Fin Rot

Question
Hello,
Well, I'm at a loss. I've been battling fin rot on and off for weeks now. My betta lives in a filtered, heated (80 degrees F) tank. When I realized that he had fin rot, I put him in a 1.75 gallon hospital tank and he immediately started getting better. Two times I have tried to gently ease him back into living in his 10 gallon (after he has some new fin growth) and then BAM within the hour his fins look terribly shredded all over again. I have tried salt, bettafix (?), and huge water changes. I don't have any other medications available at the store. I don't even know if I am supposed to be using an antibiotic. I've been told the problem is the filter stressing him out, and I have been told that it's just a bacterial infection with nothing to do with the filter. Help would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Laura

Answer
Laura,

Sorry to hear your Betta is not feeling well. The number one cause of fin rot is bad water quality. Is he the only fish in that tank? If he is the filter should be removed unless it is a sponge filter. Betta's, because of their long flowing tail and fin, are very bad swimmers and the current from a filter can stress them out. Also, if you ever treat him with medication while in the main tank, remove the carbon from the filter. The carbon remove the medication before it has a chance to work. Bettafix and Melafix should never be used with Betta fish. They are very toxic to Betta's if not used right or over used. They mess with the gills eventually suffocating the fish. Since I do not know who else is in the tank, my advice might not work. Let me know what other fish are in the tank BEFORE you do this.

When you do the weekly 25% water change, add aquarium salt to the new water ONLY. The rate is 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon of water. Do this every 5 days. Remember, ONLY add the salt to the NEW water. This will add just a little bit of salt to his water. IF you have other fish, you can give him salt baths, but this will mean moving the fish twice a day. If you would rather do the bath, it is the same thing. Add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt to 1 gallon of conditioned water. The salt MUST be completely dissolved BEFORE adding it to the water. If it isn't, it will burn him. Make sure this water is the same temp as his tank water and that you make fresh salt water every time. Let him swim in the water for 15 mins twice a day. Stay with him while he is in the salt bath so that if he has any problems you can remove him right away. This is how I treat fin rot when I get it, which is not that often. The best way to treat is to do the water changes and keep his water very clean. If you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask.