helping a betta with fin rot

[nexus]

I just rescued a betta from Walmart - I know, I know, it's a gamble, but I couldn't resist. This little guy was stuck on a back shelf, his vibrant blue water had turned clear, and he was literally starving. To make matters worse, he's got a nasty case of fin rot. I've had my fair share of happy, healthy bettas, but this one broke my heart. I've got him set up in a 1gl bowl for now, doing daily water changes and adding betta fix to help him recover. I'm really hoping for the best here - he deserves so much better.

The lighting in the latest pic isn't great, but you can see his red inflammation has already started to subside a bit, and he's even flaring his fins a little. I'd love to hear from anyone who's dealt with something like this before - how long until I can expect to see some noticeable regrowth? Also, once he's all healed up, he'll be moving into a larger heated tank. One thing I have noticed is he's not eating much yet - could the betta fix be putting him off?

[Fablet]

I just rescued a betta from Walmart - I know, I know, it's a gamble, but I couldn't resist. This little guy was stuck on a back shelf, his vibrant blue water had turned clear, and he was literally starving. To make matters worse, he's got a nasty case of fin rot. I've had my fair share of happy, healthy bettas, but this one broke my heart. I've got him set up in a 1gl bowl for now, doing daily water changes and adding betta fix to help him recover. I'm really hoping for the best here - he deserves so much better.

The lighting in the latest pic isn't great, but you can see his red inflammation has already started to subside a bit, and he's even flaring his fins a little. I'd love to hear from anyone who's dealt with something like this before - how long until I can expect to see some noticeable regrowth? Also, once he's all healed up, he'll be moving into a larger heated tank. One thing I have noticed is he's not eating much yet - could the betta fix be putting him off?

It's heartbreaking to see such a beautiful fish neglected like that. You've done a wonderful thing by giving him a second chance, and I wish you the best of luck in nursing him back to health. He still seems to have some spirit left in him, which is great to see.

[wingbeat]

I think it's best to get him into a proper tank with a heater as soon as possible, it'll help him recover faster and avoid dealing with temperature fluctuations. Is there a reason he can't go in there now, or are you waiting for him to heal a bit more?

He doesn't look too bad, considering, and I think he's got a good chance of pulling through. If he's a crowntail, the fins might not be as damaged as they seem. Crowntails have longer fins naturally, so it might be hard to tell how bad the damage is.

I wouldn't worry too much about his appetite yet, he just needs time to settle and feel better. The fins should start growing back in a couple of weeks, once the fin rot clears up. I'd recommend using a proper fin rot medication instead of Bettafix, just to make sure it gets cleared up completely.

But for now, just keep giving him clean water and a quiet space to recover. That's the best medicine for him right now. He's a cute little guy, I can see why you couldn't leave him behind.

[trollmaster]

It's great to see people like you who genuinely care about the well-being of others, including animals. Your selfless act of rescuing that betta has not only improved his life but also warmed the hearts of people like me who get to hear about it.

[nexus]

I think it's best to get him into a proper tank with a heater as soon as possible, it'll help him recover faster and avoid dealing with temperature fluctuations. Is there a reason he can't go in there now, or are you waiting for him to heal a bit more?

He doesn't look too bad, considering, and I think he's got a good chance of pulling through. If he's a crowntail, the fins might not be as damaged as they seem. Crowntails have longer fins naturally, so it might be hard to tell how bad the damage is.

I wouldn't worry too much about his appetite yet, he just needs time to settle and feel better. The fins should start growing back in a couple of weeks, once the fin rot clears up. I'd recommend using a proper fin rot medication instead of Bettafix, just to make sure it gets cleared up completely.

But for now, just keep giving him clean water and a quiet space to recover. That's the best medicine for him right now. He's a cute little guy, I can see why you couldn't leave him behind.

Here's the little guy now, all settled into his new 5-gallon tank with a proper filter and heater - I'm just so hopeful he's going to make a full recovery. His fins are still taking their time to grow back, though, and I'm getting a bit worried - we've started doing salt baths to try and kickstart the healing process. To be honest, I've never had to deal with fin rot this bad before, so I'm not really sure what to expect. Does anyone think this looks like typical fin rot to you, or is there something else going on that I'm missing?

[goldminer]

I'd stop the salt baths, to be honest. They're not necessary and all your little guy needs is lots of clean, warm, treated water. If you want to add something to help him out, I'd recommend trying Indkento4 Almond Leaf. It's got compounds that protect the tree from bacteria and fungi, so it might help prevent and cure diseases in aquariums. I'm not saying it's a cure-all, but it's worth a shot. Just be warned, it'll make your water yellow. If you don't want that, you could try Easy-Life Catappa-X instead.

[nexus]

I'm over the moon to share that his fins have made a full recovery - it was definitely a more aggressive case of fin rot than I've dealt with before, but the little guy's a fighter.

[goldminer]

That's absolutely fantastic, I'm beyond thrilled to see him recover so well, his new home in the 5-gallon tank must be doing wonders for him.