Bad Case Of Finrot?

[Lacuna]

My halfmoon betta Bubble has lost two large chunks out of his tail recently. The first time it happened was several weeks ago. What was strange was that a strip came off, and it came off at the base so that he basically looked like a double tail. I found the strip that came off lying on the gravel. Today, an even bigger piece has come off, again from the base, so his tail is now in three parts. I have been using stress coat to help it heal, and I do regular water changes and I have added Indian almond leaf to the tank. I check the stats sporadically, but they are always good, with no ammonia or nitrite and the tank has been running since March.

I'm wondering what's causing it? The only things in his tank are the filter, heater, his coconut cave and real plants. I don't think it's the coconut cave as there aren't any sharp bits on it. This is a fairly recent shot of his tank, except the pebbles aren't there any more, and there are slightly fewer plants as the ones on the right died.


His top fin is always a bit ragged as well, but when I got him his fins were in perfect condition. I haven't seem him tail bite, and I don't think that's what's causing it. If he tore it on something I don't think it would have such a clean break. There are no black or red edges on the fins, but I wondered if it could be finrot? I read somewhere once that halfmoons are prone to finrot in hard water. I don't know if that's true, but the water here is pretty hard (London). Should I buy some finrot medication?

 

[Azaeil]

Is it possible to get a closeup of the betta? It's hard to see with the position he's in, but my guess would be he somehow snagged on something - fin rot attacks an entire general area and usually starts at the outer edges and works its way in to the body. Fin rot has black or white edging depending on if it's bacterial or fungal.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Either as Azaeil has said or he is a tail biter and he's biting himself

 

[Syphoniera]

This may sound silly, especially as the suggestions above likely have it covered, but is there any way he could be snagging it on the filter?

Is there very much suction on that sucker?

Having strips of tailfin come off from the base does sound rather odd... is it right at the meaty area?

And no sign of irritation or infection...

I did have a Half-Moon cause a rip in his tail right along the base, apparently simply by being continually hyperactive for the first few years of his life with me and perpetually swimming through and around things, but he ripped the whole thing off, and seemed much happier as he could then swim faster without his beautiful flowing tail, although it did grow back perfectly, thank goodness.

Half-Moons are prone to fin problems, apparently, but losing strips like that is very odd, and I do hope he's OK.

I believe very soft water can cause fin issues and I've wondered how much fin damage might actually be due to mineral deficiencies...

 

[loraxchick]

a picture would be very very helpful if you are able to post one. large chunks of fun going missing overnight can be from many factors...finrot can be bad enough to do that. and you may see them on the substrate in the morning. tailbiting is NOT common, regardless of many folks here jumping to that conclusion a lot. my bet is on the filter! what type is it? some filtler sponge/floss tied over the intake would not be a bad idea.
for now keep the water clean and feed high protein foods like bloodworms a few times a week (not just as a treat) until the damage begings to repair.
best of luck..keep us posted.
cheers

 

[Lacuna]

Thanks for the replies. I had to turn the flat upside down looking for the USB cable for my camera so I could take a picture. I found it hard to get a really good picture, especially as his fins are mostly transparent. But as you can hopefully see, there is just a chunk missing and no signs of infection. Although it's not clear in the photo there are actually two chunks missing, so his tail is in three pieces.



The filter is a stingray with the flow turned to the wall of the tank. There is very little flow. I placed tights over the intake ages ago when his tail first started to look a little ragged. He does seem to love the filter, and by love, I mean in love. He spends quite a lot of time sitting near it looking at it, and sometimes presses his body against it or inspects it gently with his nose

I'm not convinced it is the filter though as the chunk of his tail was nowhere near the filter, although that doesn't prove he didn't snag it on the filter and it then fell off in a different part of the tank. I don't know what to do other than buy him a new filter and maybe remove the coconut cave, assuming it's one of the two. But these are his two favourite things in the tank

 

[Azaeil]

Hmmm, could be a fluke possibility that it might be the plants ripping his tail if he swims near the bases of them. Sometimes the edges of plants around the bottom are sharp-edged and stiff to support the rest of the leaves.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

He is lovely.

I have a question nothing to do with your original question. Any idea what those plants are to the front left of your tank? (I have them too and have no idea what they are).

 

[Lacuna]

He is lovely.

I have a question nothing to do with your original question. Any idea what those plants are to the front left of your tank? (I have them too and have no idea what they are).

I have no idea what they are! Given that I have trouble keeping any plants alive I would really like to know what they are. I find that they don't really grow much but they don't die either, which is the main thing.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

He is lovely.

I have a question nothing to do with your original question. Any idea what those plants are to the front left of your tank? (I have them too and have no idea what they are).

I have no idea what they are! Given that I have trouble keeping any plants alive I would really like to know what they are. I find that they don't really grow much but they don't die either, which is the main thing.

Yea me too; I can keep plants alive in my other tanks just not the tank where I have these plants; and these are doing really well. As you say they don't grow much; mine have barely even rooted and I've had them months lol. I might post a link in the plants thread

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

If you are intersted I posted in the plant section...

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/345544-another-plant-id/page__pid__2879015__st__0&#entry2879015

It's been suggested that it is...Bacopa monnieri (Moneywort).

 

[Lacuna]

If you are intersted I posted in the plant section...

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/345544-another-plant-id/page__pid__2879015__st__0&#entry2879015

It's been suggested that it is...Bacopa monnieri (Moneywort).

Good to know, thanks.

 

[t3l01v]

He is lovely.

I have a question nothing to do with your original question. Any idea what those plants are to the front left of your tank? (I have them too and have no idea what they are).

It's Moneywort. I have problems getting this plant to root in unseeded substrates, like plain gravel or sand. I use Eco-Complete in all my tanks now however, and have to trim it regularly. I think I've read that this plant needs soil rich in iron and potassium- which doesn't really make sense to me because there are no vibrant colors in the plant. It's just always green- unless it's dying.

A good rule of thumb is that if it doesn't have really long or really flat leaves/ blades, then you should have fertalized substrate and CO2. I keep a 5 gal that doesn't use seeded substrate though, and it stays alive- it just doesn't flourish. If you really need this plant to root, I suggest cutting the stems off and weighing it down slightly so it doesn't float at the top (plant anchors are good for this), then fertalizing your water with SeaChem's Flourish.

Be prepared though. If you don't have ample light and CO2, the Flourish will cause an algea explosion- which isn't really an issue if you like digging in your tank and cleaning it up.


The Eco-Complete gravel is a godsend, I swear. If you have a planted tank, you need to look into it.

That long winded answer was for Lacuna =O