New Betta With Holes In Fins?

[Peebs]

Hi all, I'm new here and this is my... fourth betta fish I've owned. I picked him up today from my local pet store and after getting him home, I realised that he has multiple holes and tears in his lower fins. Is this something I should have kept an eye out for when making my purchase, and is there anything specific and important I should do to help the healing process (if it heals?)

He isn't very active right now, but I'm guessing that's just because it's a new environment for him that he isn't used to.

Hoping someone can help me out, thanks! I don't wanna have to return him ):

 

[Mbuna12]

Just fin damage. Use a stress coat to help speed healing.unless it really bothers the fish I wouldn't be that worried

 

[spiketooth]

Also keep the water very clean, that will help too

 

[Supa Belle]

Get the stress coat with aloe in it

 

[Peebs]

Thanks guys! How will I know if it's really bothering him?

 

[spiketooth]

Not really, guess if hes not very active and always laying in the spot with the least current.

 

[BettaGal]

Thanks guys! How will I know if it's really bothering him?

He'll hide a lot and stay in one spot most of the time. He'll still come up for air but he'll be very lethargic. If its really bothering him, he might not eat. But with this sort of thing, I would think he'll be fine. Just use the stress coat for a while and keep an eye on the holes. He'll recover.

 

[Peebs]

Oh, okay. I've had him for a few days now.. and he has yet to eat (as far as I know) and he does hide a lot... so I guess it is bothering him. Thanks for the help folks, I'll be sure to update as he progresses/doesn't progress. Although.. since he's still getting used to his new environment... that could be another reason for him to not be eating right?

 

[spiketooth]

What kind of food are you feeding him

 

[Peebs]

I have pellets, and betta flakes. When I got him, they had been feeding him blood worms.

 

[spiketooth]

Try getting some blood worms, he is used to eating them so it will help him adjust to the new tank if he knows he still getting the same food. Had to do this with my congo tetras they would not eat for two day so i asked the lfs what they fed them, sure enough i got some flakes and they went nuts, then i started throwing in the food i wanted them on and they eat it as well

 

[Peebs]

Brilliant, thanks for the advice! I'll be sure to pick some up tomorrow when I get off work. All pet stores normally carry them if I ask, right?

 

[spiketooth]

Know this is all in japanese but prob the same thing they been feeding him sence so many fish will eat this

 

[shellieca]

What is your tank setup; filtered? Heated? Size? Fully cycled? If the water temp isn't 78-80F or the filter creates too much current that could cause him to hide or be lethargic. Blood worms aren't meant to be their staple food so do your best to get him eating pellets. They can be stubborn about it but they typically start eating them. Quality brands are New Life Spectrum & Omega One, plus the pellets are small which they tend to like better & they don't swell like some other brands. They can take a week or so to adapt sometimes. my newest male would play with his food sometimes eating it & other times letting it fall to the bottom then eating it later, I've had him 4 days & today was the 1st time he just ate the pellet without spitting it out & sucking it back in several times. I know you said this is your 4th Betta so I'm sorry if I'm telling you what you already know.

 

[Peebs]

What is your tank setup; filtered? Heated? Size? Fully cycled? If the water temp isn't 78-80F or the filter creates too much current that could cause him to hide or be lethargic. Blood worms aren't meant to be their staple food so do your best to get him eating pellets. They can be stubborn about it but they typically start eating them. Quality brands are New Life Spectrum & Omega One, plus the pellets are small which they tend to like better & they don't swell like some other brands. They can take a week or so to adapt sometimes. my newest male would play with his food sometimes eating it & other times letting it fall to the bottom then eating it later, I've had him 4 days & today was the 1st time he just ate the pellet without spitting it out & sucking it back in several times. I know you said this is your 4th Betta so I'm sorry if I'm telling you what you already know.

The tank isn't filtered, no. I do have it heated though, I'm needing to pick up a thermometer so I know exactly what the temp is at. It feels just a bit warmer than room temp, but I'm not sure if that is warm enough. May need a stronger heater. I'm not exactly sure the size, I think it's a 2 gallon, the tank was given to me. It's one of those circular ones that sometimes fancy candy stores hold their candy in? I've never had a problem with my betta not eating the pellets until this little guy. Sometimes he gets really active and zips around, and then he just stays in one spot. I'm thinking I should try transitioning him from the blood worms to the pellets? or should I just stick with trying to get him to eat the pellets? I have the Hikari Tropical Betta Baby Pellets.

Thank you so much everyone for your input and help so far, I'm hoping something helps Mr. Fish get better soon eventually... I can't help but worry.

 

[shellieca]

Oh they can be stubborn little brats. they can go a long time without eating, at least a week. What I do is get their attention by standing still in front of the tank until they come to the where I am, then I'll tap the water with my finger to get their attention to the top of the water then drop a pellet, if they don't see it I'll tap near the pellet. I drop one pellet if they eat it I'll drop another one if not I wait until the next day to try again. I don't worry about one pellet sinking as they will typically scavenge it at a later time. I have one that gets so excited it always takes him a minute to realize there's food. They prefer a more horizontal swimming space so if you can or when you can get him a rectangular tank. The 5.5g Top Fin from Petsmart is perfect or they have a 2.5g that is good as well. With my 2.5g I do 2 50% water changes per week with a 100% every 2-3 wks, they're both unfiltered but are heated. Because of their footprint I'm able to put in an adjustable heater horizontally along the lower back wall which keeps the temp more stable.

 

[Peebs]

Thanks! I went to Petsmart today and got the medication for Mr. Fish. He seems to be doing a bit better. I also found out that the tank I have for him is actually a 1 gallon, and I have a 3 gallon put on hold for when I get paid on Friday. I went back to the petstore today I got Mr. Fish from before I went to Petsmart and they told me to just return him and get a refund... which is not what I wanted to do. I picked him out for a reason =/ I am hoping he will start to react to the medication soon. The instructions on the medication said to put un 5ml for a 10 gallon tank and since mine is a 1 gallon I'm a little paranoid as to how much to put in.. it also said to double the amount if it was for helping the fins. I put in a tiny bit and also stuck a thermometer in to keep an eye on the water level. Will I need to buy a bigger heating pad when I get the 3 gallon tank? The package said it was good for 2-5 gallons but I mean.. the water just barely hits the required temperature.

 

[BettaGal]

Try the one you got and go from there. That's what I would do anyway. You should be fine just adding a little stress coat to the water. Just watch his holes for any changes.

 

[Peebs]

Thanks! I've been giving him two pellets twice a day to see if he'll eat them.. he is still ignoring them. Stays in one spot in the tank, comes up for a bit of air and then goes back down to the same spot again... I'm really hoping he starts to get better soon ):
And I mean.. if not... I'm just glad I have him and he isn't flushed down the toilet by someone who decided to give up, or the pet store not caring.

 

[BettaGal]

Does he have several places to hide? He might be a little freaked out if he doesn't have a little cave or plant. Or you might have an extremely shy betta.