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Is my fish suffering from fin rot or tail biting?
Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2025 11:14 pm
by CaceyT
Honestly, I'm at my wit's end with this fish. Got up today and noticed a pretty big chunk of my betta's tail is gone. Attached a couple of pics, not the best quality, but hoping someone can help me figure out if it's fin rot or tail biting.
I'm leaning towards the biting, to be honest, since it seems to have happened overnight out of the blue. No sharp ornaments or anything he could've gotten caught on.
My water parameters are all good - ammonia 0, nitrite 0, and nitrate between 0 and 5. Did make a couple of changes to his tank recently, though - moved the light from the back to the lid and added an air stone about 4 days ago. Wondering if the new light position might've been stressing him out, so I've put everything back the way it was.
Either way, what else can I do to help him out?
Re: Is my fish suffering from fin rot or tail biting?
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2025 12:39 am
by florakai
I'm inclined to think it's tail biting rather than fin rot, considering how quickly it's happened. Adding some aquarium salt would be a good idea, just in case, to prevent any potential infection.
Re: Is my fish suffering from fin rot or tail biting?
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2025 2:10 am
by CaceyT
Thanks for the reply, that was my first thought as well. I'm pretty sure it's tail biting, but just to be on the safe side I'll add some aquarium salt after my water change today. I'm just not sure how much to add - any ideas for a 5 gallon tank?
Re: Is my fish suffering from fin rot or tail biting?
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2025 3:25 am
by florakai
CaceyT wrote: ↑Sun Feb 09, 2025 11:14 pm
Honestly, I'm at my wit's end with this fish. Got up today and noticed a pretty big chunk of my betta's tail is gone. Attached a couple of pics, not the best quality, but hoping someone can help me figure out if it's fin rot or tail biting.
I'm leaning towards the biting, to be honest, since it seems to have happened overnight out of the blue. No sharp ornaments or anything he could've gotten caught on.
My water parameters are all good - ammonia 0, nitrite 0, and nitrate between 0 and 5. Did make a couple of changes to his tank recently, though - moved the light from the back to the lid and added an air stone about 4 days ago. Wondering if the new light position might've been stressing him out, so I've put everything back the way it was.
Either way, what else can I do to help him out?
The general rule is a tablespoon of aquarium salt per 5 gallons of water. Fin rot usually has some underlying issue that's causing it, so it can be sneaky and then just show up. But I don't think it could appear literally overnight like that. Just keep up with the water changes and your betta should be good as new, with some nice fin regrowth.
Re: Is my fish suffering from fin rot or tail biting?
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2025 4:39 am
by florakai
I'd say for a 5 gallon tank, a tablespoon of aquarium salt should do the trick. Fin rot usually doesn't just pop up overnight, there's usually an underlying issue. But in your case, I think tail biting is still the more likely culprit. Just keep up with those water changes and your betta should be back to normal in no time. I've had a similar situation with one of my ladies, she was in with a fin nipper and I just made sure to keep the water clean and added some salt - made a big difference, as you can see from the before and after pics.
Re: Is my fish suffering from fin rot or tail biting?
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2025 5:09 am
by CaceyT
That's a huge improvement. I'm thinking of upping the water change frequency for a bit, maybe daily for a while. Do you reckon that's a good idea, and if so, for how long should I keep it up? Or should I just stick with my usual routine, doing around 50% every week?
Re: Is my fish suffering from fin rot or tail biting?
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2025 6:22 am
by florakai
I think you're good with your weekly changes, but if his condition takes a turn for the worse or you notice any signs of sickness, you'll want to step up the water changes or consider meds - and with meds, you'll need to follow the instructions for water changes, but that's only if things take a turn.
Re: Is my fish suffering from fin rot or tail biting?
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2025 6:50 am
by kingrise
To me, it seems like your betta's tail issue is indeed due to biting. While flour isn't necessary in this case, adding a bit of aquarium salt can help prevent infection. Clean water is key to healing torn or bitten fins.
I'd suggest doing daily water changes of 75% or more for about a week, or until you notice an improvement.