Sorority Betta missing pectoral fin

I have a 55 gallon sorority tank with 8 betta fish. And dither fish. But for the last 3 weeks there has only been 4 due to a disease taking some out, and me having to quarantine the new girls. So I there was more fighting due to there being to few bettas.

But today I noticed that one or my girls is missing on of her pectoral fins. They are clear, so I think it happen a few days ago when I noticed her tattered tail. She is still swimming normally and the fighting seems to have gone down since I adding more bettas, but I'm wondering what I need to do for her.

I think I'll put her in a breeder box in the main tank unless she needs any medication. Will the fin grow back? Will stress coat help? Anything is appreciated, thanks in advance!

 

Are you sure she isn't just clamping the fin to her body? Fins grow back so long as the base of the fin is not too damaged, just make sure you don't see any infection starting.

To help with the aggression, if your tank is on the barren side you should look into adding more plants, wood, and other décor. A 55gal is on the tall side for bettas IMO so lots of tall plants or even floaters like hornwort will help make them feel more safe. Normally in a tank that large, even a group of 4 females would be fine. I have a sibling sorority of 12+ (also a growout tank) in a planted 20gal and very rarely see aggression, never do I see nipped fins.

I think you may want to watch the tank and see who is being overly aggressive, removing aggressive females or females who are too shy will help the social structure find balance. This is why when doing sororities it is recommended to use juveniles, siblings groups, or individuals already in a sorority setting. All my other sorority tanks failed due to this, I was buying females sold in the cups, all sorts of fin types and colors and already of breeding age. Once bettas have been separated they become used to being the only betta in their environment and become aggressive towards others. Such has been my findings with my own breeding projects.

 

Fish will grow fins back if they are otherwise healthy and not in big distress. Stress coat should be good option and monitor her alot to make sure the ripped find doesn't get infected. Ive heard some people treat their fish injuries with q tip locally cleaning the wound with something but not sure if alcohol is used or something else

 

Fish will grow fins back if they are otherwise healthy and not in big distress. Stress coat should be good option and monitor her alot to make sure the ripped find doesn't get infected. Ive heard some people treat their fish injuries with q tip locally cleaning the wound with something but not sure if alcohol is used or something else

Hydrogen peroxide or Methylene blue dabbed on wounds can help prevent/clear up infection. NEVER use alcohol on fish, that's a big no-no.

 

Hydrogen peroxide or Methylene blue dabbed on wounds can help prevent/clear up infection. NEVER use alcohol on fish, that's a big no-no.

Thanks for the tip, never had to deal with lost fins or big wounds

 

Are you sure she isn't just clamping the fin to her body? Fins grow back so long as the base of the fin is not too damaged, just make sure you don't see any infection starting.

To help with the aggression, if your tank is on the barren side you should look into adding more plants, wood, and other décor. A 55gal is on the tall side for bettas IMO so lots of tall plants or even floaters like hornwort will help make them feel more safe. Normally in a tank that large, even a group of 4 females would be fine. I have a sibling sorority of 12+ (also a growout tank) in a planted 20gal and very rarely see aggression, never do I see nipped fins.

I think you may want to watch the tank and see who is being overly aggressive, removing aggressive females or females who are too shy will help the social structure find balance. This is why when doing sororities it is recommended to use juveniles, siblings groups, or individuals already in a sorority setting. All my other sorority tanks failed due to this, I was buying females sold in the cups, all sorts of fin types and colors and already of breeding age. Once bettas have been separated they become used to being the only betta in their environment and become aggressive towards others. Such has been my findings with my own breeding projects.

Thank you for all this information! I have a very densely decorated tank, you can't see from one side of the tank to the other from any angle uninterrupted. I know for a fact the increased fighting was a result of me not having the proper amount of fish, but that has been fixed. I've been spending a lot of time monitoring my tank, it doesn't seem as though anyone is more aggressive than anyone else. I am putting her in a breeder box so she has some time to heal for the next couple days.

Fish will grow fins back if they are otherwise healthy and not in big distress. Stress coat should be good option and monitor her alot to make sure the ripped find doesn't get infected. Ive heard some people treat their fish injuries with q tip locally cleaning the wound with something but not sure if alcohol is used or something else

Thank you. She doesn't seem to be in any distress at all, and no sign of infection so far.