Who Gives A Fish Forums

Hi everyone,
I'm having a bit of a crisis with my Betta's tail fins and I was hoping someone could shed some light on what's going on. He's a veiltail and apart from this fin issue, he's swimming around like normal. But the fins are all bunched up at the end, like they're stuck together with a thin black thread or something.

I did think maybe it was fin rot at first, so I set up a quarantine tank and started treating him with aquarium salt and bettafix. But honestly, it's been a few days and I haven't seen any improvement. His water parameters all seem fine - ph 7.5, KH 7-8 drops, GH 5-6 drops, Ammonia's <0.25ppm, Nitrite's 0, Nitrate's <5 ppm, and the temp's between 76-80F. I've also got a filter in his 3.5 gallon tank.

I'm starting to think maybe it's not fin rot after all, since I don't see any actual fin loss - just this weird bunching. I've attached some photos of him in the quarantine tank (it's only 2 gallons, so I couldn't get any side shots, sorry).

Does your betta live alone in his tank. If so, I'd actually recommend taking him out of quarantine, as this could be adding to his stress levels. It would be great if you could take some new pictures of him in his 3.5 gallon tank, as the ones you've posted are a bit tricky to see clearly from above. I did notice an oak leaf in one of the photos, is that something you've added to the water intentionally.

Thanks for the input, FinFan. Yeah, my betta does live alone, and I actually took him out of quarantine since posting. I was worried the bettafix might mess with the nitrogen cycle, but now I've put him back in his own tank - he seems way happier there. I had the same thought, it's hard to get good pics from above.

Regarding the oak leaf, I'd seen some betta breeders on YouTube using them instead of Indian almond leaves, as they produce tannins too. I boiled and dried it to be safe, trying to avoid introducing anything unwanted. Just exploring cheaper options for tannins.

He's swimming around fine now, but that black stuff at the end of his fins is still bugging me. Wish I could figure out what it is exactly.

It's getting pretty dark here now, so I'll have to wait till tomorrow to take any new pics.

Bettafix isn't the best choice for treating betta ailments, in my opinion. It's essentially a watered-down version of Melafix, which isn't ideal for betta tanks. Both Melafix and Pimafix can cause issues with the labyrinth organ in bettas and gouramis, so it's generally not recommended.

As I'm not familiar with US medications, I'm hoping someone from that region might be able to offer some guidance.