Betta was fine all afternoon but suddenly tore a large chunk out of his tail??

[onefieshcedrick]

So my betta Cedrick has been skittish all month for unknown reasons- he swims away super fast when he sees my fingers and has been bubble nesting (I think) as well as maybe tail clamping (not sure). This afternoon, he was doing okay, but when I came back after dinner, his tail was in ragged tatters with maybe half of it remaining. I don't know what could possibly have caused this, except that I've had a fish net in his tank to acclimate him to it for around two weeks but left it out the last time I changed his water because I didn't feel like it was working. I have talked to my mother and we will be budgeting for a 10 gallon tank with a new, better substrate.

Before:


After:

 

[HoldenOn]

@Colin_T @Deanasue @AdoraBelle Dearheart @Crispii

 

[FishGuest5123]

For it to be that quick he had to have either bitten it off or a serious bacterial infection. They will bite them if too heavy, stressed, or bored. Do a large water change of 70% and add dissolved aquarium salt at 1 tablespoon for each 5 gallons of tank water. Do this daily for 10 days but after first day only add 3/4 tablespoon of dissolved aquarium salt after 70% water change. Be sure to get water temp close to what is already in tank and use dechlorinator. If things don’t look better in 5 days, you will need a med specifically for bacterial infections like Furan-2. He needs some tall plants to rest on too so tail isn’t too heavy. Can you tell us what your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are too and how often you clean and change your water?

 

[Colin_T]

Nervous and skittish behaviour, and excess mucous (the fish in the pictures has), are normally caused by poor water quality.

Test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for 2 weeks.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

 

[onefieshcedrick]

For it to be that quick he had to have either bitten it off or a serious bacterial infection. They will bite them if too heavy, stressed, or bored. Do a large water change of 70% and add dissolved aquarium salt at 1 tablespoon for each 5 gallons of tank water. Do this daily for 10 days but after first day only add 3/4 tablespoon of dissolved aquarium salt after 70% water change. Be sure to get water temp close to what is already in tank and use dechlorinator. If things don’t look better in 5 days, you will need a med specifically for bacterial infections like Furan-2. He needs some tall plants to rest on too so tail isn’t too heavy. Can you tell us what your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are too and how often you clean and change your water?

What equipment do I need to do a water check? I clean and change my water every week with dechlorinator.

 

[onefieshcedrick]

Nervous and skittish behaviour, and excess mucous (the fish in the pictures has), are normally caused by poor water quality.

Test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for 2 weeks.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

What does the mucus look like? How do I recognize it?

 

[onefieshcedrick]

Also should I put the net back?

 

[FishBearer9845]

API master test kit for freshwater

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

What equipment do I need to do a water check? I clean and change my water every week with dechlorinator.

You need a test kit to be able to check water parameters, this is essential equipment for fish keeping. The liquid test kits like the API freshwater master test kit that most of us use are more accurate than dip strips, and better value in the long term since you get more tests out of them than dip strips as well, along with the accuracy being very important.

You need to be able to test for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates when keeping fish, especially when cycling a tank or there's an illness going on.
A good video about the nitrogen cycle will help you understand why we test water quality, and how important filtration is:

Does the tank have a filter?

When you clean and change the water and clean the tank, what does that involve? What process do you follow?

Also what size tank is he in now? It looks like a 1-2 gallon vase type thing, maybe on a kitchen counter or something? Looks quite bright, open and exposed, and if it's in a high traffic area like on a kitchen counter, and exposed on all sides, he's likely to spook at every changing shadow and find it very scary and stressful. Fish are instinctively wary about predators, and a looming shadow usually means predator in the wild. We know that they're alone, but they don't know that, which is why we do things like add a background to a tank, and floating plants on the surface, it helps fish feel safer and less stressed since it replicates their natural environment and means they feel they can hide away from predators.

 

[Colin_T]

What does the mucus look like? How do I recognize it?

Fish naturally have a thin layer of clear mucous over their body. It helps them move through the water easier and also acts as a barrier against microscopic parasites. When fish are stressed they produce more mucous and it appears as a cream/ white film over their body and fins.

The first treatment for excess mucous is a big water change and gravel cleaning the substrate. this dilutes whatever is in the water that is causing the stress and helps the fish.

--------------------

What equipment do I need to do a water check? I clean and change my water every week with dechlorinator.

A basic water testing kit that tests water for Ammonia (NH3/NH4), Nitrite (NO2), Nitrate (NO3), and pH. Some test kits will also do GH (general hardness) and KH (carbonate hardness), however, these don't need to be tested regularly unless you get your source water from different suppliers.

Try to get liquid test kits because they are normally more accurate than dry paper strip test kits.

