help with betta fish fin splitting

[crafton]

Hi everyone,

I've had my betta for two weeks now, and I've noticed his fins are starting to split. He's in a 3.5gal filtered tank - no heater for now, but I'm planning to get one soon. Any Amazon recommendations would be great, thanks.

I've used bettafix for the past week, but I haven't seen any improvement in his fins. I'm not sure if it's fin rot or something else. I did get a sponge for the filter intake, since I saw him wrapping himself around it.

He still swims around like a happy fish, but sometimes he just sits on the bottom. Any advice on what I should do would be really helpful. Thanks.

[coltin]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I've taken a good look at your setup, and I think I see the issue - your water looks milky cloudy, which tells me your filter probably isn't established yet, and you've likely got an ammonia problem on your hands. This would explain the fin damage.

You'll want to do a 75% water change, and make sure to gravel clean that substrate every day for a couple of weeks. When you're adding new water, double-check it's free of chlorine and chloramine first.

Get your water tested regularly for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH - we'll need to see those numbers to give you more specific advice.

[SeaBidder]

I'm dealing with the same fin issues in my tank. I've tried a mix of daily 75% water changes, adding aquarium salt, herbal bacterial med, and Geneflake Cure. I even went as far as separating my bettas into their own 10-gallon tanks with sponge filters. Nothing's worked so far, so I've resorted to Kanamycin and Furan-2. I just finished the treatment today, so I'm still waiting to see if it makes a difference. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out what's wrong with my fish, but this one's got me stumped. If you're in the States, you might want to try the Kanamycin and Furan-2 treatment if all else fails.

[crafton]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I've taken a good look at your setup, and I think I see the issue - your water looks milky cloudy, which tells me your filter probably isn't established yet, and you've likely got an ammonia problem on your hands. This would explain the fin damage.

You'll want to do a 75% water change, and make sure to gravel clean that substrate every day for a couple of weeks. When you're adding new water, double-check it's free of chlorine and chloramine first.

Get your water tested regularly for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH - we'll need to see those numbers to give you more specific advice.

Hi there, I finally got around to testing the water with my new API master test kit. I've been testing regularly and as of yesterday, the numbers looked like this: 0 ppm ammonia, 0 ppm nitrite, and around 5-10 ppm nitrate. The pH is a bit off, sitting at 7.8, when ideally it should be around 7.5. I've been using a dechlorinator every time I add new water to the tank. I just cleaned the tank, and now it's looking a bit cloudy with small particles floating around - not sure if that's just from disturbing the gravel or not. I'm hoping the filter will be able to clear it up with the intake sponge.

[crafton]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I've taken a good look at your setup, and I think I see the issue - your water looks milky cloudy, which tells me your filter probably isn't established yet, and you've likely got an ammonia problem on your hands. This would explain the fin damage.

You'll want to do a 75% water change, and make sure to gravel clean that substrate every day for a couple of weeks. When you're adding new water, double-check it's free of chlorine and chloramine first.

Get your water tested regularly for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH - we'll need to see those numbers to give you more specific advice.

Hi, I'm actually in Canada, so I'm not sure if I'd be able to get that treatment or not. I've got some new stuff on the way - moss balls, catappa leaves, and aquarium salt. I've heard great things about them, just not specifically for fin issues. If the Kanamycin and Furan-2 treatment works for you, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks

[coltin]

Don't stress about your pH, it's 7.8, but even if it was slightly higher, like 8.7, it would still be within an acceptable range for your betta.

If the cloudiness is due to the gravel, it should settle down over time. For now, I'd recommend doing a 75% water change and a thorough gravel clean every couple of days until the water clears up. This should help to keep your tank stable and healthy for your betta.

[crafton]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I've taken a good look at your setup, and I think I see the issue - your water looks milky cloudy, which tells me your filter probably isn't established yet, and you've likely got an ammonia problem on your hands. This would explain the fin damage.

You'll want to do a 75% water change, and make sure to gravel clean that substrate every day for a couple of weeks. When you're adding new water, double-check it's free of chlorine and chloramine first.

Get your water tested regularly for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH - we'll need to see those numbers to give you more specific advice.

Hi, I was just wondering what else could be causing the cloudy water if it's not the gravel. I've heard it could be a sign of a bunch of different issues.

As for the fin splitting, I was thinking of trying the aquarium salt I just got. I'm a bit hesitant to try too many new things at once, though. Do you think the salt would be a good idea, or should I hold off for now?

[SeaBidder]

I was initially hesitant about using aquarium salt too, but it's actually a great astringent for cleaning and protecting fins from bacteria while they heal. It's safe for short-term use, up to 14 days, but I wouldn't recommend using it all the time since there's no need for that. It's really only meant for treatment purposes.

[crafton]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I've taken a good look at your setup, and I think I see the issue - your water looks milky cloudy, which tells me your filter probably isn't established yet, and you've likely got an ammonia problem on your hands. This would explain the fin damage.

You'll want to do a 75% water change, and make sure to gravel clean that substrate every day for a couple of weeks. When you're adding new water, double-check it's free of chlorine and chloramine first.

Get your water tested regularly for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH - we'll need to see those numbers to give you more specific advice.

Thanks for the info. I'm considering trying the aquarium salt, but I'm a bit worried about how to stop the treatment. Since it's not filtered out and doesn't evaporate, do I need to do a full water change after 14 days? Or can I just stop adding salt when I do my regular water changes?