my bettas fins are tearing can any one help!!!!

[caj52]

I just bought a new betta he's isolated in his own tank has no jagged rocks and no plastic plants only a java moss and smooth rocks in his tank but his fins keep tearing can any one help me I don't think its tail rot im not to sure though! Thanks! P.s. im new to this website so any advice would help

[Epuerto]

i don't do bettas but maybe he is stressed out because it is a new tank thats my guess
welcome to aa btw

[dkpate]

Where is it torn? Is it black around the edges? Do the fins have pin holes in them?
My bettas sometimes bite the ends of their tail fins off, and I have read that males do this when they think their fins are too heavy.
Did you send your tank through the nitrogen cycle before you added the betta? What size is the tank? What is the temperature? How often do you change part of the water?

[caj52]

It isn't black around the edges he's happy n healthy as for the tank before he was in it I used it as a hatchery so would that be considered cycling???? I did change the water before I put him in I use aquasafe with bioextract aaquarium salt and stress zyme and on occasion stress coat when I do water changes here a pic maybe it'll help more

[caj52]

And thanks for the welcoming I appreciate that!!!

[dkpate]

I hope you don't use salt all the time, since after 10 days of salt, bettas kidneys can start to shut down.

As for the water changes, they need to be done 3 times a week in that 1 gallon tank, that should heal his fins up eventually.

[caj52]

I use salt whenever I do a water change should I use it less???? And if I upgrade to maybe a 2.5 would that be better or what should I do I just want his fins to stop dissapating because there so beautiful!!

[Jason7894561230]

I also thought that when bettas were biting their tails it was to give them more room to swim around in

[Rosenweiss]

That's the most beautiful betta I've ever seen! Are you sure that it's not just natural aging?

[caj52]

He's actually fairly new I bought him about a week ago from aquabid thank you he is a sweetheart I love him

[dkpate]

Yes, stop using salt ASAP. You will need to do water changes to get it all out. I would do a 50% water change every other day for about a week.
Fish will usually always be happier in a bigger tank, I have my bettas in divided 10 gallon tanks, each with their own filter.

[Bettababe1011]

Originally Posted by caj52

I use salt whenever I do a water change should I use it less???? And if I upgrade to maybe a 2.5 would that be better or what should I do I just want his fins to stop dissapating because there so beautiful!!

The recommended minimum for a Betta is five gallons. I have my beloved Allie in a ten gallon with a filter and heater. He is so funny, because he plays in the filter current.

Courtesy of Dakota's iPod.

[caj52]

I actually went out and bought a five gallon I could have cycled the tank but I was kind of in a rush so I just had to set everything up and put him in I just hope it wont affect him negatively here's a pic of the new set up I love all my fish it sounds lame but I just want them to be happy and with the new tank he loves it!

[dkpate]

If possible, use some of the old decor in the new tank for a while, it will help seed the tank with the bacteria you need and you might only have to go through a mini cycle.
Glad you got him a bigger tank!!! I think the big rocks on the bottom look really cool too. If you got a black background I think it would look even cooler! I am a cheapskate and I bought construction paper from Walmart and cut it to size.

[caj52]

Hey that's an awesome idea I would much rather do that than spend ten bucks for a background from petsmart thanks! and the java moss and some of the black rocks are from his old tank so hopefully it goes through a mini cycle! Thanks for all the help I really appreciate it!

[dkpate]

No problem! We are here to help!

[Rosenweiss]

I bet! Good luck with his fins!

[siva]

Nice tank, perfect home for a betta! If you have any other tanks in the house with already cycled water in them you could use that to fill his tank. I've done that in an emergency before when I didn't have time to cycle the tank before putting fish in. I've seen this do a mini cycle and even no cycle with only one fish. I have dealt with tattered fins on a couple of my bettas before and had great success with API bettafix. Other opinions on this product??

[caj52]

I have bettafix but im scared the medication is bad I read alot about peoples bettas dying even from a low dose and when I put it in the tank it had a very strong odor and kind of burnt my eyes and I had put maybe four drops

[dkpate]

I don't use meds on my fish unless they are all natural, like Melafix, Pimafix and Ich-Attack, and when I did have to use those for the bettas, I only used half doses.

For future reference, tank water holds hardly any of the beneficial bacteria, most of it lives in the filter, on the gravel and substrate. So when you put the old tank water in a new tank, you are pretty much just putting in old tank water and it's not helping too much. Decor, gravel and pieces of an established filter are the best things to use for speeding up the cycle.