Martinismommy

I really think he's going to be fine....I thought I had posted these photo of my old man Will...It shows what happened to him when he got his fins chewed completely off by some tankmates last year....You can see how they grew back over a 4-5 month period......

Don't stress out over this....You are doing a good job watching over him but there is only so much you can do right now....

I hope these photos ease your mind a bit........

willowgirl

WOW.. His old tank buddies really gave him a haircut. I am so glad your little guy recovered fully.
Thank you for lifting my spirits up. I feel so guilty about deciding to move him out of his old tank.
What did you do to help him recover? I am just worried that Alfie caught finrot. His tail looked injured yesterday just a tad, but he's losing it by the minute so I'm thinking is something else.
The friggin bio-spira predicament is not helping either. I'll do fishless cycling next time.

I did not use his water as I used bio-spira. I let the tank run for about 24 hrs before adding the biospira and moving him simultaneously.

Martinismommy

I don't know anything about Bio-spira..I was lucky enough to have plenty of filter media for the last 5 tanks I set up..All I did for Wills tail was keep his water clean...It never got infected...I honestly thought I was going to lose him during the whole ordeal but he's still here today almost a year later and you should see his finnage...It's almost abnormal how much grew back...

Keep your chin up...You are doing a great job and your little guy is going to be fine..

COBettaCouple

I think that you put in 3 times the needed amount of Bio-Spira, so the small water change shouldn't be a factor at all.

It does sound like he's got a chance of having fin rot. If so, we treat fin rot with Triple Sulfa, Rid-Fungus and add vita-chem, fish protector and garlic guard daily. Fin rot is very treatable, don't worry. I'm not sure what effect the meds would have on Bio-Spira but I bet Rose can tell you.

Martinismommy

I agree with Dave about doing a water change..If you end up needing the triple sulpha they have it at Petco for $6.00 which will be the full 14 day treatment...I have the Mardel brand and it doesn't damage the biological filter...If it were me at this point considering how quickly he is losing his fins I'd run out and get the meds as soon as possible...

chickadee

If you use the Mardel brand of medications they have been proven not to affect the cycle and will not hurt you Bio-spira, but I would not use any other brand of anything for the first 7 days. It will be likely to kill the Bio-spira outright. But the Mardel brand of Trisulfa is okay. (if it is called Trisulfa it is okay, if it is called Triple Sulfa it is not)

Rose

willowgirl

Thank you for responding and I'm sorry I keep on coming back with so many questions.

I will buy the trisulfa tomorrow. Unfortunately I called my two LFS and they don't carry the brand. The nearest Petco is quite far from me.

My fiancee just came to check on him and noticed he is chasing his tail just like a dog. Could it be that he is taking bits of his tail off That would explain the rapid change. If so, do I still medicate? Is this a symptom of something like itch?

I have rid fungus which is supposed to be 100% organic. Can I use that in the meantime and if so, do I need to get the carbon filter removed?

I also called the makers of bio-spira. They told me that after 72 hrs, the bacteria has settled in the gravel, filter and decorations so water changes should be OK, given my fishy's condition. I'm doing a small (25%) water change with Aquasafe as recommended by them. How does that sound?

COBettaCouple

Hmm.. it is totally possible that he is biting his tail. We've had 2 that have had that habit and kept their fins shorter. If he is biting his tail, then he wouldn't need the TriSulfa, just the other things to help fin regrowth. With our 2, it wasn't really a symptom of anything but they were just so fiesty that they'd see that tail waving around and go after it.

I'd recommend not using carbon except when removing meds. We lost a betta because of carbon in the filter and haven't had any problems running without it for almost a year now. The Rid Fungus is fine to add anytime that you want.

Don't worry about posting questions. You love your little fiesty guy and can't ask too many questions here.

willowgirl

Yes, he is definitely biting his tail. I just saw him. That's new. My theory is that probably he got some damage in the tail when he cut off his top fin so he is trying to relieve himself from the discomfort. having the extra room to swim around and catch his tail is not helping the cause either.

He acting extremely active tonight now that my fiancee is here. They have some sort of bond. It's too funny to watch. We put a couple things back on the tank to try to see if we can keep him busy and away from the tail.

I will do a search on how to remove the carbon out of the filter. Gosh, this is complicated but I'll get there. I'm sorry you lost your little betta buddy because of it. Did he swallow a piece? I kinda freaked out tonight about it as a couple pieces fell off the sponge.

I'm on close watch and no meds for now. I'll see what tomorrow brings.

Thank you so much for all of the help and support.

COBettaCouple

It's sometimes hard to tell exactly why they bite their tails.. some do it from boredom, some get fin damage and then when it regrows, they see the new growth as something strange and bite it.. some just are fiesty.. but since you confirmed what's causing the damage, it sounds like you can skip TriSulfa for now and help his fins heal with the other things and water changes.

