2 Gallon Tank Tail rot in my betta

Hi,

My betta fish is suffering from tail rot since last 2 weeks. I have not started any medication, except putting an indian almond leaf in the tank. I am doing partial water change (40-50%) after every 2-3 days, but have not observed any betterment, rather the conditiom has worsened.

I am using API water test kit to test the water, and found no harmful substance, except the PH to be on higher side. Following are the readings :

Ph:7.8
Ammonia :0
Nitrite:0
Nitrate:5

The fish is active though, and eats properly. I use API water conditioner to treat tap water while making water change. The tank size is 3G and it has a heater and a sponge filter. The temparature is stable at 81-82F.

Please help with suggestions. I have bettafix present, but I am afraid to use it after reading so many negative reviews about that.

Attaching some photos:

 

Pick a fish antibiotic, and use that as directed. I haven't had to use an antibiotic in a while, so I have no suggestions. Make sure to do the entire treatment. Don't just stop when your fish looks better. That's how antibiotic resistant bacteria are made.

Keep in mind that an antibiotic will kill bb. Remove your filter media while there is antibiotic in your tank. Keep it in water, and, if it's going to be out of your tank for a while, add some fish food or ammonia to feed the bb.

You might also look to see it there's anything in your tank that your betta might have torn his tail on. It looks more like an injury than tail rot to me.

Do you have a heater? If not, I'd recommend getting one. Your betta will be happier in warmer water, and less likely to get sick.

 

Pick a fish antibiotic, and use that as directed. I haven't had to use an antibiotic in a while, so I have no suggestions. Make sure to do the entire treatment. Don't just stop when your fish looks better. That's how antibiotic resistant bacteria are made.

Keep in mind that an antibiotic will kill bb. Remove your filter media while there is antibiotic in your tank. Keep it in water, and, if it's going to be out of your tank for a while, add some fish food or ammonia to feed the bb.

You might also look to see it there's anything in your tank that your betta might have torn his tail on. It looks more like an injury than tail rot to me.

Do you have a heater? If not, I'd recommend getting one. Your betta will be happier in warmer water, and less likely to get sick.

Hi Madeline,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I have a small 25W heater in the tank. It keeps the temparature consistent at 81F.

There are two decorative items in the tank. One a barrel and another an arch. I agree it could have started due to an injury, but this has detoriated since last 2 weeks. Could it be possible that the fish attracted bacteria after he torn his tail?

This is how he looked 2 weeks back, just after I noticed something wrong with the tail:




And 1 week back before that:




Before applying antibiotic, do you think the aquarium salt treatment should be tried? I have read that the salt treatment does work in most cases of fin rot, and since its not a synthetic chemical, I feel myself lenient to it.

Please advise if you have any experience with API's herbal products bettafix & melafix. I have came across lots of negative reviews about those, so don't feel much conformable to put either of them in the tank.

 

Hi Madeline,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I have a small 25W heater in the tank. It keeps the temparature consistent at 81F.

There are two decorative items in the tank. One a barrel and another an arch. I agree it could have started due to an injury, but this has detoriated since last 2 weeks. Could it be possible that the fish attracted bacteria after he torn his tail?

This is how he looked 2 weeks back, just after I noticed something wrong with the tail:

View attachment 756749

And 1 week back before that:

View attachment 756750

Before applying antibiotic, do you think the aquarium salt treatment should be tried? I have read that the salt treatment does work in most cases of fin rot, and since its not a synthetic chemical, I feel myself lenient to it.

Please advise if you have any experience with API's herbal products bettafix & melafix. I have came across lots of negative reviews about those, so don't feel much conformable to put either of them in the tank.

It looks like it could actually be tail nipping. Try and observe your betta for awhile throughout the day, even shine a flashlight on after the tank light is off. It doesn't look like any fungal or bacterial rot to me, and I would consider this first because it seems like with your tank set up and water quality is all right, there's no reason why a rot should occur. However I have had bettas come down with rot in my tanks with good water quality as well so I know it can be frustrating. Rot will usually make the fins look like melted plastic/fluffy fungus/white or pink and red outline to where the rot has eaten the fin away. To me it just looks like his fin is shredded. Are there any other fish in the tank?

