Aggressive Tail Biter Has Shredded His Tail

Hey all,
I've had my little Betta, Dexter, for almost a year now, and since the first week I bought him, he has bitten his tail to the point where it looks like it's gone through a paper shredded. I've never seen him actually do it, but it's my only guess as to what's causing his tail to look like that. The rest of his fins are normal and beautiful, it's only his tail that is shredded. It's not fin rot since these are jagged tear, some where large chunks are missing, and there is no redness/whiteness unless I see some bits of infection. I also don't think it's the filter because he tends to avoid it (he learned to avoid it after getting stuck on it the first week lol) and plus, I think I would have seen his other fins become damaged too if that were the case.

I've tried everything I can think of honestly to stop him from tail-biting. I've added more plants, rearranged his tank, moved the filter so there is a weaker current, gave him a mirror (someone here recommended it but he will flare at it all day, making him more angry so I removed it), gave him a floating log, and even a ping pong ball to play with... but his tail is still shredded. He is a very aggressive betta in general... he will obsessively flare at himself if he sees his reflection. To try and fix this, I taped paper on 3 sides of his tank to try and block out the reflections but he still managed to see himself enough to flare. I'm almost positive it's his reflection that is causing him to bite his tail, because when I bought him, his tail was untouched. And in those little containers, it's impossible for him to see his reflection... but within the first week of being in his tank, his tail was already ripped apart.

I've read online about some just having to deal with it since their bettas won't stop, and I'm worried I'm at that point. I don't know what else I can do to stop him. I make sure the water is clean every week to prevent infection, and if I see any kind of redness on his tail, I dose aquarium salt to help it heal. It's never become horribly infected or led to fin rot thankfully, but I also don't ever see much regrowth. I think he has permanently damaged parts of his tail since some areas refuse to grow back. That, or he just keeps biting it before it even has a chance to regrow.

Is there anything else I can try? The only solution I can think of would be to relocate him to something like a dark container to where he couldn't see reflections, but then he would never see out... and that wouldn't be fair to him. He is such a friendly little boy to us and loves it when people are near him, so I can't do that to him. I'll do anything else though if it will help him stop hurting himself.

 

would you be able to provide a picture?

 

I'm guessing your water parameters are alright, so how about temperature (what temp/range is the tank usually at) and lighting (do you have any lights set up? How often/how much artificial/natural light does the tank get)?

 

I've tried to get a picture of him but he never stops moving lol. I will try tomorrow once he's awake... maybe I can keep him still enough to show you guys. His lights are on 8 hours, from 2-10p.m. He does get sunlight though because he is near the window, so realistically he gets more light than I would like. He probably gets woken by the sunlight around 8-9 A.M. and stays somewhat awake before his lights come on. I have no other place to put him though... we moved him there since he was alone in my room before. I only come home during my breaks (I'm a student out of state) so he was basically lonely 99% of the day. At least with this spot, he has people in and out of the room with him. The trade off is, he gets extra light but it isn't direct sunlight. He's on a desk next to a bookshelf, so the shelf blocks out most of the direct light. It does cause algae problems though so maybe it is too much. I may change his lights to turn off earlier so he can get more sleep in actual darkness before being woken by the sunlight. Maybe the abundance of light is making him moody? And his temperate is about 78F, sometimes jumps to 80-82F during summer.

 

Here's some pics. I would say he has bitten down at least half of his tail. I don't even notice if he has bitten it anymore or not because it's always shredded. I have no idea what to do, honestly.

 

I may change his lights to turn off earlier so he can get more sleep in actual darkness before being woken by the sunlight. Maybe the abundance of light is making him moody?

It might be the light, I think. If the artificial light is too bright, it can make a betta feel uncomfortable because (if I recall correctly) they feel like they're vulnerable by sight. Does he have a couple things in his tank to hide/sleep in?

Maybe try changing up the light schedule like you mentioned, and see what happens? Alternatively, you can put some sheer material over the tank to dI'm the light a little bit? My delta tail bites his own fins if I don't put up some cardboard around the tank when I'm up late. Betta boys need their beauty sleep, I guess.

 

It might be the light, I think. If the artificial light is too bright, it can make a betta feel uncomfortable because (if I recall correctly) they feel like they're vulnerable by sight. Does he have a couple things in his tank to hide/sleep in?

Maybe try changing up the light schedule like you mentioned, and see what happens? Alternatively, you can put some sheer material over the tank to dI'm the light a little bit? My delta tail bites his own fins if I don't put up some cardboard around the tank when I'm up late. Betta boys need their beauty sleep, I guess.

That could be it... It's weird because my other betta is near a window as well and is on the same schedule, yet has never bitten his tail. I guess this little guy doesn't like the light too much lol. I'll find a way to try dimming it a bit, though I can't too much because of the plants. I may just have to move him someplace else though or somehow keep him covered during the morning... I'll definitely find some alternatives. He does have lots of hiding places but maybe I can add some more. I'll look and check online for a little cave that he can go in, since he absolutely LOVES his floating log! I'll play around with his tank and come up with something. Poor guy has just murdered his tail, breaks my heart to know he's stressed about something.

 

It's weird because my other betta is near a window as well and is on the same schedule, yet has never bitten his tail. I guess this little guy doesn't like the light too much lol.

Yeah, different bettas are different! My crowntail loves to sunbathe in the mornings... for some reason.

I'll look and check online for a little cave that he can go in, since he absolutely LOVES his floating log! I'll play around with his tank and come up with something. Poor guy has just murdered his tail, breaks my heart to know he's stressed about something.

Best of luck! He's lucky to have such a caring owner.

 

Yeah, different bettas are different! My crowntail loves to sunbathe in the mornings... for some reason.



Best of luck! He's lucky to have such a caring owner.

Thank you for those kind words. I'm truly trying to do anything I can for him to stop this awful habit of his.

I've made some changes; I slightly rearranged his tank with some new plants, added a ping pong ball to play with, some more floating plants (and more to come soon!) and went ahead and put some panty hose over the filter intake. I don't believe this is causing his tail to be shredded like this but I'm eliminating any possibility. His tank will be moved down a bit further from the window so hopefully that will mean he gets a little less sunlight. I'll also be changing his lights from 11a.m.-7p.m. I know it's not much different but hopefully, an earlier "bedtime" will allow him a bit more rest than usual. I'll push it earlier if nothing improves. I'll also be going to my LFS this week to look for some nice caves for him to hide in, as well as any other decoration that may be fun for him. I have noticed that whenever we aren't nearby, he tends to hide or rest on the plants, so I think he may just like darkness more than light. That's my only guess at this point, other than him possibly being stressed in the 5 gallon feeling as though it's not big enough? That wouldn't make too much sense though since he hadn't bitten any of his tail in the cup when I bought him... so I'm kind of still at a lose. I don't have much hope in his tail ever recovering, but as long as I get him to stop biting it further, I'll be happy. I'll continue making his tank more fun, filled with new things, and try and eliminate as much light as possible. I may even reduce the overall lighting time to 6 hours, as long as much plants can tolerate it. Time for some experimenting...