BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Fish Got advice?

Three weeks ago my office mates bought me a betta for my birthday. His name is wasabi and he lives on my desk next to my computer monitor, in a two gallon tank, solo, with a fake silk pant and a small pot to hide and swim in. When I received him, I went on line and did all kinds of research because I have never had a betta before. Over these three weeks I have noticed what a personality wasabi has and have become quite attached to him.
Since the beginning I do a 100% water change every three days and rinse the gravel thoroughly with scalding hot water. I use betta "Bowl Buddies" to condition the water and the temperature usually stays between 74 and 78 degrees. I siphon out any "crud" every morning and hand feed him 5 or 6 pellets (one at a time) making sure they are consumed. In the last couple of days I have noticed that wasabi's once beautiful flowing tail has now become somewhat ragged and reddish at the ends. I am assuming that this is the dreaded "fin rot" disease. Does anyone know of anything I can do to stop this? I am afraid to add chemicals because I do not want to harm him and of all of the horror stories I have read of people killing their fish when they used them.

Sounds like fin rot, and it's quite common among bettas. Their long fins can drag in the gravel and get tiny cuts which may get infected. You certainly don't need to use any chemicals, you are quite right about that. Keep his water extra clean until his fins heal, and add a pinch of aquarium salt to keep some of the bacteria down. I'd also watch to make sure you aren't overfeeding him, 5 or 6 might be a bit excessive if he is a small fish, but if you fast him over the weekends it should be fine. Watch out for signs of swim bladder disorder, which generally include trouble swimming and difficulty maintaining proper bouyancy.

As long as you keep his water sparkling clean, he should heal up in no time! Make sure you continue with the salt-clean-water routine until he is fully healed, and before you know it he'll be back to his usual, beautiful self!

Check out this tip from geocities.com.

Treatment can be as simple as a strong salt bath. For fish like livebearers that like salty water can go up to a tablespoon per gallon for a period of time. Average fish should be in about 3 teaspoons per gallon. Sensitive fish like catfish and loaches should only go up to about 2 teaspoons per gallon. Watch them for signs of lethargy, and remove in about 30 minutes. For more stubborn cases, nearly all antibiotics will work, namely melafix, maracide, or any other anti-biotic that says it's good for fin rot.

It's that simple. Severe cases may require fin trimming and stitching. If the fin rot is allowed to reach the origin of the fin, or penducle, it may be deadly to the fish.

Hope this can help.

Thank you for the advice.
What do you think about changing out the gravel for sand? Would that help cut down on the bacteria when the fins drag the ground? And should I do a water change every other day?

Wasabi is a pretty robust betta, one of the largest I've seen. He moves around a lot, very active and curious. When my office mates come in to say "Good Morning" to him, he will flare his gills and fins out and "strut" from side to side. He is quite the character. <img src="/images/graemlins/fish.gif" alt="" />

It really depends on the betta, but in general glass marbles or smooth pebbles are the best for a tank, as it reduces the chance that the fins will tear. Also make sure that any plants in his tank have no sharp edges (generally, silk plants are the best). I'm not sure about using sand, I've never tried. It seems to me that it would be difficult to clean. If he's a very active betta, then you might want to consider some simple, smooth glass marbles, like the ones you can find at craft stores. Just make sure you rinse them well before putting them in his tank, and of course don't buy anything with perfumes or any sort of chemical on them.

Aren't bettas cool? They're very personable.

How cool! I never thought about using those glass stones. I will go get some of those tonight. I did pick up some aquarium salt. It says to use a 1/2 rounded teaspoon for every gallon. I have a two gallon tank. That just seems like a lot to me, but I have never used it before. What do you suggest?

Yes, they are cool, and addictive!

what kind of 2 gallon tank do you have wildcat? is it a mini glass tank or one of those acrylic deals?

anyways, i have found that covering the whole tank floor in marbles (which i don't advise as i've had a fish or two get stuck if one rolls him into a corner), or glass stones are pretty it can be a pain to clean.

the bettas don't mind if you just put in a few, like enough to make a bed and maybe some strewn about willy nilly. it really helps when its cleaning time.

Hi All,
I just thought I'd add that I use the glass pebbles in the bottom of my bettas' tank. My guy's never gotten stuck in them, and to clean them I just use a big seive and rinse under hot water. I find they are way easier to siphon around than the gravel. JMHO!