Who Gives A Fish Forums

Hi there, I've been looking for advice on my fin tank for a couple of days now, and I'm glad I found this forum. I noticed a couple of mornings ago that a big part of my betta's dorsal fin was gone. He wasn't eating that morning and seemed really sluggish - it all happened overnight.

I've had my betta for about 5 months, he's in a 6-gallon tank by himself. I do 35-50% water changes every 2 weeks, using water conditioner each time. He's got a heater and thermometer, set at 76-78 degrees. I feed him one to two times a day with those tiny micropellets - he won't eat anything else. He's had some issues with what I thought was bloat, having trouble swimming and all, but that's been a while.

When I saw his fin 2 days ago, I took some water to Petsmart and had it tested. They said it was normal, so I bought some Bettafix, thinking he might have fin rot, even though I didn't see any discoloration. I did a 25% water change that evening and added the Bettafix. Next morning, he seemed a bit better and took a bite of food, but by afternoon, he was worse again and hiding more. I did some research online and saw that people said to avoid Bettafix and do frequent water changes with aquarium salt instead.

I went back to Petsmart, bought some aquarium salt, and set up a quarantine tank using a 2-gallon tank I had lying around. I added a small heater and some silk plants. I set it up last night and added aquarium salt to the water. I've been reading about fin nipping, and since his fin went bad so fast, I'm wondering if that's what happened.

This morning, he looks worse than ever. I don't know if it's the new tank, the salt, or what. He's hiding behind the heater, won't eat, and when I put food in, he bolted away and started gasping for air. Now he's back behind the heater, looking pretty bad. Should I put him back in the original tank?

I'm a bit concerned about the filter, to be honest. I've heard of betta fins getting sucked in by those strong currents. I've got a pretty standard filter in my 6-gallon tank, but I'm not sure if it's the culprit.

To help you guys understand the situation better, I'll fill out the information you requested.

Tank size: 6 gallons
pH: I didn't test for it specifically, but the water test at Petsmart said everything was normal
ammonia: 0 (according to the Petsmart test)
nitrite: 0 (according to the Petsmart test)
nitrate: 0 (according to the Petsmart test)
kH: Not sure, didn't test for it
gH: Not sure, didn't test for it
tank temp: 76-78 degrees Fahrenheit

Fish Symptoms: My betta's dorsal fin is partially missing, and he's been acting sluggish. He's had some difficulty swimming in the past, but that's been a while ago. This time, he's just not himself.

Volume and Frequency of water changes: I do a 35-50% water change every 2 weeks. I did a 25% change recently when I added the Bettafix.

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: I use water conditioner every time I do a water change. I also added Bettafix recently, but I'm not sure if that was a good idea.

Tank inhabitants: Just my betta

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): None, but I did set up a quarantine tank recently.

Exposure to chemicals: None that I know of.

I don't have a digital photo, but I can try to describe the situation better if you need me to.

Can we get a picture of your betta? If you followed the instructions for adding the aquarium salt, then it's probably not the salt that's causing the problem. I'm starting to think you might need to step up your tank maintenance routine. Try cleaning the tank once a week and doing a 70% water change - that way you'll be getting rid of any built-up toxins. Don't forget to vacuum the substrate too, that's where a lot of debris accumulates. For your filter, I'd recommend swishing the cartridge in some tank water every couple of weeks, but only replace it if it's literally falling apart.

Thanks for the responses. I appreciate all the suggestions and questions. "Ollie" does have a really big tail, I think he's a half moon. I can see how his tail could have gotten damaged in the filter, but like I said, he mostly stayed on the opposite side of the tank. The filter is an Azoo Mignon 60 filter with an adjustable flow, and I kept it at the slowest possible setting. I've used this filter with the included sponges for the past 5 months, but last weekend I exchanged the sponge for an Aquaclear and added Biomax.

I also added a cave with a rough surface about a month ago, but I removed it the night before last and replaced it with a smooth arch. I just don't see how that could have damaged the top part of his dorsal fin, though. Unfortunately, I don't have the exact values of the water testing results, as I had it done at Petsmart. The girl did say the pH was a bit high, but everything else was normal. My water change schedule has been 50% or 3 gallons every 10-14 days, and I've been using the API Stress Coat conditioner in the water. I always vacuum the gravel, and I keep his water between 76 and 78 degrees. The heater in the tank has an adjustable thermostat, but I still have to adjust it from time to time.

I've taken some pictures - the first one was last night when I had him acclimating in the small quarantine tank. This morning, I thought he was dying - he was lying on the bottom of the tank, breathing heavily, and then swam up to the top, looking listless. Later, he wedged himself between the filter and heater, and that's where he stayed most of the day. That's where he is now. I'm sure the stress of transporting him to a new tank was really tough on him. I wanted to put a tank in my bedroom so I could keep a closer eye on him, since his actual 6-gallon tank is in our main living room area.

I had planned on doing daily complete water changes and adding the salt each time. The recommended dose on the box is 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water, but I read on another forum to do 1 tsp per gallon, so last night I did 1 1/2 tsp total, which is 3/4 tsp per gallon. Now, I'm torn - should I put Ollie back in his normal 6-gallon tank or keep him in the smaller tank and do 100% water changes, adding the salt and water conditioner? He hasn't eaten in seven days now, and he's very picky - all I've ever been able to get him to eat is a very small micropelleted commercial food. Any recommendations would be great.