Blown Tail?

[cutechic]

I went away for the weekend, and found that one of the bettas' tails looking shredded. It doesn't look like fin rot. What do you guys think- blown tail?

Before:

After:

Edit: I'm doing water changes every 2 days, and am adding IAL and aquarium salt after each w/c. He's in a 2.5g with an airstone (with a valve so it doesn't create too much surface agitation).

 

[JoKeR]

OUCH!

His tail does loook blown

All I could suggest is getting some betta-Max and Salt baths and 80%-90% water changes

His anal fins loooks Enormeous!

Does he have DT geno?

 

[nashnutny]

What's a blown tail? How is that different from fin and tail rot or is it the same?

 

[cutechic]

Joker- I'm doing 80% every two days. I guess I could do daily changes, but I didn't think it was necessary. We don't have bettamax around here. (Not in any of my lfs, that is. I'm going to a new lfs on Sunday, so they might have it.)

Should I actually give him salt baths, or is adding salt to the water sufficient?

Yeah, his anal fins are amazing. His ventrals are very long, too. I don't think he's got DT geno though.

 

[D Chia]

To help the tissue to heal, keep the water clean to prevent an infection. Adding aquarium salt does help. MelaFix®
could also be used. How well the tissue regenerates will depend on the fish and the extent of the damage. I've had a female with half its dorsal torn off during spawning and it healed after 2 weeks.

Keep your fingers crossed. Only time will tell.

Edited: Link to MelaFix®.

 

[D Chia]

What's a blown tail? How is that different from fin and tail rot or is it the same?

A betta's fins can split, become ragged or blown as a result of vigorous activity like prolonged flaring or displaying, especially in half-moon and super delta tail bettas. Sometimes, these bettas may also chew up their own tails, resulting in huge chunks of their tail being torn up or eaten away.

 

[tekknocolor]

What's a blown tail?  How is that different from fin and tail rot or is it the same?

A betta's fins can split, become ragged or blown as a result of vigorous activity like prolonged flaring or displaying, especially in half-moon and super delta tail bettas. Sometimes, these bettas may also chew up their own tails, resulting in huge chunks of their tail being torn up or eaten away.

A blown tail can also be the result of stress.

 

[White Whale]

Cutechic,

What exactly in your tank? Could it be that his tail gets caught in the filter suction?

 

[cutechic]

Thanks everyone.

D Chia- this is what confuses me: the instructions on the bottle of Melafix says to add x amount for 7 days straight, not doing any water changes until the 8th day. This will mean that the water quality is deteriorating. Should I just follow the instructions?

Itty- he was in a 1 gallon (on top of a heating pad) with round gravel, a flower pot, a silk plant. He was in there since April. The only thing he could have ripped his tail on was the plant, but I don't think that's what caused it. When I noticed his shredded tail, I transferred the gravel, flower pot, & silk plant to a 2.5g, and added an airstone.

I don't think he was stressed, and the water quality in the tank was pretty good. In the summer, I did 60% water changes three times a week during the summer, when he was in the 1g, but in September & earlier this month I did 60% water changes twice a week.

 

[cutechic]

*bump*

Anyone have other ideas? I'm adding Melafix to the tanks now, but I'm hesitant to continue the treatment for a week (like the directions on the bottle say) without doing any water changes.

 

[D Chia]

*bump*

Anyone have other ideas?  I'm adding Melafix to the tanks now, but I'm hesitant to continue the treatment for a week (like the directions on the bottle say) without doing any water changes. 

I'd only add MelaFix to clean water. Clean water is definitely the way to go (i.e. to prevent an infection).

 

[cation]

Remember: You want to use the bettaFix concentration of melafix when dealing with bettas. And what I would do is change the water daily, adding the appropriate amount of melafix each time. Check out this thread for more info:

here

 

[Mike&Diana]

My betta is chewing it's own tail. Everytime it starts to heal and regrow, he just bites it off. This has been going on for months and months. Is there ANYTHING I can do to prevent it??

 

[cutechic]

Thanks D Chia & cation. Cation- I can just dilute the amount of MelaFix by 20% then, right? (Just wanting to double-check ).

M&D- he could be doing it out of boredom or because of poor water conditions. You could try giving him a plant or cave, if you don't have one in your tank already. You might also want to try placing a mirror in front of his tank for a couple of minutes, once every day or two.

 

[cation]

Actually, you don't have to dilute it at all. You just figure out how much Melafix you would need regularly, then use 1/5 (20%) or it. You can dilute it if you want, or you can just do a water change, and when you prep the fresh water, add a 1/5th dose of melafix in with it.