is fin rot common in betta?

[duskette]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and also pretty new to aquarium-keeping. I started out with a 5-gallon tank for my betta, and I made sure to cycle it before bringing him home. The tank's at a steady 78 degrees, has a filter, and some live plants to keep things healthy. There's also an assassin snail and some pond snails in there. I got my betta from a local store a couple of weeks ago, and when I first brought him home, I noticed some black spots on his fins - specifically on the ventral fins. It hasn't seemed to get worse, but I'm still worried. Could this be fin rot, and if so, what's the best way to treat it? He's still really active and has a great appetite, which is a good sign, right?

Sorry the pic isn't great - he was trying to get my attention since it was dinner time. On a side note, the 5-gallon tank is just temporary - I'm planning to move him to a 20-gallon soon.

[bigtop]

I'm inclined to think it's not finrot, the fins' edges seem smooth. My betta had a similar transformation after settling in - it went from mostly grey to a stunning dark blue and black. It's possible your betta's colors are intensifying now that it's in a calm environment.

[duskette]

I'm inclined to think it's not finrot, the fins' edges seem smooth. My betta had a similar transformation after settling in - it went from mostly grey to a stunning dark blue and black. It's possible your betta's colors are intensifying now that it's in a calm environment.

I was worried it was fin rot too, but I'm glad to hear that's probably not the case. I didn't think the black on his fins could be part of his normal coloring, but now that you mention it, it makes sense. I went back and looked at some old photos of him from when I first got him, and it's actually gotten a bit worse - the black has spread a bit.

[bigtop]

I took a closer look at the tail and anal fins, still can't quite tell on the others though. Would love to hear from someone with more experience, I've only dealt with fin rot once before and that was a while back.