Betta has brownish growth on fins.

Question
Within 12 hours of adding a new black mystery snail to my betta tank(I have removed it since) my fish acquired a brown growth on his tail fins. He is normally blue and green, but under the brown his fins are red in a few spots-- they appear to be sores. He is usually very active but is now listless, only mildly interested in food, and is clamping his fins. His belly appears to be slightly swollen (as if constipated), so I have stopped feeding him for the moment. I change the water in his one gallon tank frequently and treat it with Start Right and a pH balancer. The temperature of his tank is always between 75 and 85 degrees and since he developed symptoms I have added a dose of aquarium salt, QuICK Cure, and MelaFix to his tank. Can you tell me what these symptoms might be of, if my snail could have been a carrier, and if there is anything else I can do for my fish?
Thank you,
Lyndsay

Answer
Hi Lyndsay,
Your betta seems to have a bacterial infection. This is usually caused by poor water quality. Most medications and salts will harm your snail. So make sure you separate him to another tank. To help with constipation try feeding him some peas for a few days as this can help digestion.

Regards,
Chloe.