BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Fish sigh, fin/tail rot

Oh, and I took all four frogs out of tanks with the bettas, and put them in one together. One froggie that was about to die is doing better. They cuddle up together and it's really cute. I think they were lonely when they were separated.

Ok, here's a question for you all. How do you know if your red betta has fin/tail rot? I figured it out when I looked at Joey's Glitter and his tail was almost all gone. I changed out his water completely, put in salt, and bettafix, it's warmer in my bathroom since the outer wall is to the west, so he's hanging out there for now. But for future reference, is there a sign on a red boy I can look for to know sooner that he's sick?

mainly just check for fraying, ragged ends.

Will do, thanks Jilly!

Hi guys!!
I've been checking other posts since getting some replies at mine to see if I can find out more info along the way.
Reading these posts here I wonder if Bubbles has fin rot too? His fins are dark blue with purple splotches that fade out to a transparent sort of white near the ends (he's very pretty!!) but at the tips are red dots and pinkish-ness <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />
When I askes the petstore worker she thought it was "color coming out." But he's not red anywhere else.
How can I tell if it's rot? He was frayed to begin with when I took him home from the wedding.
I'd like to have a happy fish!

I think everyone is a little too worried about fin rot. It's usually pretty obvious, but not an issue with great water conditions.

I would keep the water super clean, have silk plants (not plastic) and rounded gravel, plus something to rest on besides the gravel, and it shouldn't be a problem. Also, add salt, according to package directions.

I am not in favor of medicating unless there is a real issue. When I see my little ones with some fin rot, I just give them the super clean water regime, plus salt. I don't do bettafix unless there is ich. I never let fin rot get too bad, but if i did, then I would use bettafix.

Portal, it may well be color coming out. these guys are like mood fish. if he's happy, he will show more color, and blow bubbles. Just keep on eye on his fins to be sure.

Thanks for the advice!! If he's in 1 and a half to 2 gallons of water how often (roughly) do you suggest changing it to keep him clean on this regime you speak of? (he eats every day)Thanks so much!!

That's a nice sized tank for your dude. If you suspect fin rot, feel free to change it every few days, as long as you dechlorinate and make the temp what he's used to.

For normal routines, once a week or every other week is fine. If you go with every other week, make sure you scoop out the crud regularly, with a turkey baster, airline tube, or big dropper.

BTW, if you have lots of time on your hands, you can change the water every day. Most people don't have that kind of time, but your fish will love it. Just make sure your temps don't fluctuate.

I cured my betta's fin rot with Jungel Clear and tetracycline. Nothing else worked. I always add aquarium salt to their water. It took almost two weeks and I had to do 100% water changes every day and add more meds. That rot is very stubborn. After that use the BettaMax for a month. Clean water seems to help more than anything. I would not stop medicating until you see new growth in all the places that the rot was. Unless you totally get rid of it the rot starts taking hold again.

Hey I wanted to check in with you guys. I recently rescued a stray kitten that has been sick, he's now in the hospital with a fever but the vets say it's common for the babies to get viral infections and hopefully he will come home tomorrow.
Back to the subject of fishes. Jilly the ingredients listed in Bettamax are 250 mg capsules of water soluble Nitrofurazone, Methylene Blue, PVP, Vitamins, NaCl, Sulfas: Methazine, Diazine and Merazine. You have to dilute it if you use it in a tank under 5 gallons.

The fish Betta-max I treated with Bettamax looks a lot healthier and happier. He used to just sit at the bottom of his tank and only come up for air and now he swims around a bit when I first come up to the tanks at feeding time and eats his food right away, before it would take him a while to notice it. He has even blown a few bubbles at the top of his tank and he's getting more colorful every day. He doesn't swim around a lot probably because it's hard for him with the bum swimming fin, but he is definitely more active.

Tony seems to be doing better too. I put him back in his old 2.5 gal tank and put the new fish Bettamax next to him. They flared at each other a bit at first but now have gotten used to each other Tony looks like he's trying to get Betta-max to play sometimes but I think Betta-max is a little old for such hi-jinx. Tony seems to be messing with his tail less though I still see a few chunks out of it from time to time. If I lose one of these guys I'll probably want another fish but now that I have a new kitten as well as my two older cats and my boyfriend- I think I have enough pets to take care of.