The fins and tell of my betta seem to be frayed. I do not think it is rot due to the fact it is still the same color as the fish. It looks as though each strand or whatever of the fin ends on its own and is not one flowing thing. Also the top fin seems to have a peice hangin off the end of it. What is it and can it be treated or does my betta just need to mature. He is beutiful blood red except for the end of his fins and tail which seem to take away from his beauty.
Question about the Fins of my Betta.
- Thread starter jondub
- Start date
It could be fin rot. Have a look here for pictures and treatment info: http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm
It is not fin rot and I believe it is a crown tail because my roomie got one and his tail looks different. I wish he would fan out so I could be sure. I left my camera at home but I will have pics next week. Also, I put him in yesterday and the water appears cloudy today, is that normal. I am thinking about seeing if it cycles out over night and if not then a 50% water change. What do youthink.
Your tank will not "cycle out" over night. Now, it may "clear out" over night, but that is it. Yuor tank will not be cycled for a couple of weeks. You ABSOLUTELY MUST keep up on your water changes!!!!!!! Yes, do the 50% water change if it is getting bad, if not then wait another day or so and then do the water change. Some cloudiness is normal, yes, it is what is called a bacteria bloom and that is part of your cycling process. MAke sure you use dechlorinator when you change your water and make sure that it is the same temperature as your tank water. Do you have a heater? What size is your tank anyway? A heater is great for a betta if it is the proper wattage for the proper size tank. Bettas are after all tropical fish and they are much happier in warmer filtered water.
edit... a good way to get him to fan out is to stick a mirror in front of him and he will flare. You should get a good view of his fins then.
edit... a good way to get him to fan out is to stick a mirror in front of him and he will flare. You should get a good view of his fins then.
Its is a five gallon tank hex tank and sorry bout the multiple threads, the two things happend at different times. I'm sorry didn't mean cycle out but filter, when I first added water to my tank it was cloudy and over night it filtered out and now it is cloudy again so I am hoping it clears and if not I will do the water change. I do not have a heater but was wondering if I should get one. Also, when I do get one should I take the fish out to warm the tank up?
Yes, I would recommend you getting a heater and a thermometer. Try to get a thermometer that sticks in the tank with a suction cup, not the stick on tape kind. You can get a heater especially for small tanks, but they aren't controllable and you have to keep plugging them in and unplugging them when they reach a certain temp. I know alot of people have 25 watts heaters and prefer them over the others because you can control the temp setting. I would set it on about 80. Bettas like a little warmer waer then other tropical fish. No, you don't have to take him out. Just follow the directions. I think it recommends doing like 3 degrees at a time or something like that. It will be fin for you to watch how happy your betta becomes as the water warms up a little by little. It really does make a huge difference. Also, I would recommend taking out the incadescent bulb that came with your tank and replacing it with a screw in compact flourescent. You can get them at walmart in the bulb section for a few bucks. They are far more energy efficient and they also do not get near as hot as incadescents.
Well I went to petco and got a little more expensive one. It is a 25 watt visa therm. I think it will be fine. It must be working because Gunner is staying right next to it. Also, I can not wait to get a Petsmart. Petco has no decent fish and no freakin African Dwarf frogs. Sorry for all the questions but should my filter already have growth on it? The spot on his eye has vanished (makes me so happy) and he seems to be thriving. He is not a crown tail, but I think he maybe young which is the reason for the not quite full tail. The water is a little cloudy but it is clearing up, I had this problem the first night I set up the tank and it filtered out.
No, your filter will get bacteria on it as your tank cyckles and bacteria multipy in order to keep up with the waste produced by the fish. Which, btw, will not be much since it is only a betta. That is why they always recommend you add fish slowly so as not to overload your bioload. Good job on the heater. Oh, and your betta may not be too old as you suggested or he may have a little fin rot going on from being in poor water conditions at the petstore. Keep up on your water changes and keep his tank clean and he will fill out beautifully! Again, place a mirror by the tank and let him flare up. It is good for them! If you get a chance, get some java moss in there as soon as possible. It is super easy to grow, requires nothing special and it will help keep your nitrites/nitrates (never sure which one) down. Also, did you replace your bulb?
The heater is adjustable and I left my camera at my parents house. I will have one by sunday though. I also changed the light bulb and it looks great. I have a fake plant and a cave thingy that has some plants on it. I like the way it looks and am hopefully going to be able to move up to a bigger tank with which I plan to have fully planted. Hopefully within the next 3 to 4 months when I move into my new place. I got the 5 gal. to learn on. How long should I wait before adding some more fish. And would a oco catfish be ok to keep algea down. Also what other kind of fish. I am not really to into the white clouds so any suggestions would be appreciated. Help this poor college student out with his betta, it is keeping me sane through my homework right now. One more thing, if it is a mild case of fine rot which I think it is does it need to be medicated or will keeping the tank clean clear it up? Thanks to everyone who has helped and put up with my questions, I am so new at this.
you can treat the fin rot make sure it is infact fin rot so that you can treat properly.
You can get a betta book and read up on what you can do with the bettas, or goto www.bettatalk.com very helpfull
You can get a betta book and read up on what you can do with the bettas, or goto www.bettatalk.com very helpfull