Help! Betta Fish tail ripped overnight! Shrimp attack or fin rot?

[fishyfawkes]

Hello! My name is Amy and I have had my betta fish, Fawkes, for about 4 months now. He lives in a 5-gallon tank filtered (box) and heated and has been very active, making bubble nests, and has been overall healthy. I recently placed three ghost shrimp (39cent ones from petsmart) in his tank to see how he did, and at first things were great! He is very passive and besides a little inspecting when they were first placed in his tank, he never bothered them to the point they became brave enough to often snatch some of his flakes while he fed. Suddenly, two of the ghost shrimp went missing - with the largest one remaining. I assumed that due to being petsmart shrimp they simply passed and the remaining shrimp did some clean up. The remaining shrimp has gotten quite bold and swims around the tank often, and will even sit near my betta without fear as he has proven to be very passive.

However, today I noticed my betta's anal/ventral fin has almost been torn in half. I do not think fin rot would progress so rapidly - and the chunk of the fin seems too large to have been ripped off by tank decorations without evidence left in the tank. I have attached images of the before and after. He is still swimming like normal and eating fine.

I have a sneaking suspicion that somehow this ghost shrimp is not a ghost shrimp at all and possibly some type of Whisker or macro shrimp - or just a very aggressive ghostie - that snacked on his fins while he slept. However, I am still very new to fish keeping and would love some more opinions and advice on what could have happened and what I should do to help him heal! I have already removed the shrimp and rehoused it for now in a 2-gallon bucket.

Please let me know if this looks like fin rot or something else! Thank you.

 

[Kathryn Crook]

I doubt its the shrimp. But I can see the difference. Do regular water changes and if it doesnt improve or gets worse, I like melafix. Its a gentle medication that may take a few weeks but its safe for plants and inverts. I had panda cories with torn up fins and Im not sure if it was the dwarf crays or not that did the damage, but I moved them to a qt tank and dosed melafix and within a few weeks, the fins grew back healthy.
Hes a beautiful betta, good luck!

 

[Desi]

It could very well be the shrimp. I’ve seen shrimp eat at a friends bettas fins while it was resting. I’d take the shrimp out and do frequent water changes until his fin heals.

 

[Kathryn Crook]

It could very well be the shrimp. I’ve seen shrimp eat at a friends bettas fins while it was resting. I’d take the shrimp out and do frequent water changes until his fin heals.

Im curious why a shrimp would need to eat a fish fin? I have shrimp and this idea is just so strange to me. With enough BB they are harmless.

 

[Maryellen]

My betta does this. I don’t have shrimp but from time to time chunks of his fins go missing. I had checked everything in his tank for sharp objects, then once saw him bite his own tail. It’s relatively common in bettas. I use melafix for this as well.

 

[Desi]

Im curious why a shrimp would need to eat a fish fin? I have shrimp and this idea is just so strange to me. With enough BB they are harmless.

I know shrimp will eat dead or almost dead tank mates. I’m assuming that when the betta rests at the bottom the shrimp thinks it’s dead and has himself a snack, and before the betta knows half his fin is missing....I was shocked when I saw this happen myself.

 

[fishyfawkes]

Hi! So update: He seems to be getting worse. He was perfectly healthy and at one moment his fin was torn - but otherwise he seemed normal and healthy. However, now he seems to be quickly deteriorating with his other fins getting tattered, labored breathing (his gill tissue seems to be coming out??), and his scales are coming out. I am so confused though because his water parameters have always been good and clean, and his fins do not look like they are rotting, they just are deteriorating. I have started an aquarium salt treatment. Please look at the attached photos and let me know if this looks like dropsy! I am terrified that he has developed something fully untreatable and that he will die suddenly.

 

[Rose of Sharon]

Hi Amy,

I am afraid that your betta does have dropsy. The sewlling and the pinecone-like look are definite signs. Dropsy happens when there is an underlying issue...like an infection, or internal issues. Then the internal organs begin to fail (especially the kidneys), which causes fluid to build up, which causes the bloat and the scales to stick out.

Some say that you can try to treat it with epsom salt baths and kannaplex (it has the antibiotic kanamycin). Some also will do methelene blue baths.

I have lost 2 fish to dropsy, and in both instances, I chose to euthanize the fish instead of letting them suffer. When it got to the point when they could not breathe, that is what I thought was best. There are lots of threads on this site about doing that, if that is what you want.

If the fish is having trouble breathing, you can lower the water level so it is easier for him to swim to the top and get air.

I have also recently read on this forum about some very strong antibiotics that might help. I bookmarked the page that a member suggested to someone who had a betta with dropsy that shows real perscription strength antibiotocs, and not just the low dose kanamycin found in kanaplex.

If it were me, I would try to save him, even though many fish-keepers wouldn't even try. But people who have bettas are a certain type, I think. Our bettas are so special to us that they are really one of the family. We pay $5.00 for a betta, and end up spending 100.00 on treats, tanks, medicine, etc.

I do hope he gets better!!!!

That web site is fishmoxfishflex.com