I think the fish is at leats a year an a half old. When my step son brought him to me he was in a very dirty bowl. I change his water twice a week, bought him a new bowl about a quart one,feed him regularly. I have another betta of my own . My betta also has a gallon bowl he loves the room! With changes twice a week mine does great! I need help getting the other betta back into shap! thanks for the help!
2007-01-05 07:00:38 · 10 answers · asked by Christy F 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
Even one gallon is not sufficient for a betta. NO fish should have to live in one gallon of water, especially not bettas, who like 80F clean water. The best thing you can do to heal your new betta is to get him a REAL tank, with a heater (bettas are from Thailand and room temp is not warm enough - they need 80F water) and a filter.
You could likely get a 10 gallon tank with heater, filter, lid, used for 30$, and you could get a divider and put your 2 betta in it. Or you could get 2 small plastic tanks that are 5 gallons each. This will cure your bettas, make them bigger, stronger, more colourful, and more active, I promise :)
If you cannot, well, all you can do is keep the water as clean as possible. Use a turkey baster, and replace 50% of the water EVERY DAY. This way, you can remove uneaten food, and poop, and you will never have to remove the betta and completely clean the bowl which is time consuming and stressful for the fish. Also try moving your bowls closer to a lamp to keep the water warmer.
Bettas are tough cookies; treat him right and he will recover nicely. You can add a little bit of aquarium salt (half a teaspoon, disolved first in dechlor water) to help keep away bacterial infections which may attack the torn fin.
2007-01-05 07:08:02 · answer #1 · answered by Zoe 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I doubt your betta could nibble through his fin. The most likely answer is that it's the very beginning of fin-rot, or he's a little too flare-happy and tore his fin a bit. Bettas are very susceptible to fin problems, and it's not at all uncommon to see the occasional tear or hole. Keep his water very clean and make sure you have a heater to keep his water at about 80 degrees. Then keep an eye on the hole. Often times, heat and improved water quality will allow the fin to heal on its own. If it doesn't heal or you notice it getting worse, you can treat him with Melafix or a similar medication. A little aquarium salt can also help. :)
2016-03-29 09:16:26 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like the betta has a bit of fin rot. This can often occur when a betta is kept in less than ideal water, like you had mentioned.
One thing that can help the healing process is Melafix. You can find this at any local pet store. Just add some the next time you do a water change, and for any other water changes up to about two weeks. The hole will most likely heal, but will probably never obtain its original color - it will probably be clear, or a paler color of whatever color the betta is.
Also, I strongly suggest you listen to Zoe's advice. Betta love having lots of open space, contrary to popular belief. 1 gallon really is too small. The recommended minimum for bettas is 2.5 gal, but they would be even happier and healthier in a larger tank. Plus, water changes are stressful on fish, and the larger the tank, the less often you have to change the water. If you have a filter, you don't even have to change all of the water.
2007-01-05 07:51:25 · answer #3 · answered by Nicole S 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The hole is most likely due to the bad tank conditions he'd originally been kept in (and thanks for rescuing him). Betta fins, the long finned bettas, are extremely delicate and bacteria easily start chewing away at them. Bu if it is only a pinhole, or a not-too-big hole, just keep his water clean (I'd do water changes daily in a less-than-1 gal. tank), add just a wee bit of salt to help the mending, and fish vitamins would be good. (Some bettas develop pinholes in their fins from a Vit. C deficiency.) But most important is to keep his tanlk totally clean.
2007-01-05 10:32:36 · answer #4 · answered by Inundated in SF 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had a similar problem with a Gourami, I treated the water with a conditioner from the Aquarium store which contained aloe vera. It healed the wound and stopped the fish from any further fin rot or other diseases. The hole will most likely never heal and depending on the size may or may not affect your fishes ability to swim happily.
Good Luck :-)
2007-01-05 07:15:05 · answer #5 · answered by <^^Em^^> 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It may not be a wound, it may simply be a hole that already healed. Chances are, it won't heal, though, I'm sorry. He shouldn't feel any pain from it, though. If it is an open wound, you might want to get some antibiotics to add to the water to make it heal cleanly without causing an infection. Most likely, though, it shouldn't be a problem. He just won't be as pretty as the other one. Sorry. :(
2007-01-05 07:09:32 · answer #6 · answered by Kitten 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
the hole will not heal... cause betta fins are so easily torn that they will grow long but not heal in the middle of the fin..... it is okay.. don't get all worried.
2007-01-05 10:27:56 · answer #7 · answered by Sxc 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Go to your local pet store..and tell them whats wrong..most of them have little drops you can put in teh water to disinfect and cure it...thats what happened to my betta but i noticed it too late
2007-01-05 10:02:07 · answer #8 · answered by Hi 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I don't think u can fix the hole
let nature handle it
2007-01-05 07:06:02 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
maybe it's natural.
2007-01-05 07:08:32 · answer #10 · answered by <>< 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