Check the expiry date on any test kit, and don't buy kits that are kept in warm or humid areas (near a heater, in a fish room, on the window sill). Heat and light cause the reagents in the test kits to break down quicker.

------------------
Normally doing a water change once a week is fine, however if fish are sick or off colour, then doing daily water changes will normally buy the fish some time while we try to figure out what is wrong. The daily water changes dilute disease organisms and nutrients that might have built up, and this can help the fish.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Fish naturally have a thin layer of clear mucous over their body. It helps them move through the water easier and also acts as a barrier against microscopic parasites. When fish are stressed they produce more mucous and it appears as a cream/ white film over their body and fins.

The first treatment for excess mucous is a big water change and gravel cleaning the substrate. this dilutes whatever is in the water that is causing the stress and helps the fish.

--------------------

A basic water testing kit that tests water for Ammonia (NH3/NH4), Nitrite (NO2), Nitrate (NO3), and pH. Some test kits will also do GH (general hardness) and KH (carbonate hardness), however, these don't need to be tested regularly unless you get your source water from different suppliers.

Try to get liquid test kits because they are normally more accurate than dry paper strip test kits.

Check the expiry date on any test kit, and don't buy kits that are kept in warm or humid areas (near a heater, in a fish room, on the window sill). Heat and light cause the reagents in the test kits to break down quicker.

------------------
Normally doing a water change once a week is fine, however if fish are sick or off colour, then doing daily water changes will normally buy the fish some time while we try to figure out what is wrong. The daily water changes dilute disease organisms and nutrients that might have built up, and this can help the fish.

I just checked post history, and the tank is one and a bit gallons... I'm wondering whether there's no filter and 100% water changes?

 

[onefieshcedrick]

You need a test kit to be able to check water parameters, this is essential equipment for fish keeping. The liquid test kits like the API freshwater master test kit that most of us use are more accurate than dip strips, and better value in the long term since you get more tests out of them than dip strips as well, along with the accuracy being very important.

You need to be able to test for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates when keeping fish, especially when cycling a tank or there's an illness going on.
A good video about the nitrogen cycle will help you understand why we test water quality, and how important filtration is:

Does the tank have a filter?

When you clean and change the water and clean the tank, what does that involve? What process do you follow?

Also what size tank is he in now? It looks like a 1-2 gallon vase type thing, maybe on a kitchen counter or something? Looks quite bright, open and exposed, and if it's in a high traffic area like on a kitchen counter, and exposed on all sides, he's likely to spook at every changing shadow and find it very scary and stressful. Fish are instinctively wary about predators, and a looming shadow usually means predator in the wild. We know that they're alone, but they don't know that, which is why we do things like add a background to a tank, and floating plants on the surface, it helps fish feel safer and less stressed since it replicates their natural environment and means they feel they can hide away from predators.

The tank does not have a filter at the moment. I clean the water every week following this procedure.
He's in a 1.5 gallon tank right now on my desk, so the only traffic is me and occasionally my family. I wasn't aware that the lack of hiding space might spook him, so I'll work to fix that immediately.

 

[onefieshcedrick]

I just checked post history, and the tank is one and a bit gallons... I'm wondering whether there's no filter and 100% water changes?

There's no filter and I change his water 70% one week and 100% the next. I'm probably going to upgrade to an Aqueon 10 gallon when I can afford the trimmings.

 

[seangee]

The tank does not have a filter at the moment. I clean the water every week following this procedure.
He's in a 1.5 gallon tank right now on my desk, so the only traffic is me and occasionally my family. I wasn't aware that the lack of hiding space might spook him, so I'll work to fix that immediately.

I'm afraid the link you quoted is pretty bad advice. Catching and moving fish is very stressful for the fish. As you have no filter you should replace 50-75% of his water every day. Once a week is normally sufficient for cleaning the substrate and glass, but don't remove the fish while you do this. Wipe the glass with a clean sponge that is only used for the tank, and use a siphon or gravel vac on the substrate.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

There's no filter and I change his water 70% one week and 100% the next. I'm probably going to upgrade to an Aqueon 10 gallon when I can afford the trimmings.

Are there any plants in his tank?

Without a filter, and such a small volume of water, the tank probably isn't cycled. To try and heal his fins, I would move to daily 60% - 75% water changes, to keep ammonia/nitrites and nitrates at zero. He really does need a larger tank, and a water testing kit. Have a look for second hand tanks, you can often find ones for a really cheap price and including a filter, heater and lights.

In a small uncycled, unfiltered tank, you're going to be fighting a constant battle to keep the water from becoming toxic, and that's likely what is stressing him out and causing all these fin problems.