Beta missing fin

Question
I recently bought a male beta fish. I've had him for 2 weeks now.  He lives in a large fish bowl with only a little gravel on the bottom. He's very active and eats well (the recommnded 2-4 pellets a day) and has vibrant colors. I have changed his water twice since getting him (once a week) and perform the normal water testing, temperature check, etc. He also blows bubbles, which I hear is a good sign...means they are healthy and happy and ready to mate with females. However just the other day, when I came home, I noticed his top fin was MISSING!!?!? I did not see anything floating in the bowl nor anything else unusual (i.e cloudy water, fungul growth, etc.)....but it was very upsetting, so I immediatly changed his water. He seems to be OK...not sluggish, still eating and making bubbles. I've read online that this may be a fish disease like fin rot, but he does not have any other symptoms, and his water/feeding conditions are all up to par. I've also heard this may be due to stress?!

Do you know why this happened?
Where did the fin go? Did he eat it (they are carnivorous)?
Will his fin grow back?

EEK! I am concerned for my little pal. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


Answer
Hi Micky;

Are there plants or other decorations he could tear his fins on? If he got tangled up or caught on something he would jerk away and tear it that way. He would eat the piece of fin too if he found it. It's normal. (Gross, but yep....normal!) the fin will grow back if the cause is eliminated. It will not be as colorful and maybe not as big as before, but as long as he is healthy, that's what counts. Change his water twice a week for awhile to help avoid infection.

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

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