Je55*e

My betta friend, Mickey the Ram, has begun to develop shredded fins over the past week. I change his water, at least 25% of it, once a week, feed him either Omega One Betta pellets or San Francisco Bay brand frozen bloodworms. He is in a 3 gallon tank, heated and with filter, his rock gravel is light and not sharp, and none of his ornaments are sharp. I did remove one ornament that may have been too sharp for him, just in case, the other day.
His water parameters (which I just tested with my API FW kit before posting this) are as follows:
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 5.0

What could have happened, and what should I do? He's eating well and acting normally, but I'm worried that his fins will continue to shred. =(

harpua2002

Do you have any plastic plants? Those can tear his fins.

Martinismommy

Can you post a photo of him?

Je55*e

No, I have two silk (or, a soft material; they were bought from Walmart, so I don't know if it's actual silk:P) plants in with him, and an ornament I got at petsmart (can't find it on their site) that is a chinese-style lantern which is smooth all over. He loves to rest in it.

Je55*e

MM: I'm waiting for my sister to get home; she has the fancy camera that takes great photos, and my camera broke about a month ago. XP I won't even attempt it with my cellphone, which would not come out at all.

Je55*e

Here are some pictures. We had a lot of lighting trouble so forgive the quality.

Shawnie

do you have anything covering the filter intake? they sleep quite soundly and he could be getting sucked up in there...otherwise, id say hes bored and is a tail biter

aquarist48

Good morning. I've read in past posts that some members give their beta's a ping pong ball to play with. Just rinse it really well and place it in the tank. Maybe it will help him if he seems to bored and help to prevent the biting. (just an idea)
Ken

rebeccmh

It seems like you may have a tail biter. I have one too and it's very frustrating. Ken's idea sounds really good and is worth a try, but you can also try adding an airstone to create bubbles for him to play in to prevent boredom. Whatever you try, good luck and I hope his fins grow back healthy!

Je55*e

Thanks, everyone! That makes the most sense, the tail-biting. =( I feel badly that I haven't been entertaining him enough. I've never seen him do this, but I'm guessing they do it in private.
I will try the ping pong ball, though he has a toy in there that is similar; it's a glass ball that floats with a tiny glass turtle dangling into the tank. He's probably used to it by now.
Sounds like it's time to do some re-decorating. Oh, how I hate that!

Je55*e

I got Mickey some new silk plants and put in the ping pong ball. He doesn't seem to be playing with it, but he's interested in the plants.
Would it be all right to add API Stress Coat with aloe to help his fins get better? I always add Prime when I do water changes, and I just did one yesterday, so would that react badly with the Stress Coat?

Lucy

It shouldn't hurt. You can always do a small change today and switch to stress coast to help his fins. You're going to want to keep his water pristine to prevent infection.

Je55*e

Okay. Thanks a lot, Lucy!
Would you recommend daily water changes, or just several more times a week? As of now, I change 20-30% once a week.

COBettaCouple

Normally, the water changes would be weekly but for this I'd go daily and add garlic guard daily.

Je55*e

Where can I find garlic guard? Or should I just buy it online?

COBettaCouple

I usually have to find it online, but you could also try organic garlic juice (from minced garlic jars at the grocery store) or a little garlic powder mixed with clean treated water and added to the tank to get garlic in until you have garlic guard.

Je55*e

Update: have had the Garlic Guard for a month or so now, been using it every other day. Also been using the stress coat with water changes. With each water change, I exchange and move around his decorations. Mickey hasn't bitten his tail for about a month or more. =D Although it is taking some time to grow back. How long does it usually take, in anyone's experience?

Also, today is his first day in the 6 gallon! It is a well cycled tank (almost three years old) that housed my community fish before I moved them into the 20g. I did a 50% w/c and tested the water (ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5) before adding him with the majority of the water from his old tank.
Now I'll use his old 3g for a Betta lady. Will be my first female! =D

Je55*e

Also, the 6g is in my room, so I think it will be good for him to be around me more and he'll be amused by watching me wander and putter around in here while I'm home. :P