10 Gallon Tank Betta is recovering from fin rot but is very inactive

Hi all,

Hoping someone might be able to give me some advice about recovery from fin rot.

My (male) rosetail betta got sick a few weeks ago. I couldn't tell what it was at first but eventually found it was fin rot. The local pet store gave me some medicine for him (Interpet Fungus & Fin Rot) and I tried adding it to the water. It was supposed to help within a week but it seemed to make him worse! His fins deteriorated significantly and he just stopped moving around. it didn't reach his body but there was a lot of damaged to his fins/tail.

I immediately did a full water change and started to treat my fish with daily salt water baths and frequent water changes instead. For the first 10 days, I would keep him in the salt water bath for about 9 minutes. It made a big difference and his fins have started to heal. All the frayed ends have fallen off but I can see clear tissue/membrane growing between the spines that were not destroyed.

After the first 10 days, I reduced the time in the salt bath to 6 minutes and change the water every 3 days. He is in a 10 gallon tank on his own, heated to 79/80 degrees F.

I tried to reduce the frequency of the salt baths but the ends of his fins started to look like they were rotting again so I have continued them on most days. It has now been three weeks since I started the salt baths.

My fish is healing but I am worried because he is not becoming more active. He doesn't move around much at all. He spends most of his time in the bottom corner of the tank. He never goes up to the surface (I have reduced the water level so it's only about half-full). He won't even come for food.

To feed him, I put him in a small bucket with just over half a gallon of water treated with Tap Safe and heated to the same temperature as the tank. I lift him out the tank with a net and feed him while he's in the bucket. He eats in the bucket but won't eat in his tank as he is trying to escape back to his corner. I feed him three pellets of Hikari Betta Bio Gold. He used to eat daphnia too but he refuses all other food since he got sick and will only eat the Hikari pellets. I used to feed him twice a day but only feed him once a day while he is sick as I don't want him to get bloated or have stomach trouble too.

I think it could take a lot longer for his fins to grow back fully but he is definitely better. I'm just worried that he is so inactive. I know he's not incapable of swimming as he runs away when I try to get him in the net. He's very fast but he goes in short bursts. His front fins do move when he's running away but then he just stays in the same place.

Water parameters are all ok and there are no tank mates. He actually got sick because the heater malfunctioned and caused some major changes in the temperature that stressed him out. I had a new backup heater so I was able to replace it as soon as I saw it wasn't working properly but the damage was done and the medicine didn't help at all.

I don't usually add anything else to the tank water apart from Tap Safe and some additional Filter Boost but I've got some Attison Betta Spa (almond leaf extract with added calcium) and have used some today in case it helps.

Is there anything I can do to help him or just keep looking after him and wait for his fins to regrow fully?

 

Hi,

Love your user name!!!

So sorry about your little boy! Could you post a pic or two of him? Just wondering what his color/s are, and what his fins look like.

I think that taking him out to feed him is stressful for him. Is the net doing damage to his fins? I have found that many fish nets do damage to betta fins.

The betta spa may help. Adding real Indian almond leaves to his tank may work a little better. The tannins that they release will be all natural. Tannins will tint the water brown, but tannins have some slight antibacterial and antifungal properties and will help with healing. And bettas do love the stuff!

Keeping the water level low is very helpful. If you haven't tried soaking his pellets before you feed him, try soaking them in garlic juice. It will give his immune system a boost.

Using salt for the amount of time that you have used it may make it ineffective as a treatment. Maybe we can help more if you can post a few pics.

 

Constantly netting him and removing him for feedings and baths could be causing significant stress, making his fins worse. Stress lowers a fish's immune system and can allow opportunistic infections to take hold. Depending on how bad the fin rot is he may benefit the most from just clean water. In my experience clean water is usually the best medicine and can greatly aid in a fish's ability to heal from infections.

Salt treatments should also only be done for 2 weeks max so I would recommend stopping them. By now the bacteria have likely built up a resistance to it.

To me it sounds like the inactivity is linked to a highly stressful environment. He's likely too scared to come up to the surface for food because he's constantly being netted and taken out of his tank and/or has no appetite from the stress. Try to leave him alone for a few days with the lights off. He needs to become comfortable once again in his environment and feel safe.

