Strangely Healing Tail

[Kiarra]

When I got this little guy, he didn't have much of a tail left, nor any of his other fins. I was told he'd arrived at the store that way, and I believe them...he actually came from a pretty good pet store. I've had him for several months, in which time he's never had finrot, and his fins have been coming back in. But his tail is coming in strange, and I'm starting to wonder just what kind of tailtype he actually has. He's suffered no fin injuries whatsoever in the several months that I've had him, and he had virtually no tail (but his injuries had made the tail look forked) when I found and purchased him.

His tail, to me, looks a lot like a Doubletail that just doesn't go back all the way. The split down the center no longer looks like it's healing or has ever been damaged.

Anyone have any theories on why his tail looks like this?

I wish I had a photo of him more from the side, but he was a very bad boy for the camera. The photo is only a few weeks old, and his tail looks much the same now, except the separate halves have grown out longer, leaving the split as it is in the photo.

 

[xanthianacid]

That is a clear split IMO. That doesn't look deformed in anyway, just like my half moon girls split, it looks OK. Its short but I think that will change as it grows back more obviously. He looks very happy

 

[RandomWiktor]

::nods:: Looks like just the type of tail he is. That should be beautiful once its all in However, even if it isn't his normal tail shape, they do sometimes grow back in a little "funny" after a lot of damage. It doesn't seem to effect swimming or q.o.l. so I wouldn't be too concerned. My betta Tim has long, curling strands on the ends of his dorsal because he kept ripping it off in the filter (before I figured out it was the filter doing it and not fin rot... errrgh), and it finally just grew back looking permenantly like the beginning stages of fin rot. Nerve racking for me since every time I see it I think "Ahhhh! Fin rot!!" then have to count to four and remind myself that its been that way for months and never deteriorated or spread.

 

[MissD]

However he heals, he's going to be gorgeous...he's looking pretty fine already

 

[soritan]

-- and it finally just grew back looking permenantly like the beginning stages of fin rot. Nerve racking for me since every time I see it I think "Ahhhh! Fin rot!!" then have to count to four and remind myself that its been that way for months and never deteriorated or spread.

Oo Now I dread wether or not Sori's going to do that. I guess if his tail stays that way over a long period of time, I'll know?




Yes, that does look like a split to me, which is probably going to be very attractive once he's got a full head o hair back. I've also read of cases on the forum where tails heal back 'funny' and a few people even saying that it's not uncommon for tails to come back with splits, and whatnot. ... hm, it was some thread in the betta forum, I can't remember where it got to, though. It was several months ago, I've been ghosting here for a long time now.

 

[Kiarra]

That's such a lousy picture. He's so much cuter in person.

I've always figured that the obvious fork in his tail must have been damage and it healing in funny...but the more it grows out, the more it really looks like a genetically split tail.

His tail is obviously healing well, and he spends most of his day blowing bubblenests in competition with the three other boys in his immediate area. So it obviously isn't bothering him any. I just wish it would grow back faster so I can see what kind of tail type he's actually going to end up with.

Thanks, everyone, for the input!

 

[RandomWiktor]

Oo Now I dread wether or not Sori's going to do that. I guess if his tail stays that way over a long period of time, I'll know?

Well, Tim has a lot of... issues. When I got him, he had tiny nubs for all of his fins from finrot cause our LFS sucks. Then he got a bad bacterial infection from stress that resulted in more fin damage, THEN he ripped them off in his filter a few times while I tried to figure out what was happening to them. So, unless Sori had some amazingly bad luck, hopefully he'll grow in all normal