Betta Tail Half Gone? (picture Heavy)

I need some grand ol help! I'm VERY VERY new to actually responsibly owning a betta fish. I'm currently 18, growing up my dad had Cichlids in a big tank but he knew nothing about bettas. My mom and dad believed the whole "bettas live in tiny mud puddles and hop from puddle to puddle in the wild before the water dries up" schtik. We would keep our betta in a glass bowl, my dad would condition the water because it was common sense to him at that point that ATLEAST the water needed to be conditioned but we never kept them filtered or anything like you should. Surprsingly the bettas lived for about 2-3 years. I recently got my current male betta and I'm reading up on things and educating myself now but I think he's sick or has something! Ill put the emergency form here because it still provides the nessecary info.

Tank

• What is the water volume of the tank? : 2.5 Gallons (Currently have a 10 gal set up and preparing it for him. Although I'm still figuring out how to cycle it before I put him in)
• Does it have a filter? : Yes
• Does it have a heater? : Yes
• What is the water temperature? : 74-78 degrees
• What is the entire stocking of this tank? : My one Male betta (either a halfmoon or Rosetail) and one Plant rooted onto a rock I got from petsmart.

Maintenance

• How often do you change the water? : I actually did the first water change today. I got him on November 10th but I didnt know about water changes until recently. I just let the filter do the work all that time and I even checked all the water levels and they all came out fine prior to the change.
• How much of the water do you change? : I did a 60% Change
• What do you use to treat your water? : I was using Aquasafe for bettas but this time I used Aqueon Water Conditioner
• Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? : Both. I vaccumed the gravel and then all the fly away stuff that didnt get sucked up.

Parameters

• Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? : When I first put him in I set up the tank, put the conditioner in it and just put him in. I just wanted to get him out of that tiny awful plastic cup
• What do you use to test the water? : PH test strips (They test the nitrites and nitrates as well as kh and GH)
• What are your parameters? We need the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”. : I haven't tested in a bit and I just did a water change.

Ammonia:
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
pH: Normally 7.0

Feeding

• How often do you feed your fish? : Twice a day; Once in the morning and once at night
• How much do you feed your fish? : Three pellets. I read that their stomach is as big as their eyeball so I keep it to that size.
• What brand of food do you feed your fish? : Aqueon Betta Food
• Do you feed frozen or freeze-dried foods? : Pellets

Illness & Symptoms:

• How long have you had this fish? : 54 days exactly
• How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? : About a week or two ago
• In a few words, (more room for details below) what are the symptoms? : Half of his tail is gone, and he has little black marks on his fins
• Have you started any treatment for the illness? : Ive tried using Bettafix incase its fin rot but it happened so suddenly that it seems like it ripped?
• Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? : Not that I could see no. I checked him before I bought him and upon arriving back home. He's always had the black spots though.
• How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? : His behavior hasnt changed. He darts for food, chases my face, Quite an active swimmer.

Please explain your emergency in the best detail possible. (Please use this area to tell us the story of when this emergency began and leading up to now.) : I got him from Petsmart on November 10th along with his 2.5 gallon tank that came with a filter. I eventually got him a heater as well. He's a golden white betta, either a Rosetail or a Halfmoon and he's always had these small black parts on his fins. I don't know if that's just pigment. I haven't ever done a water change because I didnt know about them but I just did one today and about one or two weeks ago, I noticed that his tail fin looked like it was ripped in half. I freaked out and checked EVERYWHERE in his tank for the piece of fin. I checked the filter, the inside of his home, the gravel, the little plants, any sharp things if there were any, everything, but that part of his tail was just gone. The previous day he looked just fine, I didnt take a good look at him so if its tail rot I just haven't noticed over time. I looked it up and saw they could get fin rot so I went to the store and got some betta fix. I dosed him for a few days but no new growth was showing and his tail was staying the same length as well as the black spots not changing. Still to this day his tail hasnt gained any length that ive seen and he's looked really pale, even for a white goldenish betta. I have pictures of before and after.

BEFORE:







AFTER:






^^ ^ That's the black stuff at the base of his fins

 

HI there! It looks like finrot to me. It’s caused by bad water quality. Do daily 25-50% water changes until it heals back and you need to find out what your ammonia levels are. Because the tank isn’t cycled it is likely they are high and can kill your fish if you’re not careful.

 

HI there! It looks like finrot to me. It’s caused by bad water quality. Do daily 25-50% water changes until it heals back and you need to find out what your ammonia levels are. Because the tank isn’t cycled it is likely they are high and can kill your fish if you’re not careful.

Thank you! I just ran out of strips and ill try to go get some today! Everytime I change The water do I add more water conditioner? I use a glass measuring cup so I do it 1 liter at a time. The bottle of conditioner says 5 ml per 10 gallons so how many drops would I add in 1 liter and do I do conditioner in each liter?

 

I want to say that he's probably biting his tail. long-finned bettas can do that if they're bored, stressed, or if water conditions are bad. they also get weighed down by their long finnage so they do it to help them swim better.

since you didn't cycle your tank or do a water change for a while, he may be stressed by whatever your parameters are. I strongly advise testing your water source to see how much ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates there are. having a test kit that also tests for ammonia during cycling a tank is essential. in the long term, the apI freshwater liquid master test kit is going to save you money. test strips are typically inaccurate, and get expensive since you have to keep buying them. plus they don't always test for ammonia.

it also helps to have a water conditioner that will detox a certain amount of ammonia for at least 24 hours, such as seachem prime.

other possible causes for tail biting could be that the flow from his filter is too powerful and it's hindering his ability to swim. his tail may not be healing quickly because you need to do a lot of water changes with pristine water (0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, low nitrates). since you have a pretty small tank, and it's uncycled, the water may get dirty faster.

(if you're talking about the black spots at the base of his dorsal fin, that's just his colouring.)

 

I don't know, the edges are to clean to be fin biting to me. I say it looks like fin rot and it's caused by poor water quality.

Test strips are inaccurate at testing the water, so you should invest in a liquid test kit. Bettafix and any of the other medications with 'fix' at the end of it are scam medications because they barely do anything and are basically some diluted essential oil. I agree with treating with 25-50% water changes until you see clear/white fon regrowth. Indian Almond Leaves or Stressguard are very therapeutic for bettas and promote the healing process if you can get your hands on one of those.

Diet is what's most important in health. You should feed a variety of foods because one type of food may lack essential nutrients that othersay have. Your pellets are full of fillers, so you may want to buy a higher quality pellet (New Life Spectrum, Omega One, or Fluval Bug Bites) and other types of food.

5ml/10 gallons=0.5ml/1 gallon
1 galllon= approx. 4 liters÷4=1 liter
0.5=10 drops÷4=2.5 drops
2.5 drops/liter of water

 

try some aquarium salt I use it on all my betta fish

 

My advice is to put him in a pristine Betta jar/unit to treat him effectively. Treat with Betafix (or Aquarium salt).
He looks icky but doesn't require any heavy medication.
Get him a male neighbour so he flares and shakes those fins regularly.
And keep his water CLEAN!

To ensure a really clean jar, wash thoroughly weekly (at the longest) and rub salt into all the corners and accessories. (Some people use bleach effectively)
Rinse.
Fill jar/unit with clean, fresh Primed water.

Return him to his balanced, cycled tank when all signs of condition are gone.

 

My advice is to put him in a pristine Betta jar/unit to treat him effectively. Treat with Betafix (or Aquarium salt).
He looks icky but doesn't require any heavy medication.
Get him a male neighbour so he flares and shakes those fins regularly.
And keep his water CLEAN!

To ensure a really clean jar, wash thoroughly weekly (at the longest) and rub salt into all the corners and accessories. (Some people use bleach effectively)
Rinse.
Fill jar/unit with clean, fresh Primed water.

Return him to his balanced, cycled tank when all signs of condition are gone.

What do you mean by rub salt into the sides and accessories? Also, I don't know if I can quarantine him because this little tank is the only thing I own that's good enough for a fish besides my 10 gallon I'm trying to cycle rn. Is it okay to put him in a jar jar? Like a big glass jar?

I want to say that he's probably biting his tail. long-finned bettas can do that if they're bored, stressed, or if water conditions are bad. they also get weighed down by their long finnage so they do it to help them swim better.

since you didn't cycle your tank or do a water change for a while, he may be stressed by whatever your parameters are. I strongly advise testing your water source to see how much ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates there are. having a test kit that also tests for ammonia during cycling a tank is essential. in the long term, the apI freshwater liquid master test kit is going to save you money. test strips are typically inaccurate, and get expensive since you have to keep buying them. plus they don't always test for ammonia.

it also helps to have a water conditioner that will detox a certain amount of ammonia for at least 24 hours, such as seachem prime.

other possible causes for tail biting could be that the flow from his filter is too powerful and it's hindering his ability to swim. his tail may not be healing quickly because you need to do a lot of water changes with pristine water (0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, low nitrates). since you have a pretty small tank, and it's uncycled, the water may get dirty faster.

(if you're talking about the black spots at the base of his dorsal fin, that's just his colouring.)

I am currently cycling a 10 gallon tank. I do notice that his filter has a bit of a closeness to him so it may be hindering his swimming. Is there anyway I can throttle the filter until I get him in the bigger tank?

 

All of that is unnecessary. Most cases of finrot can be cured with just clean water.

Edit: oops I replied to the wrong comment. Yes you can ise a water bottle (youtube how to do it) and cut it and place on the outtake to where it disperses the flow. Or you could just get your own sponge filter.