 

Yes first step to healing these small fish is to not bother it. Keeping water clean and water level lower is great and seems like you are on the right track already.

Hikari Betta Bio Gold is not the best food, I would look for a higher protein % food especially for healing fins. The best for recovering fish would be live food but if I don't have them I'll use freeze-dried blood worms.

 

My recommendations for betta food are Omega One betta pellets, which is high in protein and low in fillers, Fluval Bug Bits - there is a betta formula and sinking granules, frozen daphnia, baby brine shrimp, or frozen blood worms.

And don't forget about the garlic juice!

 

Thank you so much for the replies!

I have attached some pictures. One is from before he got sick and the other is recent. I tried to get one today but he is sat with his fins down. If I can get one with his fins showing I will upload it. There has been improvement since that picture was taken, there is a lot more clear tissue formed. His fins are filling in the gaps where it wasted away.

I don't think the net has done any damage to his fins, it's very fine and thin. Even when the fins were at their worst, I could see small pieces of fin in the tank but none in the net. His fins have stopped deteriorating now.

He does run away when I try to get him in the net but he settles down once he's in the bucket and has food in front of him. He eats fine though it takes him longer to eat. He takes his time but his appetite is ok.

I will stop the salt baths and try leaving him alone for a couple of days as advised but I do worry about him not eating. He is already so weak.

He loves the Hikari pellets but I will try to order him some Omega One if they are better. I used to feed him daphnia a couple of times a week and occasionally blood worms but he only wants the pellets now and refuses everything else.

Is there anything else I can do to help him?

 

You can try feeding him in his tank using a pipette or a turkey baster, if you could make that work. You wouldn't have to net him in order to feed him. You could put the food right by him, or right in front of him. It's worth a try!

His fin issues are one thing, but his lethargy is another. See how he does for the next couple of days without the salt baths. I would do small water changes every other day - maybe 20 to 25%, in order to keep his water pristine. I am not sure if the lethargy is due to the fin rot, the stress, or something else.

 

Unfortunately there has been no improvement after three days.

I stopped the salt baths completely but today I noticed that the tips of his fins are now a dark colour. They look a bit like the fin rot but I'm not entirely sure. I will watch closely and see if it increases.

I tried to feed him without taking him out the tank but it didn't work. I had a hard time getting his food down to him. When I finally managed to get some pellets to sink down to him, he ignored them and didn't eat for two days.

Today I tried again but he wasn't interested so I had to get him out of the tank again. He's really thin and weak, I can't leave him without food. He ate just fine in the container though he does eat very slowly now. The water in the container was from the tank so no difference there.

He actually seems even more lethargic since I stopped the salt baths. I also noticed he gets tired quickly and just doesn't seem to have the energy to move though that might be due to not eating.

I'm wondering if he might have some internal problem.

 

So sorry that he's not getting any better!

I guess if the only way for him to eat is by taking him out and feeding him in the container, then do what works.

The dark on his fins may be his original color, as in the first pic, I see a lot of black on the ends of his fins. Does he have any regrowth at all?

How long have you had your betta?

If you want to try to dose him for a bacterial infection, then a broad spectrum antibiotic might help. I read about the product that you used (Interpret Fungus and Fin Rot) to see what the active ingredient is, and I found somewhere that said it is phenoxyethanol, which is used as a fish anesthetic. I'm not sure how helpful that is. If your local fish store has something that has maybe a sulfa drug, or kanamycin, or minocycline, that might help. If you have access to something like Polyguard by Seachem, that is very broad spectrum as well.

It really is hard to diagnose some diseases when lethargy and loss of apetite are the main symptoms. He is thin, so that could be from an internal infection, or maybe even from internal parasites. I would rule out parasites if you have had him for a while. Usually if they come home with you and have internal parasites, you find out about it really soon afterwards. If you just got him recently, then it is a possiblility that he may have internal parasites. Those can be treated by using a medicated food or powder. I use levamisole, but there are other things available. Just not sure what is available in your area.

