Does my Betta Splenden have fin rot, or is he tail biting?

[enzothesplenden]

I've had my betta enzo for almost 10 months now & never had any issues with him. He lives in a 5.5 gal tank with filtration and a heater set to 28 degrees Celsius. As betta are not such strong swimmers I have my filter set to a low flow rate, so the current in the tank isn't as strong. To keep the surface of the water moving he also has a small air bubble ornament to keep the tank oxygenated & he loves swimming in all the bubbles!

However, a couple of weeks ago I noticed his fins looked shorter, as if someone had just bluntly cut away the ends of his fins, it happened all at once! One day his fins were lovely and long & the next there were chunks missing! I clean his tank every week & do 50% water changes each time. I also test his water as weekly maintenance & the readings always come back as 6.6pH, 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrite and 5ppm nitrate.

Upon noticing my bettas fins I originally suspected fin rot, and so began doing 50% water changes 2-3 times a week, as well as adding some aquarium salt into the tank. The ammonia, pH, nitrite and nitrates have remained the same throughout.

After a few weeks there were no changes, his fins hadn't gotten worse but they haven't seemed to improve either. After reading up on fin rot in bettas I also noticed mine didn't have the 'symptoms' of fin rot, such as tattered fins ends, blackening of the fin ends, red tips on the fins. I added some pictures so that you can see for yourself.

I also read that betta fish also have tendencies to tail bite, although it is not known why they do it. Does he have fin rot or is he simply biting off the ends himself? Either way some advice on the situation would be great & if it is fin rot/tail biting what else can I try? He seems generally happy in himself, he is active throughout the day & has a good appetite, & I am also going to try putting some Inidan Almond Leaves in his tank to help de-stress him.

Any other suggestions? Thanks!

 

[arcab4]

my vote is on fin rot from the pics. any updates?

 

[sharky2015]

I'll have to go wih fin rot this is new to me as well dut I never heard betta biting there tail. I would fine a natural way of fixing it I don't know any but I do know there out there someone know I'll look around to see my self for I have a betta as well

 

[Brandon22]

Fin Rot normally leaves a bad, dead look to the end of the fins. It will almost look like the fin is dying at the ends and tips (I didn't see that in the images). If they look like they were just torn off or shredded, it's probably him biting them. It's not unheard of for them to due so, and it is usually a result of stress. He could have gotten stressed if you moved things around in his tank, or even took out/replaced one of his favorite ornaments during a cleaning. You're doing everything right though by treating for stress. Also, his fins might grow back, but really there's nothing much to do for them if they don't.

 

[Chrissyb0528]

One of my Bettas had fin rot and it left a white edge around the fin and the rays in her fin started to show as the infection continued to move through the fin. From the pictures I don't see signs of fin rot from my experience but everyone's experience is a little different. I'd say do a little research on both and whatever you feel needs to be done you do. Follow the parental instinct.