bettas fins

Question
QUESTION: my red betta phoenix will sometimes hold his right pelvic fin next to his body and will hardly use it, whats wrong with him?

i only noticed him doing it the other day. he will use it, but where he uses the other fin all the time to move about, he will only use this one a few times, and most of the time its just stuck to his side. he doesnt look ill, swims ok and has a good appetite. he is in a 10 gallon tank with another male betta (named jaws) and a indian whisker shrimp. there is a divider in the tank so the 2 males cant fight, although pheonix isnt bothered about jaws at all and never even flares at him or his own reflection.

should i be worried about his fin and is there anyway you can tell me whats wrong with him. i recently lost my favourite betta bowser to a fungal infection (only had him for 6 months) and i dont want phoenix to die

ANSWER: Sarah,

Well, there is no medicine for clamped fins. I think that he is just not happy. I would check the water perimeters and make sure the ammonia, nitrates and nitrites are not off. Remember there should be none of them in the water. Do you do weekly water checks? Do you do weekly water changes? You didn't mention a heater. They need the water to be at 82 degrees at least. I am not a believer in keeping 2 Betta males in the same tank even though there is a divider. Because he can see the other male all the time, chances of him flaring is close to never. You should really remove one of them and put him in his own tank. No flaring can be a sign of depression. If you want to keep the two in the same tank, I would make sure the divider is a dark color so that the two of them cannot see each other.  I have 7 male Betta adults, in their own tanks and they cannot see each other. My 5 females can see each other, but females can be kept in the same tank without problems. I only remove what is dividing the different tanks once a day for 15 mins tops. This gives them exercise and keeps them happy. Do your Betta's build bubble nests at all? If not, that is another sign that they are not happy.

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

QUESTION: I do weekly water changes. There is a heater and the temp is at 82. Most of the divider is covered with plants. Ammonia is 0, nitrite is 0 and nitrate is about 7. I cant get another tank. Phoenix hasnt made a bubble nest, but i think thats because of the slight surface movement. Jaws has made 5 bubble nests. When one breaks, he makes another one

Answer
Sarah,

I am concerned that he might be depressed. Male Betta's can get that way. If they are in the same tank, and one makes nest and they other doesn't than there is a problem with Phoenix. Do you see any white dots on him, or any cotton looking stuff on him and are his fin torn? Did the fish that you lost live in that tank too? If so, did you clean it out completely including the gravel, heater and filter, before placing the other fish in it? With the Betta's in that tank, I would just remove the filter. Betta's don't need them and most don't like them. My tanks are not normal tank, they are big plastic tubs from Walmart. It doesn't have to be glass, and it would help your sick fish if you could move him. Have you tried giving him a salt water bath?? That might help him a lot. If you don't know how to give a salt bath let me know.