Torn Fins - Self-nipping Or What?

[Rediahs]

One of my halfmoon boys, Agrias, had these beautiful long, you know, halfmoon type fins. They looked just perfect. I was horrified to find when I went to feed him today that there is a huge split in them today, and the edges of his tail are frayed! There's no other fish in there, and there's no way any other fish could get in there, as it has a lid. And to top it off, he just blew a gigantic (I mean gigantic) bubble nest, it's still there on the top of the water, it takes up like half the tank...

Now, I would assume he was nipping his own fins, but I do have a plastic plant in there with him. People always say not to use plastic, but this one seemed okay, as it is very smooth. It was so pretty I couldn't resist buying it - it's shiny and white and goes well with his smooth glass pebble bottom. I did check that it wasn't too hard, and it felt about the same as the silk plants.

Did the plastic plant do that, or is he probably just nipping himself? Like I said, there's one HUGE split that extends halfway down his tail fin, and then the edges are frayed too.

 

[lisie]

I doubt it was the plastic plant. The only time I ever have problems with plastic plants tearing fins is when they are sharp.

Some bettas will bite their own fins when they're stressed. Some really high-strung ones will bite their tails as soon as they grow back long enough for them to reach. Does his tail look like there are neat chunks taken out of it, or is it just raggedy? If it's raggedy, maybe he has fin rot. Or if he's next to another betta, maybe the split is from flaring too much.

If you could get a picture it'd probably be helpful.

 

[Rediahs]

I have no camera so no pictures... um they don't really look like chunks, it looks raggedy. How could it be fin rot? It sprung up overnight, and there is no black fringing... but I'll check that it doesn't get worse...

He's next to other bettas but there is paper taped to the sides of the tanks that face other fish, so he can't see them.

 

[Loko17]

Could be fin rot, could be that he's nipping them himself. Either way you need to help it get better. Recently I got some aquarium salt from Wal-mart and I put it in all of my bettas tanks and 2 of them had fin rot and its clearing them right up. Good luck

 

[Rediahs]

I always add aquarium salt to all my fish's waters, so I can't very well go and do that .

If it turns out to be fin rot, does anyone know any medications that help with that?

 

[Betta_Lovex3]

I've used Melafix for fin rot, and it helps some. It sounds more like fin-nipping to me though.

 

[Rediahs]

I think it is fin nipping AND fin rot brought about by the nipping I see some dark edges near the deep slit... the areas that are torn look like places that are accessible to his mouth. His anal and dorsal are barely affected...

I'm leaving for the weekend! But I did a 25% water change just now for him so I hope that helps.

 

[lisie]

I'd just make sure that his water's super duper extra clean (you might want to do a bigger water change maybe) and keep it up with the aquarium salt, and he'll probably be fine for the weekend. You can add a little Melafix but I've heard some people say that it doesn't really do anything. Jungle Fungus Eliminator is great stuff too, always works well for me in fin rot cases.

 

[Loko17]

Yea I'd just keep the water sparkling clean and keep it up with the salt and it should clear right up.

 

[Rediahs]

How long should it take for a tear like that to grow back? It's fairly big.

 

[katsbobats]

one of my bettas have two rips on his tail. i dont really know if he would be able to reach it. =/

 

[ilovejack]

I just went through this with my fish. He still has some splitting and it's still a bit ragged , but he's not getting worse . I tried BettaFix, which has the same active ingredient as MelaFix, and it didnt do a thing for him. Keep the tank CLEAN. Do at least 50% water changes a day or every other day, depending on the size of the tank or bowl. Make sure the water stats are at safe levels. If you dont have a test kit I suggest you get one ASAP. The water could be acidic or very basic, both being bad. You want a neutral pH(around 7.0-7.5), no ammonia, nitrates or nitrites. The clean water should do this. Also, dont feed him for a bit, so as to keep ammonia levels down. I was told that Aquarium salt doesnt do anything, but other people swear by it, so do what you have to do there. I suggest for you to keep putting it in, so your fish doesnt experience too much change. If you do have to lower or raise your pH, then introduce the new water slowly. Dont use any type of medication, it's a waste of money. Just keep the water clean and free of toxins. If that isnt doing the job, then keep us posted and someone who knows more than me can help you out. Hope that helped!

 

[Rediahs]

I just came back from my weekend and his tail looks HORRIBLE.. I did at least a 50% water change before I left, and I am trying to do a full change right now but the trap under my sink is leaking so badly that I can't pour anything down it without flooding the room.... maybe I'll go dump out the fish tanks in the yard in a minute... boy this is frustrating and my landlord isn't around. This sucks.

 

[Rediahs]

Update: He is definitely chewing on his own tail. I caught him in the act today.

Is there any way to make him stop? I try to give him enough stimulation... I threw a ping pong ball in there for him to play with, and the entire centre is full of plants... what else can I give him to do so he doesn't bite his fins?

It's funny, his fins were so beautiful, then one day he randomly decides to eat them I don't understand what brought it on.

 

[BWBettas]

Where there any sudden changes in food? brand? water conditioner? different water for changing? or maybe even something wrong with the water? this could of caused him to change his mood

Bret