Betta dealing with fin rot?

Question

Dorado   Dear Ms. Beatty,
 I bought a beautiful yellow half-moon male betta fish a couple of months ago from a local PetSmart and about a month after having him, I noticed that his dorsal and anal fins were curling at the tips. Sort of like how a plastic fork's prongs curl when placed close to a fire. When I asked friends what might be wrong they informed me of the condition called fin rot.
 I quickly went to the store, inquired on the proper medication, and bought Sentry AQ Mardel Maracyn Two. It seemed to reduce the inflammation that was at the base of his fins but the fins continue to be getting worse.
 I clean the .5 gallon tank once a week and do my best to scrub down the gravel, fake plastic plant, and little log to prevent the spreading of disease but it doesn't seem to be working... I'm been using Nutrafin Betta Plus water conditioner and just recently switched to Aqueon Betta Bowl Plus water conditioner just in case the first one was part of the problem...
 What can I do to help my pretty boy out? His tail is almost split in half and I would hate to think that he's in pain and that I can't do anything about it... Is there some other medication I should try or is there something else that I'm not aware of?
 I am attaching a picture of Dorado. Thank you for your time!
 Sincerely,
   Juliana

Answer
Juliana,  This problem can be caused by several things. First is poor water quality ...I don't think this is the problem here. It could be too much mineral in your water for instance well water from your tap or even city water, mineral or spring water instead of purified. So you might want to try the water from another source...like to purified water. This causes problems with what is called osmorgulation....this is how the fish absorbs water to drink and releases wastes....a great thing to add to help this would be aquarium salt...about 1/4 of a teaspoon every water change. Now as far as medicating him this is definitely a bacterial infection. I would treat it with a mild broad spectrum all natural antibiotic called Melafix. It is made from tea tree's in Australia. Dorado should be happy then. Do not forget they love a frozen pea thawed under water and cracked once a week (don't forget to remove the shell later). This helps with the constipation they can be prone too that may lead to a more serious problem later like a swim bladder infection. You do know how to adjust your pH to 7.0 ...if not get a test kit and make sure the water is at that specific. If it is low a very small amount of baking soda and water and a slight stir can bring that to normal and I mean a small amount at a time. If the water is too acidic or low it also can cause this and so can to alkaline..high. If none of that seems to work take out all decorations but the plant and see. Sometimes its glaze comes off or it made out of the wrong kind of stone even if you got in a shop. Good Luck, Tina