They do form bonds, sometimes really fast. Our newest Betta, Rocky, formed an instant bond with Stacy as soon as he saw her.

What happened with Sora was that he had internal parasites and I forgot to remove the carbon before treating him. Talking to Dino helped me understand carbon and it's use. Our tanks have done better since I stopped using it.

An easy way to take carbon out of your filter, as well as save you a LOT of money is to look for this: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...1&c=3578+4150& .. you can order it online, or look for it at local stores. I think Petsmart carries it. You can get the uncut sheet of it and just cut pieces to fit whatever filter(s) that you have. It's durable and lasts for ages, saving you from buying replacement bags or cartridges at the store.

Martinismommy

That's the filter pad I use.....I got it at Petsmart....It's great! I keep extra little squares in Wills filter just in case I have another rescue come home...I took all the filters cartridges that came with my 5 gallon tanks and replaced it with this material.......

How is he doing this morning?

willowgirl

I left him in good spirits, He was playing with the bubbles from the filter. His tail looks more trimmed, not as shredded as before. I observed him for a long time this morning and there is no white patches anywhere in his tail. I'm really thinking he just got bored and chewed his tail off, who knows. This litte guy is so unpredictable. The top fin looks a little healed, less shreddy. That is definitely damage from something other than him. Unfortunately, I had to go to work.

He ate two bloodworms, this guy eats everything you throw at him I swear. The ammonia levels dropped a little <.25, so I'm hopeful the cycle will be over soon.

I will pass by petco to see if the have the filter sponges.

I also left the radio on so he hears some activity. Thank you for asking about him and thank you to all of you for your answers.

Martinismommy

You fit right into our circle of Betta parents! Who else would think of leaving the radio on for a fish lol

So glad to hear he is doing better!

COBettaCouple

LOL.. I love it! And you know.. they love little portable DVD players.

willowgirl

Well, if he gets better I already promised him an Ipod for x-mas. hehehe.
Yea, I'm losing it

tzqng8

I don't even have an iPod yet! I can't be so bad that Mori get's one before me...can I? NEVER!

COBettaCouple

LOL.. They like iPods.

willowgirl

Hi Guys,

I'm back with some updates. Alfie keeps on biting his tail. I tried everything. I gave him a place to hide, he used it to curl himself and get a good bite. I put floating plants, he does not care for them. I don't know what else to do. I moved the tank, still biting. Any suggestions?

COBettaCouple

Is his tank a hex tank? Some Bettas really get wild in those. If so, you might try covering the 'back' half of the tank with paper to see if it makes a difference. He could be seeing reflections of himself and getting riled up.

willowgirl

yes it is... I will try this next. Thank you. His old tank had a similar shape and he seemed fine. Uhhh.... ?
This little guy is something else.

Martinismommy

I actually put a backdrop around the back and come around the 2 sides....It seemed to help....I do agree, they can get rather crazy when they see their reflection....Does he seem to do it more when the light is on? That's what I noticed with my boys...

willowgirl

He does not like it with the lights on lately. He will pace around the tank like a maniac.

It must be that he is still catching his reflection in spite of the lights being off.

There is clearly something that's bothering him. I just can't seem to figure out what.

I just came back from work. He took a big chunk off his tail only a few mm from his body. At this rate, he is going to kill himself.


I bought natural plants. I am going to get him out of his tank, into a small tank I have and will rearrange to cover as much of the walls as possible. Let's see if it works....

Thank you.

COBettaCouple

He may need a different tank. For some reason, some Bettas just can't do the 5g hex tanks.

willowgirl

updates:
I rearranged his tank and put plants all around the walls. He seems calmer. He does not seem to have any new bites on his tail. I will wait a couple more days. If not, new tank it is. Thanks god the tank was not that expensive.

chickadee

Yes when they bite themselves it is definitely because something in their environment is making them upset with the way things are. I do hope the rearrangement works as it will save you from having to buy a new tank. If you have to get a new one, my suggestion would be try to get a tank that takes a filter like the one in the tank you have so you can use the same filter wheel and not have to start with a new cycle. If you have a bio-wheel in your 5 gallon hex I believe that the 6 gallon Eclipse uses the same size bio-wheel or if you want an entire new tank like a 10 gallon rectangle the Penguin HOB type filters use bio-wheels and the one that is made for the Penguin 100 is the same size bio-wheel. You could just change the wheel between the filter and the tank and it would keep the cycle going with no interuption. The Penguin is the one I have going on Diablo's tank and it does not bother him at all but I have a baffle on the front of it like so:

I take a WIDE piece of packing tape and staple a piece of filter pad to it and just let it fall in front of the opening to the filter and it keeps the flow from bothering him but does not cut down on the filtration from the filter.

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COBettaCouple

Sounds good and good luck. I hope that he doesn't bite his fins any more.