Betta fin rot not going away

[Sfish]

Hi, sorry if this sounds like a common question, but I’ve had my half moon betta fish for around a year now but in the last two months or so his tail has been shredded. It looks as if it’s been tearing from the body instead of the tips of his tail. I’ve been doing weekly water changes but now I do them every 2-3 days while treating him with aquarium salt. His tank is 20L/5 gallons, I have both live and silk plants in his tank if that’s something that’s needs to be changed.

Ive been doing this for around 10 days and it just looks to be getting worse and I really don’t know what to do anymore since I’ve already treated him with Mela-fix but it hadn’t improved anything.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Melifix is not meant for labyrinth fish (fish that take oxygen from the surface of the water.). Just preform a 50% water change/ gravel vacuum every other day. Clean water is the most important key!!

Keep me posted if anything changes, good luck!

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[FishGuest5123]

Looks like he’s biting it. That’s quite common in rosetail and heavy tailed bettas. It’s caused by his tail being to heavy for him or from boredom. Mine has done that before. Be sure they have plenty of tall plants to rest on and maybe buy him a floating betta log. Mine loves his. You can also try a bright orange ping pong ball for him to play with or try moving his decor around to give him new spaces to explore. Keep water clean and use a little aquarium salt (not table salt) for a couple of weeks. It is an astringent and will fight bacteria. Use 1 tablespoon for every 5 gallons of water. Keep us posted. Let us know if you have questions. Good luck! P.S. - PheonixKingZ is correct. Never use Melafix on a betta. They can suffocate.

 

[Sfish]

Than you for your replies, I will continue doing the water changes and buy some more things for his tank

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Yes, Melifix will “clog” up the bettas labyrinth organ, and suffocate the fish.

 

[Sfish]

I’m starting to get a bit more concerned now since it has gotten worse over the last few days. There are verticals lines on his bottom fin but there are holes in between them which is really weird, also there are holes in his top fin. I have no idea what the cause of this is because I have kept his water exceptionally clean...

 

[Colin_T]

I would say the fish has a bacterial infection in the dorsal and anal fins and will need anti-biotics to treat it.

Before you treat the fish you need to work out the exact volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.
When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "How To Tips" at the top of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

Remove carbon from the filter before treating or it will adsorb the medication and stop it working.

Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge. Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it.

Increase surface turbulence/ aeration when using medications because they reduce the dissolved oxygen in the water.

Treat the fish for at least 2 weeks but no more than 4 weeks. If there's no improvement after 1 week, the medication is probably not working and you might need to try a different medication.

 

[Sfish]

Are there any specific medications I can use?

I would say the fish has a bacterial infection in the dorsal and anal fins and will need anti-biotics to treat it.

Before you treat the fish you need to work out the exact volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.
When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "How To Tips" at the top of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

Remove carbon from the filter before treating or it will adsorb the medication and stop it working.

Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge. Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it.

Increase surface turbulence/ aeration when using medications because they reduce the dissolved oxygen in the water.

Treat the fish for at least 2 weeks but no more than 4 weeks. If there's no improvement after 1 week, the medication is probably not working and you might need to try a different medication.

 

[Colin_T]

I don't know what country you live in or what is available to you. If you are in the US you should be able to buy anti-biotics at a pet shop. In Australia you can buy some anti-biotics at pet shops but in the UK you need to visit a vet for them.

 

[Sfish]

Okay thanks, I will look for some

 

[PheonixKingZ]

If you live in the USA, there are a lot of different medication available to consumers.

 

[Sfish]

I started treating him with Tetracycline tablets and he has improved so much
Thank you for your help

 

[FishGuest5123]

I started treating him with Tetracycline tablets and he has improved so much
Thank you for your help

Is that a pic of him now?

 

[Sfish]

Is that a pic of him now?

Yeah

 

[Naughts]

Please can you post a picture/ link for the medication? Seems like a miracle cure