Hi everybody,

It's Deirdre, Mary's sister, posting about my little betta's tail again.

As you may remember, he had a small tear a little while ago. We treated him with some bettamax, and he seemed to get better. BUT THEN....

Yesterday I noticed that he had another tear in his tail. I called Sal, the betta expert at our LFS, and he told me not to worry, it would probably heal. But tonight it's WORSE!

Here's how Zorrito lives: 6 gallon eclipes, mix of live and artificial plants. Currently around 75 degrees F. Ammonia: low (not quite 0, but less than .25) Nitrates: 20 Nitrites: 0. I've been a little worried about him lately, because the current in his tank seems pretty strong.

Here's what we've done so far: put a small sponge in the intake to slow down the current. Also, I've been leaving his light OFF unless I'm home, because in this dark weather he sees his reflection and flares all the time unless all the room lights are on with his tank light. (The plants are OK with that so far - they're java mosses, so theyre pretty tough.)

Also, we put a little melafix in the water, to see if it would help his poor fins

Should I medicate him now, too? I have more bettamax, and even some marycin, if bettamax is not good for tail rot (I think that's what this must be...)

Help!!!!! Please let me know what's best to do.

Oh, poor little guy! Can you tell me more about what his tail looks like? Finrot is easy to spot–the edge of the tail will be torn and ragged and have a red edge to it, and may have white on it also. I would say its more likely due to the current and the little bit of ammonia. Is the tank new, and still cycling? Im just wondering why theres ammonia in there. Even that little bit could be stressing him.

I have a 10 gallon and ever since I put a filter on it, my betta Claude has had fringed edges to his tail. Their fins are so delicate, they cant really take much current. What I did in his tank to cut down on the flow was take some filter floss (the kind they sell loose in big bags) and stuffed some of it into the outlet of the filter (where the water flows out) and that way it spreads out the flow a little and doesnt stir things up so much. Of course then you also have to worry about stagnant water. Its a delicate balance!

Anyway I personally wouldnt rush to medicate just yet. I would watch it closely, and see how hes acting as far as appetite and everything. Also another thing, what tail type is he? My veiltail is less than a year old, and when I got him he was very young and still had short fins. As he grew and his tail got long, it actually split apart and the ends of his fins are a little ragged looking. My friend assured me that this just happens to them with age. This could also be what youre seeing.

hey i would just add one tble spoon of salt into the tank this will get rid of fin rot in an early stage witch he might have and it will pervent him frome geting an infection. if the current is strong do try to keep it down to the best u can and maby get some tank mates in there for him because ten gallons will stress the lil guy out. the best tank mates i sugest r neons barbs or guppies?(carfule with the guppies though they can change sexes and will mate almoast in any condition) also rais the water temp to 80

wOULD MELAXFIX help?

10 gallons will not necessarily stress a betta. One of mine is in a 10 gallon by himself, another is in a 5.5 gallon and both are very happy. I would caution against barbs though because they tend to be really nippy. Neons or other small tetras should be fine though.

Melafix could help but not if its actually finrot. Melafix is great at helping to regenerate damaged tissue but not fight off infections or anything. Despite what it claims on the box…

Thanks, everybody, & Happy Thanksgiving!

Not knowing what else to do, I treated Zorro with marycin 2 for 5 days (the guy in my LFS thought it must be finrot, because so much of his tail was gone all of a sudden).

Now, after the treatment, he doesn't really look too much better, but he certainly isn't worse.

The sponge in the intake tube seemed to stop the biowheel from working, and the water was starting to look a little stagnant, so we took it out. So now I think the current is too strong again.

He seems pretty happy in the 10 gallon tank, except for the current. My upstairs neighbor bothers him sometimes with noise and he jumps (she's a loud lady), so maybe he hurt himself somehow and injured his tail.

He's a veiltail, and a couple of weeks ago his tail was definitely longer than his body (he's about 2.5 inches long, around 1 yr old).

Just before I leave for thanksgiving, I'm going to do another water change (I changed out 4 gallons before starting the Marycin). Then I'll try that filter floss, or maybe a smaller bit of sponge.

He still seems happy and hungry, and he's making bubble nests like mad, so I hope he's actually on the mend - at least he's not any worse!

It was alarming to see half his tail disappear like that!

Again, Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for all the help and advice!

-Deirdre

Okay Deirdre, here is somehing really weird. The same exact thing happened to my veiltail Fiji!! I couldnt believe it. I checked on him two days ago and literally overnight half of his tail and dorsal fin were gone! There were little shreds on his tail from the rays but other than that it was a clean cut. I searched the tank and didnt see any bits of fin anywhere. My first thought was the filter, but how could it be that hes been in this tank since May and never had that probelm before!? Im going to go to work in a bit and ask some very knowledgeable friends of mine, and I'll get back to you and hopefully we can figure something out.

Thanks, Jsrtist!

I hope your little guy Fiji is ok.

Zorro is holding steady, after another water change.
No improvement, but he's not getting worse.

I want him to be pretty strong soon, because I'll have to move soon. I don't want to have to move a poor, sick betta!

Stay well, & thanks again!

--Deirdre

Okay, its definitely finrot that we both have. Little Fiji is hanging in there but not doing great. I was recommended by the guys at work to use Kanacyn but am instead using maracyn. I have not had great results with the Kana. You could try it though if your little guy is not improving. Dont follow the instructions though; treat every day for 5 days with 25% wc in between. I will use that if the Maracyn doesnt work.

Im very frustrated with why I got this and Im sure you are too. You mentioned that thewater is a little stagnant in yours. Im actually guilty of not vacuuming this tank until the other day (eek!) so that could be my problem. Also I have a sponge blocking my outlet and the water is actually pretty motionless, so it could be either of those things. These little bettas are so delicate, arent they? Not too much current but not too little either… a very careful balance. Anyway, good luck to little Zorro and hopefully we can both come through this a little wiser!

Thanks again, Jsrtist, and I'm glad Fiji is hanging in there!

As I mentioned before, Zorro doesn't seem a lot better after the marycin, but he's certainly not worse. He's been holding steady, and he has a good appetite. Does that mean he's actually getting better?

I did one of his water changes a few days late - but I suspect he might have gotten sick because of a temperature drop. His tank is in a very sheltered place in my apartment, but the apartment itself is very drafty in winter, and his temperature started to drop towards 72 degrees F. Could that have done it?

They are sensetive little guys! I hope Fiji gets better, and I hope I'll see some improvement in Zorro soon.

(I'll be writing soon to ask advice about moving!!)

Thanks again, & goodnight all!

-Deirdre