Betta fin problem

Question
Hey! First of all - I totally agree with your - no goldfish in bowls stand - and I always get mad when I see teensy tiny bowls for bettas - hardly big enough for them to move in.
Enough with that.
I have a few questions:

I have had a male betta for 3? years now. He was fairly healthy until about 6 months ago, when he began developing small cirlces - not ick - on his top fin. He's blue, and it just looked like it'd gotten bleached?
I researched it, and asked one of my friends who used to be a professional betta breeder. She didn't know what was happening.
I've given him a dose of internal parasite med, and awhile later, oh bother. i forgot. something else.

but it didn't seem to have an effect.
now, the top fin is like totally shriveled up, and he's very quiet.
his appetite is still good though.


also, i am about to get goldfish, and was wondering what kind of snail i could use, and can I put a dwarf african frog in?

Thanks a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer
Hi Mary,
Sorry to hear about your betta. I would have thought internal parasite as well, but since you have tried medication for that already it must be something else. The best you can do is keep his water quality optimum - keep his ammonia and nitrate level at oppm, and make sure his water is warm (75-85 degrees F).
Goldfish I'm afraid have a healthy appetite and snails are on the menu. You'd have to get one that is quite large or he may end up as S. Cargo. The African Dwarf frog is a very cute little species, however they do much better with small, tropical community fish and they do require about 72-82 degrees and little to no vibrations including air stones in the water. In short, I would not recommend putting one in with your goldfish. You may however, try adding him to your betta tank and see how that fares. I don't think the betta will be aggressive, as long as he isn't feeling territorial, so you might just move the decorations around a bit before adding him. Also, check your water quality first and be sure that conditions are safe to add another creature. Best of luck, and your welcome.