Sorry, I know that this is a lot, but just trying to be thorough. I hope it helps!

 

I managed to get a picture of him so you can see the regrowth. I can't tell if his fins are getting longer but there is a lot of clear tissue filling in the parts where it wasted away. I'm not sure about the tips, I'll have to keep checking every day and see.

He is less than a year old. He was about 4 months old when I got him (from a breeder, not the pet store) and I have had him nearly 7 months.

I had a look for those products but I don't think they are sold in the UK. Even Amazon or EBay don't have them. The local store only has Interpet Anti Internal Bacteria. It says the active ingredients are Bronopol, Formaldehyde and Benzalkonium. It says it will treat a few illnesses including 'listlessness'. Will that be ok?

 

What's the pH of your water? Im seeing some skin burns. Again, I would not net or handle a sick fish so much. The scratches and removal of slimecoat is not easily seen but is very damaging to the fish.

 

What's the pH of your water? Im seeing some skin burns. Again, I would not net or handle a sick fish so much. The scratches and removal of slimecoat is not easily seen but is very damaging to the fish.

Is it the pale lines across his body?

I don't want to take him out but he wouldn't eat for two days. He just ignored the food and left it there.

The PH is between 7.0 and 7.5 when I test every week.

I use some Tap Safe or Stress Coat and usually no other chemicals in the water. I recently added a bit of the Attison Betta Spa to try and help him.

The water is heated to 78-79F it feels cool to touch. Should I drop the temperature down?

 

The water is heated to 78-79F it feels cool to touch. Should I drop the temperature down?

I wouldnt mess with temperature, just water changes and maintaining water quality. To avoid stress I always drip water back unless its a big fish. I would also feed something else, that food is not the best. More meaty foods like bloodworms or daphnia is better

 

The fin regrowth will be clear, so his fins are healing.

If all you have is the Interpret, then you could try dosing him with another round of that.

And keep up with the water changes and the aquarium salt treatment.

And try soaking his food in garlic juice for the immune boost, if he will eat it.

 

Just wanted to add that using feeding tongs can help get the food to him in the tank. My betta is shy and prefers eating from the tongs vs when I use my finger to drop pellets in.

 

I really appreciate all of you trying to help me, it means a lot. I'm desperate to help him but totally lost.

I got him some bloodworms today and managed to get one down to him in his tank. He completely ignored it. It was in front of him and he just wasn't interested.

I tried with a second worm and he ignored that too. I left him for a couple of hours and the worms were still there.

I had to put him in the container to eat again. I tried giving him a worm at first. He took a little bit and then spat it out immediately. He ate his Hikari pellets without any fuss.

So far he has rejected every food in the tank. He will eat the Hikari pellets if I put him in the container but he has rejected blood worms, Daphnia and some Ocean Nutrition pellets I tried.

I got some of the Interpet Anti Internal Bacteria medicine so I will try a little bit of that when I do his water change tomorrow. I won't use the Anti Fungus and Fin Rot stuff, it nearly killed him last time.

I'm completely lost at what to do for him. I'm doing partial water changes every second day and stopped the salt baths. I check in on him but don't bother him at all during the day except for the evening when i feed him his pellets.

I actually didn't know there were feeding tongs, I'll see if I can order some. Should I get the straight ones or curved?

 

Seems like he might not like his main tank. I don't know if that's an issue or not, really hard to diagnose across the internet...

All I can say is small fish like betta are fragile as it is, I never handle them or move them around or make too many changes at once. Just big water changes (close to 75 - 100%) everyday with a drip system is the most I do. But this already requires a lot of effort and tools (eg. water reservoir, drip setup, heaters, aerators etc)

 

The curved tongs will allow you to drop food in an area if he is hiding underneath something. I would go with the curved ones.

Sending good thoughts your way!!!

 

I have ordered the feeding tongs so hopefully I can get him to start eating in the tank.

I tried again today but no luck. I made some garlic juice and soaked a few different foods. I tried blood worms, Daphnia and his pellets but he just ignored them when I put them in the tank.

