betta attacked other betta

Question
QUESTION: so my poor blue betta got attacked by my red betta (both are males btw). they are in a divided 10 gallon tank but somehow the blue one managed to get over the divider and the red ones has beaten the crap out of it. i moved him back to his side, but his fins are all torn and he is just floating at the top of the water. will he be ok and how long will it take for his fins to heal

ANSWER: Sarah,

 Sorry to hear your Betta got beat up. If you have not changed anything in the tank, the other fish WILL jump back over and you will have a sicker fish. Always make sure the divider is higher than the water level. I would remove the injured fish and place hi in your hospital tank so that you can treat him. I would start giving him salt water baths,(directions below). This might help him so that you won't have to use any kind of medication. I try to treat my fish without having to use chemicals. It is hard to say how long it will take for him to heal. It depends on how bad he is. I could help out better if I could see a picture of him. If after doing the SWB he doesn't get better or at any time seems to be worse, please let me know.

SALT WATER BATH (DIP):

 Get a container that can hold 1 gallon of water the same temp as the tank water. Add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt that has been dissolved before adding your fish to that water. If you don't dissolve it first it can burn your fish. Let him swim in this water for 5 minutes the first day, both times, 10 minutes the second day and 15 minutes the third day and every day after for 5 days. watching him closely the entire time he is in there. I want you to watch him in case he starts to have a problem, you can remove him from the salt water immediately. I would do this 2 times a day, but never in the same water. Always make fresh salt water every time you put him in.

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

QUESTION: it took a photo the other day, sorry they are not very clear

http://i526.photobucket.com/albums/cc348/dragonfire_018/SDC18653.jpg

http://i526.photobucket.com/albums/cc348/dragonfire_018/SDC18657.jpg

i noticed this morning that some of the ripped fin has fallen off. is that normal


Answer
Sarah,


  Thank you for the pictures, they helped a lot. I see that he does have some serious fin and tail injuries. I would continue with the salt water baths and would add Bettafix to his water. This is one of the few medications I use and it seams to work real well. Yes it is common for the torn fins to fall off. Its like a scab for us. When the torn part dies completely it drops off. Make sure you remove the injured fish from the main tank and put him in your hospital tank. This makes it easier to treat the one fish. It uses less medication and you are not treating a fish that is not hurt or sick. If the other fish also has torn fin, then it is ok to leave the both in the main tank and treat the both of them at the same time. I noticed on picture SDC18653 a few little objects that looks like snail eggs. They will not harm your fish in any way and most likely your Betta will eat them  but I thought I would bring it to your attention. You don't want them to over run your computer. If you have any more questions don'rt hesitate to ask.