 

What do you mean by rub salt into the sides and accessories? Also, I don't know if I can quarantine him because this little tank is the only thing I own that's good enough for a fish besides my 10 gallon I'm trying to cycle rn. Is it okay to put him in a jar jar? Like a big glass jar?

A BIG glass jar will suffice, 2 litres +.
The bigger the better, of course, but you have to clean it thoroughly weekly, so it needs to be easy to handle. I know it sounds a big deal but not really, when you compare it to balancing an aquarium.

 

A BIG glass jar will suffice, 2 litres +.
The bigger the better, of course, but you have to clean it thoroughly weekly, so it needs to be easy to handle. I know it sounds a big deal but not really, when you compare it to balancing an aquarium.

I don't have enough money for a master kit ph tester but I did manage to grab the last bottle of Seachem Prime. I also bought two zebra danios to help me quick cycle my 10 gal because I'm too nervous to work with pure ammonia and I don't think my betta would survive the cycling

 

Okay.
So put your betta in a jar, it may be plastic, but it MUST be clean.
Fill with fresh water treated with Prime.
Thoroughly clean WEEKLY.
If its cold over there you will need a heater.

Now the tank.
Balancing a tank is entirely different.

To balance a tank you need fish waste to create ammonia. 2 zebra danios will not create much waste. Bigger and tougher fish like Platys or Mollies are better.

If you can't afford a test kit, this is the way to go (it will be much slower with zebras creating your cycle).

You need to do water changes DAILY of 1/4 of your tank water (remember to Prime new water).

Have your tank water tested at your LFS. We want to eventually arrive at Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, and NitrAte starting to show, and climb. This is a CYCLE!

Have your water tested every 2 weeks.

Once Ammonia is 0, Nitrites are 0 and your Nitrates are starting to show, weekly water changes should keep your tank in balance,

Plants will help keep your tank balanced.

So much more to know but this forms the basis!

 

Okay.
So put your betta in a jar, it may be plastic, but it MUST be clean.
Fill with fresh water treated with Prime.
Thoroughly clean WEEKLY.
If its cold over there you will need a heater.

Now the tank.
Balancing a tank is entirely different.

To balance a tank you need fish waste to create ammonia. 2 zebra danios will not create much waste. Bigger and tougher fish like Platys or Mollies are better.

If you can't afford a test kit, this is the way to go (it will be much slower with zebras creating your cycle).

You need to do water changes DAILY of 1/4 of your tank water (remember to Prime new water).

Have your tank water tested at your LFS. We want to eventually arrive at Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, and NitrAte starting to show, and climb. This is a CYCLE!

Have your water tested every 2 weeks.

Once Ammonia is 0, Nitrites are 0 and your Nitrates are starting to show, weekly water changes should keep your tank in balance,

Plants will help keep your tank balanced.

So much more to know but this forms the basis!

Thank you so much! You honestly do not know how grateful I am to hear steps! Ive been looking everywhere but its all steps that explain it like you should already know what everything means! Is there a way I could add a platy or mollie with my danios? I currently have a 10 gallon tank with three live plants in it and just the two danios now. I got two danios because I read that 10 gallons = 1 fish (Emergency: Performing a Fish-in Cycle The RIGHT Way)

 

My pleasure, Nic Nac.
Yes, I reckon you can add 2 platys or 2 balloon mollies (smaller) with the zebras. They will create a hearty amount of ammonia. But remember the water changes, every single day until your cycle is complete.
Any worries, just ask

 

I had one once whose tail got in sad shape like this. Daily water changes with stressguard added quickly stopped the rot, started regrowth within a week or two.

Good luck with your fish!!

 

Hi-- hate to confuse but his fins look just like what I have been going through with Bubba- the edges of the fins start receding in a scallop pattern ( no clue). How long did it take for his fins to get like this?

Bubba had fin rot last year and his tail literally disintegrated. Flesh came off and exposed thin little bones then all fell off.
What I see here and now currently in Bubba is like a scallop edge. Are there different severeties and types of Fin Rot? I am also trying water changes and dosing Prime as my levels went bad after medicating. Wonder if he is fin biting?

 

I don't know about rubbing salt on equipment to clean it, that makes no sense to me, but please, don't go buying a male to put next to him to "flare and shake his fins regularly"
That's just stressful for them and unnecessary. Youve gotten a ton of advice. I would get an API test kit, a bottle of Stability and a bottle of Prime, and some indian almond leaves. Test the water, do whatever water change is needed, add prime to the new water and start your first of 7 days of Stabilty, which will get your tank cycled by starting the bacteria colony. Then add in your leaves, like 1/2-1 and get the water tinted like tea. It has antifungal & antibacterial properties and can be done with any medication. But thats.where id start. Then later add live plants. Bettas love them