I recently rescued a Betta from PetSmart - her name's Beth - and she's been doing great, super energetic and happy. I did try adding some ghost shrimp and snails to her 3-gallon planted tank, but she killed them all within an hour. Clearly, she wants to be alone.
The tank's been running for 2 months now, and I set it up with mature filter media from my other tanks, so I didn't have to cycle it. The water parameters are fine - Ammonia-0, Nitrite-0, Nitrate-5 - and it's heated at 78 degrees.
Lately, I've noticed her fins getting all jagged and rotting away. At first, I thought it was fin rot, but there's nothing sharp in the tank, and the water's perfect. Now I'm thinking maybe she's nipping at her own fins? She's really territorial, and when I'm in front of her, she does this side-to-side thing, getting her fins in her face. I've never seen her do it, but she only pays attention to me when I'm in the room, so she's probably distracted.
It looks like she might have ick in her fins, but when they were full, there was a white outline, so I think it's just the leftover outline. I've got aquarium salt on hand - should I add it? Any help would be great, thanks! I've attached some pics.
Is my betta susceptible to fin rot
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oceanlover - Posts: 17
- Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2022 8:15 pm
Re: Is my betta susceptible to fin rot
I'm pretty sure it's fin rot, despite your parameters being fine - that usually points to a bacterial infection. 75% water change should help, and make sure to clean the gravel and scrub the glass to get rid of the infection. Once you've done the water change, add some aquarium salt - one level tablespoon per 5 gallons of water should do the trick.