 

It looks like it could actually be tail nipping. Try and observe your betta for awhile throughout the day, even shine a flashlight on after the tank light is off. It doesn't look like any fungal or bacterial rot to me, and I would consider this first because it seems like with your tank set up and water quality is all right, there's no reason why a rot should occur. However I have had bettas come down with rot in my tanks with good water quality as well so I know it can be frustrating. Rot will usually make the fins look like melted plastic/fluffy fungus/white or pink and red outline to where the rot has eaten the fin away. To me it just looks like his fin is shredded. Are there any other fish in the tank?

Hi Fishstrey,

Thanks for your reply. I don't have any other fish apart from the betta in the same tank. The tank itself being small I decided not to overcrowd it.I have been trying to keep a close watch on him since he developed this issue, and have observed large chunk of his tail gone overnight; so I agree that it could be a case of tail nipping. But also I had observed some pinholes in his tail earlier, and later found that portion of tail missing. So cannot be very sure that it isn't fin rot. Maybe I'll keep watching him for further signs of detoriation before applying salt or any other medication. Just I am afraid that it isn't too late to try to revive him.

The fish is quite active and his appetite has not reduced. I feed him 2 times a day, and try to alternate between pellets,flakes and dried blood worms. Quite often he jumps at his food the moment it touches the water.

If it is indeed tail nipping, can you suggest any remedy to get rid of that? Is the fish stressed because of some reason? I also asked the pet store from where I got him, and they are asking to reduce the ph level of tank water below 7,which I find very hard to achieve.

Pinholes in his tail:



And at times I have observed some whitish thing on the tail:

 

Hi Fishstrey,

Thanks for your reply. I don't have any other fish apart from the betta in the same tank. The tank itself being small I decided not to overcrowd it.I have been trying to keep a close watch on him since he developed this issue, and have observed large chunk of his tail gone overnight; so I agree that it could be a case of tail nipping. But also I had observed some pinholes in his tail earlier, and later found that portion of tail missing. So cannot be very sure that it isn't fin rot. Maybe I'll keep watching him for further signs of detoriation before applying salt or any other medication. Just I am afraid that it isn't too late to try to revive him.

The fish is quite active and his appetite has not reduced. I feed him 2 times a day, and try to alternate between pellets,flakes and dried blood worms. Quite often he jumps at his food the moment it touches the water.

If it is indeed tail nipping, can you suggest any remedy to get rid of that? Is the fish stressed because of some reason? I also asked the pet store from where I got him, and they are asking to reduce the ph level of tank water below 7,which I find very hard to achieve.

Pinholes in his tail:
View attachment 756802

And at times I have observed some whitish thing on the tail:

View attachment 756803View attachment 756804

Definitely do not do anything to mess with pH. pH is fine as long as it is consistent. The only issue a pH around 8 would cause for bettas is fin curling which is not harmful or an issue just an aesthetic one. Closer up it does look like an infection may be starting which could just be a secondary thing from the fin nipping. I have not had personal experience with fin nipping so maybe someone else can chime in on that notion, but I do know giving him a lot of live plants and floaters will help. It will help him feel more secure and also give him something to swim around in and distract him. If you want to medicate, I suggest api erythromycin, follow the directions on the box. It's a pretty good "all around" medication. For the first time using a new med on my fish, I always dose slightly less just to make sure they aren't sensitive to the medication.
I forgot to address your question about melafix and pimafix. In my opinion they are useless as a treatment. They are more of a "proactive" thing, to add to prevent issues from starting, not clearing up existing ones. Its like doctors sterilizing a needle before using to prevent an infection. I wouldn't suggest it for a betta, and I never had luck with salt. Api powder meds were always a lifesaver when I had bettas with fin rot. I have had huge luck with fungus cure, but for this specific case I would say it is bacterial and not fungal. However, according to api, you can double up on any of their powdered medications. So you could use ethromycin in conjuction with fungus cure to tackle both issues since you can never be 100% sure which one it is, but I have never done this. They also say that many people have not reported issues with ethromycin having a negative effect on beneficial bacteria.

Edit: type "betta fin nipping" in the search bar of the forum to read up on what other members have said about how to help fin nipping until someone else chimes in