Fin nip or fin rot? Betta back fin

My betta, Ralph, has some chunks missing from his tail. I’ve attached a picture! Does this look like fin rot or fin nipping? He does not have any tank mates except for a snail. I noticed this yesterday and it seems a little worse this morning than last night.
I’m going to comment with the emergency template below.


Tank
What is the water volume of the tank? 10 gal
How long has the tank been running? 3 months
Does it have a filter? Yes
Does it have a heater? Yes
What is the water temperature? 80 F
What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.) 1 male betta and 1 Nerite snail

Maintenance
How often do you change the water? 50% every 2 weeks
How much of the water do you change? 50 %
What do you use to treat your water? Prime
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? Substrate

*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? Yes
What do you use to test the water? Top fin test kit and API GH/KH kit
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: <5ppm
pH: 7

Feeding
How often do you feed your fish? Twice a day
How much do you feed your fish? In one feeding, 2-3 pellets of omega one, 5-6 bits of bug bites, or 5-6 new life spectrum pellets (they’re very small).
What brand of food do you feed your fish? Omega betta pellets, new life spectrum pellets, bug bites, or occasional frozen blood worm.
Do you feed frozen? Occasionally
Do you feed freeze-dried foods? No

Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish? 2 months
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? Yesterday
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? Chunks missing from fin
Have you started any treatment for the illness? Water change 50%
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? No
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? Resting at the bottom a bit more but still very active. Eating normally.

My betta, Ralph, has some chunks missing from his tail. I’ve attached a picture! Does this look like fin rot or fin nipping? He does not have any tank mates except for a snail. I noticed this yesterday and it seems a little worse this morning than last night.
I’m going to comment with the emergency template below.


Tank
What is the water volume of the tank? 10 gal
How long has the tank been running? 3 months
Does it have a filter? Yes
Does it have a heater? Yes
What is the water temperature? 80 F
What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.) 1 male betta and 1 Nerite snail

Maintenance
How often do you change the water? 50% every 2 weeks
How much of the water do you change? 50 %
What do you use to treat your water? Prime
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? Substrate

*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? Yes
What do you use to test the water? Top fin test kit and API GH/KH kit
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: <5ppm
pH: 7

Feeding
How often do you feed your fish? Twice a day
How much do you feed your fish? In one feeding, 2-3 pellets of omega one, 5-6 bits of bug bites, or 5-6 new life spectrum pellets (they’re very small).
What brand of food do you feed your fish? Omega betta pellets, new life spectrum pellets, bug bites, or occasional frozen blood worm.
Do you feed frozen? Occasionally
Do you feed freeze-dried foods? No

Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish? 2 months
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? Yesterday
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? Chunks missing from fin
Have you started any treatment for the illness? Water change 50%
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? No
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? Resting at the bottom a bit more but still very active. Eating normally

 

I'd assume it's fin nipping since it seemed to have appeared over night

 

I'd assume it's fin nipping since it seemed to have appeared over night

True, it did show up suddenly. Is there any way to make him stop? I’ve changed his setup around to help relieve from any boredom.

 

Hello dogonlynose,
I wouldn't say its tail biting quite yet unless you have seen him in the action. It's most likely fin rot since fin rot is typically more common in long fin bettas. Bettas are so heavily inbred nowadays that fin rot has sadly become a part of genetics. He seems healthy minus his luxurious fins. Gorgeous finnage such as his own is both a blessing and a curse. I would suggest you start doing a full water change once a month along with a weekly 50% water change. If you don't have any fin care, I might suggest API bettafix, kanaplex, or aquarium salts (all great treatments). Of course, the most effective thing you can do in this situation is change your water more often. I noticed his fin shape...is he a rose tail? If yes, rose tails are very sensitive to fin rot. It took a ton of inbreeding to get that shape. He is stunning though!
All my luck, hope this could help!

 

Hello dogonlynose,
I wouldn't say its tail biting quite yet unless you have seen him in the action. It's most likely fin rot since fin rot is typically more common in long fin bettas. Bettas are so heavily inbred nowadays that fin rot has sadly become a part of genetics. He seems healthy minus his luxurious fins. Gorgeous finnage such as his own is both a blessing and a curse. I would suggest you start doing a full water change once a month along with a weekly 50% water change. If you don't have any fin care, I might suggest API bettafix, kanaplex, or aquarium salts (all great treatments). Of course, the most effective thing you can do in this situation is change your water more often. I noticed his fin shape...is he a rose tail? If yes, rose tails are very sensitive to fin rot. It took a ton of inbreeding to get that shape. He is stunning though!
All my luck, hope this could help!

Thank you for your response! I am not super familiar with or good at identifying the tail types (he is my first Betta and I am new to the hobby). But upon researching, it does seems he matches the description. It’s such a shame that they breed them to be unhealthy! I didn’t realize when I got him.

I will start doing more frequent weekly water changes! Thank you for your advice.