Male Betta: Possible Fin Rot

Hello,
 
I bought a lovely male betta called Dante yesterday who lives in a 28L tank by himself. He has 2 live plants and a couple of plastic-like rocks in his tank. Just over an hour ago I noticed his tail fin has torn in a couple of places. I'm pretty new to keeping fish and am concerned it is fin rot. Is anyone able to confirm this and provide some advice to treat him? I've read daily water changes and adding salt to the water shall help. Also I have left his light off this evening as he was flaring at his reflection last night. However, it may be worth mentioning that the tears in his tail did not occur until late this afternoon at the earliest, so I don't think that's the cause, though I could be wrong.

Don't add regular table salt. You have to go get aquarium salt. not for marine fish.

Could they be tears rather than fin rot?  I can't quite seem to make out much from your photo.  (My new betta spent his first 3 days flaring a shadows before calming down).

Lovely looking Betta
 
Bettas tails are fragile and you state "Just over an hour ago I noticed his tail fin has torn in a couple of places...".  I note you have some "plastic-like rocks" in his tank, I would start by removing the rocks then doing the stocking test.  This is whereby you run a nylon stocking over any ornament or other items in the tank likely to catch the Bettas fins.  If the stocking snags then that is your culprit as it will also snag the fins of the Betta.  If possible post a picture of the rocks.
 
In respect to your Betta, regular water changes to ensure he is in clean water should prevent any secondary infection, but keep a close eye on things, and if you think it is changing to fin-rot then deal with it accordingly.  I would recommend about 10-20% water change daily for the next week, make sure you are adding the de-clorinator etc.
 
I would also get some IAL for him as these ensure the water is in optimum condition for the Betta.  Bog wood is also good for Bettas, but try and get a piece that has no rough edges.  If you can also feed him some live foods, white mosquito larvae is best, as this will assist in his tail healing.  What are you currently feeding him and how much?
 
I have only tended to use salt baths (Aquarium Salt Only) vs keeping any Betta in salt longer term.  The only exception to this is Bob, who has Betta Spa in his water and this contains a little salt.
 
Google Betta Fin Rot and you should see that his tail is more a rip than rot, from what I can see in the pictures you have provided.  Also, take a look at this topic for some more info., that may assist you.
 
Can you tell us a little more about the tank he is in please.  How long was it set up prior to getting Dante?  What filter does it have?  What temperature is he being kept at?
 
If you can get a better picture of him, please do and post it for all to enjoy his wonderful colours, we   pictures on here.
 
What County are you in?

Thank you very much for your help, guys. I'm glad to report that Dante's tail has gotten no worse over the last day. Here's some clearer pictures I managed to take this afternoon.
 
RCA, I took your advice and did a 15% water change in order to improve the quality of the water. The tank has only been set up for 12 days, however, 50% of the water in the tank has been taken from a mature tank that was set up over a year ago. The water temperature is at 24.5 degrees celsius. I have removed the rock that I suspect has caused the tear (the picture of it is below). I plan to replace this with a piece of bogwood as you also suggested, so thank you. I'm also going to track down some live food for Dante. For now I've been feeding him Tetra flakes (3 or 4 flakes twice a day) and this evening he had a small amount of brine shrimp in garlic. He seems normal and happy, exploring his tank and searching for food. I am slightly worried about his filter as he tends to get blown away by it. It's an Internal 101F Filter.
 
Anyway thank you again. Your advice is much appreciated.

I have that filter as well, it is quite strong I find. If its an option then a downgrade might be needed. I've downgraded mine to a aqua one Clearview H100 (HOB), it's currently on order though so I can't really report on what it's like but I'm pretty sure it's got a weaker flow than the 101F.
That rock was almost definitely the cause as it does look quite rough.
I'm pretty sure that flakes are often not very good for Betta's (anyone feel free to correct me)
If your tanks only been set up for 12 days then it will still be cycling as although you added some water from the other tank, the tank water doesn't contain very much of the bacteria which is needed. If possible, add some filter media from that tank as that will be more help than the water.
I'm pretty sure (again, anyone feel free to correct me) that a temp of 25°C + is recommended for a Betta. When I get my Betta I will be having it at 26°C.

If I've made any mistakes then feel free to correct me as I'm still new to the work of Betta's.

Gembles said:

Thank you very much for your help, guys. I'm glad to report that Dante's tail has gotten no worse over the last day. Here's some clearer pictures I managed to take this afternoon.
 
