Do fins weather when they get old?

[hisc1ay]

I've had a Betta for a few years, but I don't know that he is really old. He does look older than when I got him...think tired old farmer. i've noticed lately his fins look like they're thinning and getting shorter. It's possible that he's being nipped, but I have a clown loach and a chineese algae eater, and I've never seen them nipping. Chasing, maybe, but they've done that forever. He really doesn't look sick...just old. So I'm wondering if his fins are sign of aging, or if he's sick and needs to be Qd and treated.

Thanks!
-jason

 

[An t-iasg]

I have noticed too that older bettas seem to get frayed fins -- they don't seem sick, just a little wear and tear. I don't think you'd need to treat unless the fin edges are fuzzy white, or black. Fuzzy white could be a bacterial infection. One time my betta's anal fin tip turned black and fell off. (yuck -- I used a baster to remove the piece.) I treated him with antibiotics and he is fine. His fin now has a white "healing" edge to it. The best way to describe this is that it's a white, or light, color of "skin" that knits all the rough fin edges together. My other betta (bad fishy) played in the bubbles and frayed himself a little. He already has that "healing" edge.

So unless he looks like he has an infection, I don't think he needs treated. Just keep an eye on him, but I think he'll be fine.

 

[CiRXSi]

Nikko is quite old and he's been going through this exact same thing for about six months now. I think it's just aging.