Sick Betta?

Question
QUESTION: Hello Susan,
Can you help me? I have a betta fish named Sparta. Sparta lives in a 5 gallon tank with a heater and no filter. His water temperature usually stays between 76-80 degrees. The past six months I've had him he had been thriving. In the past week or so I've noticed his fins (mainly tail and ventral) are starting to look jagged and thinner. He's had fin rot before and I've used BettaFix, the results varying. I do about a 30% water change once a week and use Stress Coat water conditioner. I used to use Betta Bowl but the local store quit carrying it a couple months ago. Could this change of water conditioner be the cause of his fins? Is he stressed? Please help!

ANSWER: Hi Leah,
Some bettas as they age can began to have weak fins that may easily tear or thin out.

However some bettas can become 'tail-biters'... individuals who bite and attack their own fins. There's not a real clear answer as to why they do this, but I feel it may be boredom or pent up aggression.

And as you mentioned, finrot can also be responsible. If he has a weakened immune system the bacteria can easily attack his delicate fins at any time.
The bacteria that causes finrot really thrives if the aquarium has a buildup of dissolved pollutants, dissolved pollutants also weaken a betta's immune system so there can be a chain reaction going on.

Just make sure you are vacuuming the bottom of the aquarium at every water change. Which I'd recommend at least 50% twice week since he's been having fin issues. Clean water will help encourage new growth.

Stresscoat has never given me any problems before with any of my bettas or other fish. I think its a matter of making sure his water is really clean, feeding him a varied meaty diet (try some frozen brine shrimp or bloodworms) along with his regular staple food.

Also make sure there are no plants or decorations that could be snagging his fins. Betta finnage is surprisingly delicate and even plastic plants can sometimes cause tears when the fish swims through it.

If its a matter of old age, feeding him a good diet and continuing to keep his water clean is the best possible thing for him. Sparta's fins may very well repair themselves but they may not be as full as they once were.

Best of luck with Sparta and I hope this helps!
Susan~





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I'm at my wit's end! Sparta is in a hospital tank (1 gal.) with aquarium salt and a small plant. No gravel. His fins have gotten worse and I can tell he doesn't feel well. His ventral fin has split and his tail is raggedy. His hospital tank has no heater...is he cold? Would a heater help? I'd like to get him back into his 5 gal. tank but I'm afraid it would overwhelm him and stress him out (he's VERY easily stressed...) I've been alternating between BettaMin flakes and bloodworms for variety and he still has a good appetite. I removed the gravel from the hospital tank because it was growing algae and I wanted his environment to be as clean as possible.
Also- Every once in a while Sparta completely spazzes out and goes berserk in his tank, flailing all over the place. Parasite? Boredom? Mimicking me?? I deeply appreciate your help and advice. Please help us.

Answer
I'm sorry to hear about Sparta...

The symptoms you described is behavior I've seen many times with bettas before. The cold water may be stressing him. Spazzing out behavior can mean he is very uncomfortable with the water conditions (medications, ammonia, or even sudden introduction of salt), lots of activity near his tank frightening him, he needs places to hide, or he may have an underlying illness.. It may very well be a combination of those things.

Poor water quality can cause a betta's fins to weaken as well. We need to make sure this is truly finrot or just fin deterioration. With most fin-rot patients, the edges of the infected fins will be discolored red or dark or may even be whitish. The key is to look closely for new fin-growth, which usually is clear at first. If you see fin growth, his fins are recovering from a bacterial infection.

If you don't see discolored edges and no new fin growth then his fins are deteriorating from pollutants in the water.

Remember that ammonia can wreck havoc on a betta's delicate fins. And with a little tank like Sparta is in, and no bio-filter (in otherwords good bacteria established that remove ammonia), you'll have to take extra care and try your best to keep his water clean.

I'm not sure what water changing regimen you are doing for him now. But with a 1gal I'd change out almost all the water everyday. Set out a pitcher of conditioned water the night before next to his bowl so its all ready and equalized to the same temp.

I like to use a small aquarium siphon to clean out small tanks like this. That way you can drain the water and siphon the bottom quite well. And I say -almost- all the water because I feel that Sparta would be too stressed if you scooped him into a cup while his tank is being cleaned. Instead when doing water changes leave just enough water for him to sit comfortably until you can refill slowly.

The fact that he has a good appetite is a sign there's hope.

Let me know if you discover anything new. Try the daily water changes for now. I would phase the salt out with each water change because sometimes fish can be stressed by it.