Does my betta have fin rot?

Question

My betta jumped out of his tank the other day. I found him, popped him back in and following some suggestions on another yahoo question put a little more slime coat in his tank. He was doing better in a day (perked up and was eating), but now his fins are looking raggedy and I can see pieces of fin on the bottom of the tank. Do you think he has fin rot or is this a sign of stress from his recent suicide attempt?

Answer 1

If you are seeing pieces of fin in the tank and it just looks like normal fin, that would probably just be pieces falling off from the damage. Look closely at the edges of his fins and see if they look white and tattered. The white edging will be the giveaway to fin rot in this case.

If you see the white edging, I would suggest you start an antibiotic treatment asap. A few good choices for fin rot would be Maracyn TC (or another tetracycline) Maracyn 2, or Furanace. Any of those should clear the problem up in 5-7 days, but treat for 10 just to be sure.

MM

Answer 2

Fins falling off usually isn't a sign of stress. If he is stressed from the jump (hope you've got a lid on your tank now! haha) he may have developed fin rot. However, you'll be able to tell if the fins look very ragged and stringy and have black or edging. If he does have fin rot, just medicate with some antibiotics. A broad-spectrum antibiotic like Tetracycline will do the trick, but so will Maracyn-1 and Maracyn-2.

However, I think it's more likely that the stress has caused him to start tail-biting. Many bettas do this after a jump or other stressful situations (drastic change in water quality, being transported, etc). You'll be able to identify a tail-biter by watching him (obviously) and also checking to see if the tail is ragged (in which case it would be fin rot) or if big chunks go missing at a time. It won't have the dark-coloured edges but the tail will be missing in chunks rather than in thin ragged "threads". This is also more probable because you mentioned fin at the bottom of the tank... with fin rot, the bacteria "eats away" at the fin tissue rather than tears it off.

Here's what I think you should do in the meantime: add some blackwater extract to your water (Kent is a good brand for this); it will soften the water and liken the water to bettas' natural habitat. This will reduce stress for him which will help combat the problem whether it's fin rot or biting. You should also put a lot of plants and hide-outs in his tank, which will help if he's a biter, and can be quite aesthetically pleasing :) It might even help the fin rot because he'll have places to rest instead of lying on the ground which is where all the dirt and sediment in your tank collects. Also, keep your tank as clean as you possibly can. You might want to add some Melafix which aids in the regrowth of fin tissue.

(WARNING about using Melafix: Some betta owners have claimed that using Melafix led to breathing problems or even death of their fish. However, others - like myself - have had no problem using it. It works miracles for clearing up any rips in my bettas' finnage. It is not known why some bettas have problems with Melafix while others don't. As a result, it's probably a good idea to watch your betta CAREFULLY after adding the Melafix for a couple of hours. If he starts acting lethargic, goes up to the surface for air more often than usual or displays any other signs of discomfort, do a full water change immediately. Also, Melafix will work for tears in finnage but not for fin rot. You will need to treat fin rot with antibiotics first, and once regrowth has begun, you may try Melafix to speed up the growth.)

Answer 3

possibly. two reason first shock from jumping out of his tank, secondly an infection, try a little salt maybe 1/4 teaspoon of normal cooking salt not iodised salt, it was suggested in another post and water change is important, with a good water ager, stress coat will also help, if not improvement with the salt try a few drops of multi cure, change at least 1/3 of the water in three day, add a little air to the tank if you can and have not already, repeat the above steps, sometimes you can get an antibiotic tablet from the pet store if they have them in stock, they do not cost much and should fix the problem.good luck from someone who loves fish

Answer 4

It could be both...Meaning that the stress from his "journey" could have lowered his immune system causing him to get a fungal or bacterial infection. I've seen this a few times at work. How is your water chemistry? If it is at proper levels, you could try a fin reparing med. like pimafix or melafix. You need to have a tank with a filter in order to use these meds though. Although bettas are famous for jumping ship, fish will jump tanks if their water chemistry is poor...

Answer 5

Antibiotics will help it grow back. Slimcoat won't fix his fins.

Answer 6

Check out this site, does it look like this!

TREATMENT:
The first thing to do is a complete water change. Make sure you wash everything with hot water (no soap).

http://www.healthybetta.com/articles/Illness%20Diagonsis/finrot.html