RCA, I took your advice and did a 15% water change in order to improve the quality of the water. The tank has only been set up for 12 days, however, 50% of the water in the tank has been taken from a mature tank that was set up over a year ago. The water temperature is at 24.5 degrees celsius. I have removed the rock that I suspect has caused the tear (the picture of it is below). I plan to replace this with a piece of bogwood as you also suggested, so thank you. I'm also going to track down some live food for Dante. For now I've been feeding him Tetra flakes (3 or 4 flakes twice a day) and this evening he had a small amount of brine shrimp in garlic. He seems normal and happy, exploring his tank and searching for food. I am slightly worried about his filter as he tends to get blown away by it. It's an Internal 101F Filter.
 
Anyway thank you again. Your advice is much appreciated.

Click to expand...

You are welcome...
 
Firstly if the tank has only been set up for 12 days it is not cycled, therefore Dante is at risk of Ammonia poisoning as you will be doing a fish-in cycle.  Not sure how much you know so take a look at this section of the TFF which will advise you regarding this.  Using water from an existing tank really has no benefit, you need mature media from your existing filter to assist your new filter to get kick-started with the beneficial bacteria, which will break down the Ammonia into NitrIte and then into the less harmful NitrAte.  Can you tell us what filters you have running on each tank, (noting the Internal 101F on Dante's) and what media you have in them please?  If you can take some sponge from your existing filter, you can cut a piece off and add it into Dante's, plus if possible some ceramic noodles if you have them, as the bacteria thrive in these.  This will assist in seeding Dante's filter.
 
Up the temperature to at least 26.5C which is 79.7F, as Bettas are best kept in warmer than average water, I usually aim for about 80.0F.
 
Well done identifying the culprit and removing it.  I also see in the photo a shell to the left behind the rock?  If that is still in the tank then I would recommend you remove it as these are not ideal in the aquarium.  Bogwood is good, plus get the IAL, I buy my IAL's on-line it is a lot cheaper than the LFS.
 
Good re: live food but be selective as they can carry parasites.  Check out my profile for those I choose, and also I tend to get the slightly more expensive ones that are in the fridge of the LFS, and actually you get a lot more for your money this way.  As before, the glass worm/white mosquito larvae are the best.  Keep them in the fridge then bring them to room temperature prior to feeding.  This prevents then dying as they hit the water.
 
Garlic is good, but not flaked food as it is too dry for a Betta and one of their issues is being prone to bloat.  If that is all you have at present, soak it in the garlic juice or some plain water just prior to feeding, I am sure that will be messy though!  I recommend the Hikari Betta Bio Gold or more recently I obtained a moist pelleted food which all my fish love.  Is the brine shrimp in garlic you are using the frozen one, if so I take it you are thawing it prior to feeding?
 
Just had a quick look at the Internal filter you are using for Dante and it is fairly basic, am I right it only has a coarse black sponge and no other biological media?  Does it have a spray bar attachment, if so attach that and point it towards the back, bottom of the tank.  What level is it at in the tank?  If you have it high up, move it lower as generally Bettas like to explore the top third of the tank.  You could also wedge it with an ornament to face the back corner of the tank if the other options are not available to you.  Other than that I believe you are fairly limited.
 
Other filter options are the Fluval U2 as this has three options for directional flow, plus it is adjustable, the basic U1 is not.  A sponge filter is great for a fighter, but again I would add some mature media to it, and then all you need is an airline from a quiet air pump to run it.  Check out my post about Bob (see sig) as this shows you one being set up for him.
 
Lovely pictures, he is indeed a stunner, good find.  Where did you get him from?
 
@Blondielovesfish  all is good, I have just reinforced what you have said with a bit more info. well done.
 
Edit: removed a T that should not have been on a word.

RCA said:

@Blondielovesfish 

all is good, I have just reinforced what you have said with a bit more info.

 well done.
 

Click to expand...

 
Thanks for the extra info, I learnt some more from it. Glad I got it right.  

Thanks again for your helpful replies, guys. Much appreciated.
 
Okay, so today I came home from work to find some new tears in Dante's tail. They are no bigger than the others but really upset it has happened again. After getting really frustrated I removed the clamshell ornament from his tank and set off to buy a nice piece of bogwood which is currently soaking nicely. I'm also going to invest in two fluval U2 filters (one for my tank and another for my boyfriend's tank as he bought his betta the same day as I got mine). I've raised his tank temperature to 26.5C and fed him only the brine shrimp until the weekend when I can get to the aquarium centre where I bought little Dante as they have a better range of things than the pet shop. I've also done my second 15% water change and added de-chlorinator. Going to see what I can do about getting some mature media too but not got many ideas as I foolishly threw away the old filter I used. MY sister's tank may be an option.
 
As I said, just feeling extremely frustrated and upset that this is happening. He's a stunning fish and I really want to do the best for him.
 
Oh by the way, RCA, I bought him at a place called The Aquatics Centre in Brockworth, UK.