Betta Fish Ruined His Own Fins With Flow.

My Betta fish has always liked current, and the past week I've been so confused on why he had fin rot still. He is a rescue and I've had him for a few months. Cured the Ich and the fin rot after awhile. I just upgraded him to a 10 gal with a sponge filter. Then he started getting torn fins every other day, and they'd heal the next, and so on. Today I was home sick, and I didn't have his tank light on yet. From afar, I saw him attacking the bubbles from the filter. He wasn't stuck he was flaring and kept attacking it, and so I found out what was ruining his fins. Yesterday his fins we're almost all healed and today he ruined almost all of his caudal fin. He is crazy oh my gosh. I thought maybe he was seeing his reflection in the bubbles. I turned the flow down and now he has the walk of shame for stressing me out for so long.

His water quality is great and his fins should heal quickly like usual; I thought I'd share if anyone else is having "fin rot" issues and can't figure out why the "fin rot" won't go away.

Other than his now ragged find he's the healthiest and most active fish ever I think he's bored or something. Might get him a friend.

 

I have a betta fish that loves being in the water flow. He literally just laid there in the flow. A few times I thought he had died and was sucked up into it.

I changed him into a new tank, so he now wraps himself around the new filter intake ... the fish is weird. He hasn't done it since my other betta got to him (divided tank, I am still upset about it) and took off his tail! He looked like a rose petal, now I should call him stump. Some fish are just weird.

 

yea bettas will fin bite if they feel too "in the open" and vulnerable
you could try adding a couple more hiding spots and live plants to help him get used to the larger space

 

yea bettas will fin bite if they feel too "in the open" and vulnerable
you could try adding a couple more hiding spots and live plants to help him get used to the larger space

He's been in there for awhile the plants should grow, and there is a dwarf lily as well that will grow quite large. He's not fin biting though. I just added plants, and he sits in the java fern at the top of the tank often he also has duckweed to hide under.

 

He's been in there for awhile the plants should grow, and there is a dwarf lily as well that will grow quite large. He's not fin biting though. I just added plants, and he sits in the java fern at the top of the tank often he also has duckweed to hide under.

not sure how it could be fin rot if you have good water quality though
I can't see how a bettas fins could get damaged on sponge filter
could you post a closer pic of the tail?

 

I have a betta fish that loves being in the water flow. He literally just laid there in the flow. A few times I thought he had died and was sucked up into it.

I changed him into a new tank, so he now wraps himself around the new filter intake ... the fish is weird. He hasn't done it since my other betta got to him (divided tank, I am still upset about it) and took off his tail! He looked like a rose petal, now I should call him stump. Some fish are just weird.

My betta would probably do the if there was a filter intake haha!!

Sorry about your fish divider, bettas are merciless even against water flow apparently

 

not sure how it could be fin rot if you have good water quality though
I can't see how a bettas fins could get damaged on sponge filter
could you post a closer pic of the tail?

Oh I was saying it's not fin rot. I watched him attacking the bubbles he was flaring and kept swimming all around it was really agressive, I'm not surprised. Sometimes some Bettas can even tear their fins by flaring. It's not eaten away there are long threads and yesterday it was almost all there. I'll send a pic

 

Oh I was saying it's not fin rot. I watched him attacking the bubbles he was flaring and kept swimming all around it was really agressive, I'm not surprised. Sometimes some Bettas can even tear their fins by flaring. It's not eaten away there are long threads and yesterday it was almost all there. I'll send a pic View attachment 537028

my first betta looked the same as yours and it did this too
the only thing I could do to make it stop was add a bunch more plants
maybe you could try the sweet potato thing like in this video

or hornwort or something

my veil tail was insane lol

oh and you can also get a back flow valve with flow adjuster knob

 

my first betta looked the same as yours and it did this too
the only thing I could do to make it stop was add a bunch more plants
maybe you could try the sweet potato thing like in this video

or hornwort or something

my veil tail was insane lol

oh and you can also get a back flow valve with flow adjuster knob

I have more plants but they are growing out in my 29, did your Betta attack the water flow?

I took off the background as well I think he was seeing his reflection he's not doing it anymore

I also said earlier I had adjusted the flow, it's not tail biting

 

Maybe try changing the filter to one like this one? They are super cheap on amazon. I got four for around $12. You can adjust the top piece and raise and lower it. Maybe if you did that you could raise it high enough he couldn’t get in the bubbles and tear up his fins?

 

Maybe try changing the filter to one like this one? They are super cheap on amazon. I got four for around $12. You can adjust the top piece and raise and lower it. Maybe if you did that you could raise it high enough he couldn’t get in the bubbles and tear up his fins?

Thank you, I plan to make a different filter. Right now the flow is low and he isn't attacking it

 

My betta would probably do the if there was a filter intake haha!!

Sorry about your fish divider, bettas are merciless even against water flow apparently

Don’t I know it. My little guy looks horrible. The other one died. I was so mad at myself.