Betta tail biting

[Durbkat]

My betta is shredding his back fin to bits! And I was wondering if I could use bettafix or melafix to help repair his fins and keep bacteria off his fins? Also do I need to put a heater in the tank while I treat him?

 

[GuppyDude]

dont put a heater in his tank, that'll only culture the bacteria. id use melafix for this, but only use 1/2 of the recommended doseage as bettas have a hard time with it for some reason. you may also add some salt. betta tail biteing is pretty common, im not sure how to keep them from doing this but i think it has somthing to do with stress.

 

[FishEnthusiast]

Bettafix is the same as Melafix, only more diluted. I would use Bettafix as it is made specifically for bettas. It is too easy to overdose a betta on Melafix. I wouldn't risk it.

If you go the Melafix route, I would use 1/4 the doseage recommended.

 

[Durbkat]

Thanks everyone. I have put the betta in a 1/2 gallon bowl because yesterday I washed my hands and forgot that I did and I put my hands in the tank while I was cleaning it. And of course the betta wasn't inside it, he was in a holding container with oxygen pump sitting in a 10g with heater. But now like I said he is in a 1/2 gallon bowl until I take 15% of the water out for 3 days until I'm sure their is no traces of soap in it. So bettafix right? And do you all know how long it would take to heal fins? And do you know of some causes of tail-biting? And I heard that bettas need to be kept at a constant temperture, so why wouldn't you need a heater? And would a 50 watt heater work for a 2 1/2g minibow because on the box it say for tanks up to 10g. So could I use a 50 watt or should I try and find a 25watt heater?

 

[FishEnthusiast]

If you are going to use a heater, try to find a 25w heater that you can set the temp at a steady 78. I use mainly 1g bowls, so they are not heated, I just make sure the house is warm for them.

Bettafix will help speed the healing. My VT Dopey tore his fins a long time ago, maybe 4 months, maybe longer. They are just about done growing back, but I havent' used anything in his tank to speed up the process, just clean water.

As for the biting, some bettas bite because they are overstimulated, others bite because they are understimulated or bored. The only way to curb the biting is to figure out what is bothering him and try to remedy it.

I had a tail biter that bit because he could see his neighbour, and he would get worked up and think his tail was his neighbour. He would bite his tail in his excitement. I moved him to where he couldn't see a neighbour and the tail biting stopped.

I had another tail biter that was bored and bit his tail to occupy his time. I added some "toys" to his tank, and moved him to where he could see other bettas. He has since stopped biting.

 

[Durbkat]

Thanks but I only put a mirror behind his tank for 8 hours or less could he be over sitmulated or under? AndI heard that water quality could cause this do you think thats true? But the water is perfect I just had it tested. And he has a cave/tunnel, a sign that says fish 4 sale and when he returns to his 2.5 tank he will have a really big artificial plant in the tank. So if he doesn't stop tail bitng will I have to use bettafix everytime his tail starts to get short again, right now he only has about half of his tail?

 

[FishEnthusiast]

Did he have plastic or silk plants in the tank before you moved him? He could have torn his fins if you were using plastic.

I would try using the mirror for less time during the day. 8 hours may be a little too much.

Like I said, their fins will grow back without anything in the tank. As long as you keep their water very clean the fins should heal on their own. It does take a little longer though. Sometimes adding a little bit of aquarium salt with water changes helps too. If you are going to use salt, make sure to dissolve it in a bit of tank water before you add it. For a 1/2G tank, I would add just a pinch.

 

[Kiarra]

I, personally, wouldn't use Bettafix or Melafix. I'd just add some aquarium salt to the water at 1/2 teaspoon per gallon dosage, and change the water out every day to keep it sparkling clean. To prevent him from biting his tail again, I'd get a substance called Blackwater Extract. It helps to replicate their natural conditions, and it really soothes them down a bit. I've recommended it to numerous people for this problem, and it usually does the trick to keep them from biting their tails anymore. It also speeds healing and helps to prevent infection, and I've used it for that particular benefit on more than one occasion.

 

[Durbkat]

Can I get this blackwater extract at a feeders supply? And does it change the color of the water or does it change water conditions? And how long will I have to use it? Also do you need a heater in the tank in order to get the full effect? And why would I have to change te water everyday when I have a filter in it? And if I did have to change the water daily wouldn't that stress him out with me having to take him out of his 2.5 minibow tank? And no there was no plants in the tank. At first I thought it was the cave/tunnel because it is rough but after about 2 weeks it just got worse so I put it back in.

 

[FishEnthusiast]

Have you seen him biting his tail? It could be finrot too.

Treatments for finrot include

salt
antibiotics
bettafix
Indian Almond Leaf
Blackwater Extract
Colloidial Silver (sp?)
lots of clean water and frequent water changes

There are more I am sure, but that is all I could think of ATM.

 

[Kiarra]

Blackwater Extract can sometimes be hard to find. Someone found it at their Petsmart...I found mine at a small local pet store.

It changes the ph of the water, and it turns it a yellowish color. Rather similar to the effects of filtering water through peat.

No heater needed.

Don't have to change the water EVERY day, but keeping it as clean as humanly possible is the idea behind it. Siphoning out a large amount while leaving the Betta in there would be just fine.

 

[keith565]

my water is very hard and has a high ph. i use almond leaves to help with the water conditions but also use humaquat, made by waterlife. not sure if u guys can get it in the US.
it is a very concentrated black water tonic that lowers ph and softens the water.
it is quite expensive in the uk, about £3.50 ? $6ish, but treats some 1000litres.
since i got my bettas some 4-5 months ago i have had the odd touch of fin rot on a couple of my hm's, no other finnage type seems to get affected by the rot.
im use melafix at the stated dose, didn't know about the problems with bettas and melafix untill i read it on here, but have had no problems. we can't get bettafix here in the UK
i also use salt when i have a problem.
hope your fins grow back ok.