Sick Betta

[bettamom]

My daughter got a male betta and a Fluval Edge 6g tank for Christmas. We are new to aquarium keeping and did not know about cycling until after we got the tank.

We are religiously testing water and doing PWCs. Ammonia has been at .25 (but no higher) a couple of times and we still aren't seeing any nitrites or nitrates. pH is 7.2. We have a few live plants, a few natural rocks and the Fluval Edge kind of Asian looking planter thing that the betta likes to go behind. We have a heater and keep the tank at 78 degrees. We use Prime with each PWC, changing 30%-50% a couple of times a week.

Until today the betta was looking great. Very social and active. He jumps to take food off my daughter's finger. (We are very careful about rinsing our hands thoroughly to make sure we do not get soap residue in tank.) Starting yesterday I noticed he was hiding more often than not and today I caught a glimpse of his tail (he is a half-moon betta) and noticed it looks a little torn or ragged. (Trying to attach a pic from a few days ago before fin looked bad. I can't get a good pic of him right now.)

HELP! We LOVE this fish. Please let us know what to do about his tail, how to tell the difference between rot and an injury, and if there is something different we should be doing with the cycling of the tank.

Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[absolutangel04]

From the pic, he stills looks pretty good. It sounds like you are doing things right.
Fin rot is a very common issue in bettas. It doesn't seem like he has anything in the tank to get injured on. Frequently, bettas are not treated the best before they make it to your tank. Many stores let the water in the betta cups get pretty nasty before changing it, so the fish can come to you harboring underlying health issues as a result.
Generally speaking, I suggest just maintaining the water as cleanly as possible to help get over the fin rot. If it seems to get more advanced, then you can move along to other measures. But, clean water usually helps clear it up in time. The fish's immune system will fight the rot.

 

[tanz8anz]

We had a crowntail betta named boss he was beautiful and social he didnt like my partner doing with his tank he would get his defenses on. I wish i had found this site a few weeks ago as our little man starting do the samething and the end.of his fins went white instead of the orange it used to be he was hiding and one morning.i went and.fed him.and he seem lively and was eating well went back an hour later and he was no longer with us and nothng was wrong with the water and it was kept clean everything so we r not sure what happen to the poor boy

Sent from my LG-E460f using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[bettamom]

We had a crowntail betta named boss he was beautiful and social he didnt like my partner doing with his tank he would get his defenses on. I wish i had found this site a few weeks ago as our little man starting do the samething and the end.of his fins went white instead of the orange it used to be he was hiding and one morning.i went and.fed him.and he seem lively and was eating well went back an hour later and he was no longer with us and nothng was wrong with the water and it was kept clean everything so we r not sure what happen to the poor boy

Sent from my LG-E460f using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Oh, that is so sad. I'm really sorry.

 

[tanz8anz]

Yea it was pretty sad i havent been able to find a place that sells crowntails were we live now

Sent from my LG-E460f using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Caliban07]

My daughter got a male betta and a Fluval Edge 6g tank for Christmas. We are new to aquarium keeping and did not know about cycling until after we got the tank.

We are religiously testing water and doing PWCs. Ammonia has been at .25 (but no higher) a couple of times and we still aren't seeing any nitrites or nitrates. pH is 7.2. We have a few live plants, a few natural rocks and the Fluval Edge kind of Asian looking planter thing that the betta likes to go behind. We have a heater and keep the tank at 78 degrees. We use Prime with each PWC, changing 30%-50% a couple of times a week.

Until today the betta was looking great. Very social and active. He jumps to take food off my daughter's finger. (We are very careful about rinsing our hands thoroughly to make sure we do not get soap residue in tank.) Starting yesterday I noticed he was hiding more often than not and today I caught a glimpse of his tail (he is a half-moon betta) and noticed it looks a little torn or ragged. (Trying to attach a pic from a few days ago before fin looked bad. I can't get a good pic of him right now.)

HELP! We LOVE this fish. Please let us know what to do about his tail, how to tell the difference between rot and an injury, and if there is something different we should be doing with the cycling of the tank.

Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

View attachment 215564

Your methods for fish in cycling are fine. Ammonia will stay at 0.25ppm and the toxicity is significantly less depending on ph and at your ph you are well below the threshold. 0.25ppm is the total ammonia. Free ammonia is the toxic percentage and this increases with ph.

You probably wont see any nitrites with you pwc and the addition of prime which somehow reverts nitrites and nitrates to a non toxic form although thesr would still show on the test.

Keeping water clean as stated will help with finrot if your bettas immune system is strong. If he is hiding then the finrot could be stressing it. You mustn't let finrot reach the base of the fin or it can be fatal to the fish. It could have been induced if the betta was kept in poor conditions at the store as the fishes immune system is reducedm opportunistic bacteria can take hold. I would by some finrot meds now as a precaution in case it gets worse.

Good luck

Sent from my SM-T210 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Caliban07]

Also try to keep feeding to once a day during the cycle ensuring the fish eats all the food that is put in. Overfeeding will effect the quality of your water.

Sent from my SM-T210 using Aquarium Advice mobile app