fins going black

[philja]

yesterday i noticed that the tips of my bettas fins are turning black and getting kinda ragged. i've had my 5 gallon tank going for about 2 weeks now and have been doing weekly 25% water changes. i think i might have read somewhere that high amonia concentration will have this effect on fins, so i'm assuming that's what my problem is. what can i do to help my fishie? i feel really bad about it but i'm not sure what to do other than 25% water changes for the next week or so. any other suggestions would be welcomed.

thanks all

 

[Aphelila]

Decomposing fins are DEFINATELY a sign that something is wrong. Buy a testing kit to test the ph and ammonia levels to make sure that those are ok. If the test shows a problem in those, there are many things (usually in liquid form) that you can buy at a fish store to even them out. Also, in new tanks the ph and ammonia levels tend to spike, which is why you need to make sure that you let the tank run for a week before you add any fish.

 

[Liz05]

One of my lionheads got an ammonia burn on his tail shortly after I bought him. I just kept his water quality good, and added some aquarium salt to his water. He was fine in a couple of weeks. You might want to try it.