I had to put him in the container again and he rejected the garlic soaked food in there too, even the pellets. I gave him some pellets without garlic and he ate them as normal without any problem.

I really can't tell what the problem is. The tank is the same as it has always been. Same ornaments and layout. The only difference I can think of is the previous heater may have been running colder than the new one. It's the same model set to the same temperature but the old one wasn't working properly and I think there may have been times it failed to turn on or turned off without fully heating up. I have had the new one for about 6 weeks now so I would think he is adjusted to it.

His filter is the same and I have it redirected against one side of the tank so it doesn't cause too much movement on the surface. I have an air pump with two small air stones.

He isn't getting any worse as far as I can tell and his fins are slowly recovering. He just isn't active at all and won't eat anything in his tank. He won't even come to the surface.

 

If he is eating his pellets, then that is good. And his fins are healing, too!

It is strange that he won't move in his tank at all. Is it very reflective? Just a weird thought...

 

No, the tank isn't very reflective as far as I can tell. It's been in the same place for years so I don't think it would bother him now.

Unfortunately it was a mistake to stop his salt baths. The dark parts that appeared on the tips of his fins are fin rot. Comparing him today to the pictures from a few days ago, he has lost some of the fin he had and some of the regrowth, especially on his tail and at the top (dorsal fin?)

I don't want to risk the fungus & fin rot medicine as it hurt him badly last time and he is weaker now. I will stick with aquarium salt and water changes.

 

The next time that you net him to feed him, take some hydrogen peroxide, put it on a q tip, and swab his fins. If you are netting him daily, you can do this daily. Just make sure that you don't get any hydrogen peroxide in his eyes on near his gills. Since you are netting him anyway, this would be a perfect time to try the hydrogen peroxide. I have done this before on two of my bettas, and it helped. When you put him back into his tank, you may see some bubbles in the tank water from the hydrogen peroxide. Don't be alarmed. It is ok. Hydrogen peroxide dissipates quickly.

 

I'll try if it will help him. I can see there is various strength Hydrogen Peroxide available Is 3% ok or does it have to be stronger? Also do I dilute it or just put it on as it is?

 

I may have missed this...Why are you moving him for the feedings? I know others have said this, but it just seems like the constant netting and transferring has to be hugely stressful for him and counter productive to healing. Could you change his main tank to be more like the bucket if he is more comfortable in that type of environment while he is recovering? I noticed some fake plants in your pics, are there any sharp edges on them he could be damaging his fins on which could also make him hesitant to move around in there?

 

I'll try if it will help him. I can see there is various strength Hydrogen Peroxide available Is 3% ok or does it have to be stronger? Also do I dilute it or just put it on as it is?

That strength is fine. Don't dilute it. Just swab it on carefully. Hopefully it will help kill off that strain of bacteria that is causing the fin rot.

 

I may have missed this...Why are you moving him for the feedings? I know others have said this, but it just seems like the constant netting and transferring has to be hugely stressful for him and counter productive to healing. Could you change his main tank to be more like the bucket if he is more comfortable in that type of environment while he is recovering? I noticed some fake plants in your pics, are there any sharp edges on them he could be damaging his fins on which could also make him hesitant to move around in there?

He won't eat in his tank. I've tried lots of different foods and soaking them in garlic etc. Nothing works. I put the food in front of him and he ignores it. I leave it there and he lets it rot.

He will only eat his pellets and he will only eat them if I put him in the net in the bucket.

He's not in there long, less than five minutes. He doesn't move around in there. He sits in the net and comes for his pellets when I drop them in. When he's finished I put him back and he swims back to his usual spot.

I tried leaving him for a couple of days and he didn't eat. He will starve himself if I don't take him out.

There aren't any sharp edges on the plants. The leaves are silk and the stems are rounded, soft plastic. They are the same plants he had since I got him and there has never been a problem.

The tank is the same it has always been. It's in the same position with the same decorations/layout. The water in the bucket is taken from the tank before I get him in the net and then I top up the tank with clean water.

The heater is the same model and at the same temperature. The filter is the same. I tried changing to a different filter for a few days and it made no difference.