What's Wrong With My Betta?

[blakenkayla]

We just bought a male crowntail betta yesterday at Petsmart. We also bought a female and they seem to be doing great, but the male's tailfins look like they're falling apart. Like he's shedding or something. What's wrong with his fins?

 

[Amerce]

Are the male and female in the same tank together ?

If they are then she is attacking him and vice a versa will probably be occuring and you need to house them in separate tanks.

If they aren't tanked together then we need the tank specifications, what else is in the tank eg. ornaments, plants, other fish, what is the tank ph, nitrate, nitrite etc.

 

[groupiekilla06]

We just bought a male crowntail betta yesterday at Petsmart. We also bought a female and they seem to be doing great, but the male's tailfins look like they're falling apart. Like he's shedding or something. What's wrong with his fins?

Are the male and female in the same tank together ?

If they are then she is attacking him and vice a versa will probably be occuring and you need to house them in separate tanks.

If they aren't tanked together then we need the tank specifications, what else is in the tank eg. ornaments, plants, other fish, what is the tank ph, nitrate, nitrite etc.

*edited* lol, thats exactly what I said Amerce h

Other than the female possibly attacking him, it could be behavioral. I've heard that some males will bite their own tails.

 

[blakenkayla]

Yes, they are in the same tank, but we've been monitoring them to make sure they are not fighting, and they haven't fought. The male would only flare up at the female, but never attacked her. And today he hasn't flared up at her but once.

 

[groupiekilla06]

Yes, they are in the same tank, but we've been monitoring them to make sure they are not fighting, and they haven't fought. The male would only flare up at the female, but never attacked her. And today he hasn't flared up at her but once.

Its really not a good idea to keep a male and female betta in a tank together, one or the other will end up hurt or killed. Its quite possible that the male is leaving the female alone because she ripped his fins. What kind of tank are they in? The only way I've ever heard of someone keeping a male and female together was in a heavily planted, very dense, 29 gallon tank. I've hard more stories of people ending up with dead or injured fish than success stories. Thats just my advice.

 

[blakenkayla]

Why would the female be ripping his fins?

 

[ibbledibble]

Yes, they are in the same tank, but we've been monitoring them to make sure they are not fighting, and they haven't fought. The male would only flare up at the female, but never attacked her. And today he hasn't flared up at her but once.

So have you been watching them 24 hours a day? never leaving the tank unattended? because if you haven't then you can't know what happens when you are not watching.
Plus, even if they are not fighting each other now (which the state of his fins seems to contradict) i have heard many stories of males and females kept together who were "fine" until the day the owner came home to a dead fish.

Why would the female be ripping his fins?

Because that is their nature. in the wild a male has his territory which he guards fiercely from any intruders. he will only allow a female in to mate and she has to be ready and willing. as soon as the mating is over, he will chase her away.They are solitary fish.
Some males are more placid than others, some females are more vicious than others. if he is trying to get her to mate and she doesn't want to she could well be chasing him off and nipping at him.

its also possible that he had some minor damage and has since contracted fin rot, but this seems a very short time-frame for it to have happened in.

could you give some other details? what size is the tank? what else is in the tank? what are your water stats. this will give a clearer idea of whats going on and what advice should be given.

 

[WILDER]

http/www.petfish.net/kb/entry/160/

 

[blakenkayla]

Ok, we just went and bought another tank for the female, so they are seperated now. Will the male's fins grow back right?

 

[Amerce]

Yeah they should over time with clean water and medication, check out Petsmart and say you medication for damaged fins, I always have a range of medication from -

eSHa 2000
Api Melafix

You could try King British Fin rot and Fungus if you can't get a hold of the other two.

Some fish respond better to one treatment as opposed to the other, but I use a mild dosage of Melafix for my betta's.