betta sick

Question
Hi Jaymie,
Please diagnose and advice.Symptoms are -Betta's fins are becoming white and then it breaks off from that point.fish is lethargic,does not flayer in front of a mirror.
thanks
isuru

Answer
Isuru,
Well, what size tank is he in? Is his heater set at 80 degrees? It sounds like fin rot. The best and easiest way to help that is to add some aquarium salt to his water. THe ratio is 1 teaspoon per gallon of water. The absolute smallest tank he can be in is 2.5 gallons where a 5 gallon is best. He is a tropical fish and if his water temperature is lower than 80 degrees, he will become lethargic, stop eating and swimming, stress out and become ill. Fin rot is 100% preventable. The cause is bad water conditions. He needs to have 25% of his water removed weekly and replaced with clean conditioned water. Make sure you are testing the water weekly with a liquid water tester. You will test mainly for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Both ammonia and nitrites have to be at zero at all times and nitrates no more than 20ppm. I would change 50% of his water now and add some aquarium salt. Until the fin rot is healed make sure you are doing the water changes twice a week. Make sure the clean water going in is the same temperature as the water he is swimming in. You can also add some stress coat to his water to help him heal faster and to help keep him from getting worse or come down with another problem.