siamese fighter fins?

[myra]

Confused, have kept fighters for a number of years, never seen this. The fins on one of my fighters appear to be shrinking.
I have two fish, both in separate tanks. They both have their water changed regularly, I prepare enough water for both tanks a couple of days before, so there isn't any difference between the water in one tank from another. Water is treated with de-chlorinator and aquarium salt.
The fish concerned appears to be happy enough, still active and eating as per normal. Can't detect any fungus or other problem within tank. There aren't any rocks or other objects he could harm himself on. There are no other fish in his tank.
Both tanks were fully cleaned less than two weeks ago. Water is partially changed every week.
At present have Methylene Blue in water. Before any one asks tank is 9 litres, don't know how much that equals in gallons, sorry.
Any clues please

 

[Menagerie]

[center:896e92f6ea] Welcome to AA, myra! [/center:896e92f6ea]
9 liters is ~2.25 gallons
What are your water parameters: temp, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates? Do you have a filter running on your tank(s)?

Shrinking fins sounds like fin rot, but I am far from a betta expert.
I googled betta and fin rot, here's what I came up with:
http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm
http://www.healthybetta.com/articles/informational/finrot.html

I hope this helps

 

[An t-iasg]

Hi myra and welcome to Aquarium Advice!!

What are the water parameters--ammonia and nitrite in particular? When you say you fully cleaned the tanks a few weeks ago, I wonder if the tank is cycling again. Did you take the tank down and rinse everything? That may have killed off some good bacteria. It's hard to say if a small tank has cycled, though. Is there a filter in the tank? Partial water changes twice a week may be necessary to keep the ammonia at 0.

Could the water temperature be fluctuating? I think 9 liters is a little more than 2 gallons, so I would be hesitant to put a heater in the tank. I haven't been able to find a heater that's meant for a tank smaller than 5 gallons.

Can the two bettas see each other? Stress can cause fin rot. I have 2 bettas, and I had to rearrange the tanks so they can't see each other. One betta went ballistic, and swam around very fast until his tail frayed.

I've had 4 bettas, and some were just much more susceptable to fin rot than others.

 

[Christmasfish]

Or he can be like my son's betta and chases his own tail and takes chucks off the dorsal and caudal. Which fins..do the pecs seem affected ? (the lil side flappers).
Seriousy there are aton of things... sharp decorations, ammonia, ,nitrites, nitrAtes, too acidic water.

BTW: why is he in methylene blue? it is very harsh medication and should only be used if there are symptoms of something. It may be the culprit depending on your dose..small tanks are VERY hard to dilute proper..

 

[myra]

re: Siamese fighter fins shrinking

First, thank you for your greetings and your replies to my problem.
You will all probably think I'm a complete idiot because I know nothing about nitrates etc. All I've ever been told re keeping fighters is to de-chlorinate the water and add salt. This has always worked before. The ph level has never been a problem before as the water is within the safe parameters or so I've been told.
I'm guessing from most of the answers on this forum most of you are in the USA. I am in Brisbane, Queensland, Au. I have asked advice about this problem in three separate Aquarium stores. Methylene Blue was what was recommended to me. I only put that in the tank yesterday when I noticed the situation seemed to be getting worse.
There is no heater or filter system in the tank. I have never used them since I came home one day (years ago) and found the heater had malfunctioned and the tank had shattered leaving my fighters floundering in little pools on the bottom.
There has been some fluctation of temperature here lately, perhaps that is the cause, although the other fish is doing fine.
Would there be any point in putting the damaged one into a smaller tank?
I know many people just keep their fish in very small containers.
As for cleaning the tank, yes i did clean everything as is the normal practise. Since the full clean I have done two partial water changes.
Thanks again Myra

 

[myra]

Futher to my reply, I was trying to answer all the queries and missed a couple. No the fish can't see each other, I am aware of that problem. I haven't noticed him chasing his tail, but the pecs do seem to be affected as well. There are no sharp objects in the tank.
Guess I will have to buy a ph kit and test will also look into nitrates etc.
Thank you, boy I have to say you guys are up awfully late over there.
Myra

 

[An t-iasg]

I have to say you guys are up awfully late over there.

Yes, I'm a night owl! I stay up way too late. Christmasfish is on West Coast time, so she's not up that late...I live in the eastern USA but my body's on west coast time!

Myra, thanks for posting more info. If you can, read up on the cycling process. Some very small bowls may not cycle, though, especially if you have no filter media for the good, cycling bacteria to live on. In this case, you should check for ammonia using a liquid test kit. You may have to change about 50 % of the water twice a week. Generally, don't do full water changes -- this will stress the fish too.

Here is a cycling article: http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html

Here are some good test kits: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...k=All&Ntx=mode+matchallany&Np=1&N=2004+113074

I use the ammonia and nitrite tests, which you can buy separately.

Here's how I keep my bettas: I have 2 bettas. Each one has his own 5.5 gallon tank, with a gravel bottom. I have a small sponge filter and a 25-watt heater. The tank is decorated with several silk plants, and some java moss. It's not the only successful way to keep a betta, but it works for me!

The sponge filter provides a place for the good bacteria to live. (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produ...d=3954&R=8661&N=2004+113425+113565&in_merch=1) It doesn't create a current; bettas like calm water, as you probably know.

Here is the heater I use, although mine is a 25-watt. This website only has heaters that are 50-watts and up. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3852&Ne=40000&R=8440&N=2004+22787

I would do a water change and get the meth. blue out of the water. A good betta medicine is BettaMax. BettaMax is a yellow powder that turns the water green. It's safe to use in one-gallon bowls. Christmasfish is right -- it's hard to dilute meds meant for bigger tanks into small betta bowls. I have used BettaMax successfully in the past. When I use it, I take the betta out of the tank and put him in a one gallon QT bowl. It does stain the silicone sealants in tanks.

Good luck!