. A stable temp. of 80 degrees, like you said, is ideal. Is there any chance that the temperature is fluctuating?

Another thing to consider - is there anything in the tank that could snag his fins? Plastic plants are usually to blame. Are your plants all real? A sharp-edged or rough real plant could cause some fin damage. I've read about an aponogeton plant as possibly tearing a betta's fins.

Although it doesn't look like finrot now (since it doesn't look like black edges) keep an eye on the fins and if they do get black and stringy, treat with extra water changes and possibly an antibiotic.

 

[afilter]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Here is the whole saga:

Set up tank about a month ago as I wanted a FW planted nano. Figured logical fish would be a betta.
Original set up:

Sand substrate
Whisper filter 5-15 (no flow adjustment)
Coralife PC light (2x5K)
Live plants (anubias, val)

Original fish jumped after two weeks.

Added new fish (red Betta)
Added backdrop
Added Drift wood
Added Sandstone decorative rock
Added Glass to cover opening

3 days later I noticed the fin issue. Literally went home late all was fine came back 10 hours later and small chunks of tail fin gone.

Posted on another Betta site and after feed back I did the following:

Added Heater (stabile temp at 80)
Place a sponge over Filter intake (thought was betta was sleeping by filter and tearing tail on filter)

Pic of sponge mod:

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r159/afilter/HPIM0065.jpg

Also tested water (Amonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 10-20) Filter was established on another tank am running a sponge in filter as well as a pura filter pad. I have been changing about 50% water weekly with RO and conditioner added.

The flow is probably high for a betta, but cannot adjust this model. I am sure the spnge mod to the intake as effective as a sponge filter as well. There are dead spots in the tank under plant leaves and behind drift wood.

I am sure it is not water quality or fin rot. Fish had a very long flowing tail and is not about 2/3-1/2 the size. Damage appears to occur at night.

Fish is very active sparring with reflection and swimming arounfd the tank.

If the tail continue to deteriorate I am thinking of placing him in a bettta bowl for a few weeks to see if it regrows.

Thoughts?

TIA,

 

[An t-iasg]

The sponge mod is on the intake, right? That looks good...that might slow the flow a little too. Is the top of the filter open? I found my betta in there once, right in the open top. I stretched a knee-high pantyhose over the opening. I cut it to make it shorter and stretched it over. Your filter doesn't have a flow adjustment? Mine looks like a triangle switch on the bottom. The small end of the triangle is the slower flow and the thicker end means more flow.

You say the betta is very active and sparring with his reflection. Some bettas are more active/aggressive than others. I had one of those plastic backgrounds and my betta saw himself in it and raced around the tank so fast that he ripped his tail in a few minutes. I removed the background. It just annoyed him too much. He was always swimming fast and flaring at it. Another betta that I had didn't even notice the background. I just made a background with a black garbage bag. It doesn't appear to be reflective, but I don't have a new betta yet. The plants look nice against the black background, and a little light gets through so it's not a solid heavy black.

So I think it's possible that your betta is overly annoyed by the reflective nature of the background. One other member once asked why his betta was always hyper. I couldn't figure it out until he posted a picture of bright pink gravel. Bettas don't like bright colors (reminds them of another betta). Again, some bettas are more hyper than others but it seems like you got a real hyper one! Also, is the sand that white or is it just the flash? The bright sand may be stressful. FW fish generally like darker substrates. I put pool filter sand in a tank once and the quartz was so white and sparkly that I removed it. It was only a 5 gallon tank, so it wasn't that bad.

I would look at addressing the bright substrate or the reflective background before you put him in a bowl. Filtered, heated tanks are the best environment for a betta, not a bowl like some lfs like to sell.

 

[humdedum]

My betta bit his own tail, and i actually have a video of him doing it in a corner.

 

[musicman]

When my betta was having territory issues with my platies his tail began to deteriorate. I watched my fish a lot over the three days that I kept them together. I watched my betta tear up his fins while chasing and thrashing. The more active and agressive he got the worse his fins got torn up. I eventually had to seperate him, to save him from himself. (and to save the platies from him)

I suspect that your betta is getting torn up while thrashing at his reflection.

 

[booginish]

i have never had luck with bettas, i had them in one of those small 1 gal tanks, and after a week i felt terrible, so i put him in my 55 gal, 2 weeks later he had ich from the stress of other fish, and died. i am not to sure what your dealing with, but i can tell you it is not biting its own tail.