Fin Rot on Halfmoon Betta

[shirkni16]

TL;DR: Halfmoon Betta has fin rot that won't go away, and wispy white stuff in his 5gal tank.

To start off, I got a Halfmoon Betta from Petco, and he was one of the healthier looking ones that they had available. I put him in a 5gal with a 10gal rated automatic heater and a Aqueon AT10 filter.

After a few weeks, I noticed his tail was deteriorating, and I took a few measures to counteract it with no success. Firstly, I tested the water conditions, and everything was in order besides a high nitrate reading, so I did a 50% water change. Then went to the store and got a bottle of API Bettafix. I followed the instructions, and when the dosing was complete after a week, I did a 30% water change. After a few days, I noticed the fin rot had not progressed, but there was no repair or new growth. So I got another bottle of the Bettafix, and have just finished that one as well, and changed the water again.

On top of the fin rot, between the time of starting the first bottle and now, I've noticed a lot of wispy white stuff in the tank. At first, it was just sitting on the surface, and I thought it was possibly debris from the air, because his tank has no lid. But now I'm noticing it on his decorations and the heater and filter. I'm not sure what it is and it is an unsightly addition to the tank. And I'm wondering if maybe the fin rot and the wispy stuff are connected, but I don't know!

So if anyone can help me get his fin rot under control and get this stuff out of his tank, I would greatly appreciate it! Here are the best pictures I could get.

 

[m.j.gomez]

TL;DR: Halfmoon Betta has fin rot that won't go away, and wispy white stuff in his 5gal tank.

To start off, I got a Halfmoon Betta from Petco, and he was one of the healthier looking ones that they had available. I put him in a 5gal with a 10gal rated automatic heater and a Aqueon AT10 filter.

After a few weeks, I noticed his tail was deteriorating, and I took a few measures to counteract it with no success. Firstly, I tested the water conditions, and everything was in order besides a high nitrate reading, so I did a 50% water change. Then went to the store and got a bottle of API Bettafix. I followed the instructions, and when the dosing was complete after a week, I did a 30% water change. After a few days, I noticed the fin rot had not progressed, but there was no repair or new growth. So I got another bottle of the Bettafix, and have just finished that one as well, and changed the water again.

On top of the fin rot, between the time of starting the first bottle and now, I've noticed a lot of wispy white stuff in the tank. At first, it was just sitting on the surface, and I thought it was possibly debris from the air, because his tank has no lid. But now I'm noticing it on his decorations and the heater and filter. I'm not sure what it is and it is an unsightly addition to the tank. And I'm wondering if maybe the fin rot and the wispy stuff are connected, but I don't know!

So if anyone can help me get his fin rot under control and get this stuff out of his tank, I would greatly appreciate it! Here are the best pictures I could get.

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Hello, my first go to w/fin rot is to do 25% water changes every 1- 2 days(fresh clean water does wonders). You should see improvement within 7days.
If this doesn't work I would remove any plants(moss ball) & invertebrates. Then dose aquarium salt at 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of tank volume. You want to dissolve salt in clean container or cup w/tank water. Then add about 1/3 solution every hr so fish has a chance to acclimate to it. Do 25% water changes every 2 days replacing any salt taken out by changes. This will work if mild case of bacterial fin rot plus it helps slime coat & gill function. Hopefully this helps you!!!!!

 

[LRuiz]

Hi, I had the same experience recently with my betta that developed fin rot. I used aquarium salt with water changes at first but the fin rot kept progressing. I turned to medications using Seachem KanaPlex and Jungle Clear. Used these meds for a week and it cleared the infection up with no ill effects. I recommend this combo as it worked well for my betta. Fin rot stopped and fins grew back after a few days.

 

[shirkni16]

Thank you both for the advice! I have some aquarium salt on hand, so I'll give that method a shot first, but I appreciate any info on a good medication as well! I'll post an update after a week!