JessR

Due to the pineconing I would probably continue treating for Dropsy. I'm not aware of any other betta diseases that have that symptom. If he starts bloating you can always try Epsom salt baths/dips.

That definitely sounds like swim bladder disease (SBD). I've had good success treating it with Maracyn or Maracyn II.

I think I would do it everyday for 5 days, unless it seems to really stress him out.

I get what you mean. The science behind why the original GloFish were created is pretty cool, but since they've come into the pet world, it's just about the money. I honestly haven't even seen the original Zebra Danio ones in stores for a while now.

About nine or ten years ago I had the original Zebra Danio GloFish, and they bred in my tank. I managed to grow the two I could separate to adulthood and it was kind of cool. I'm pretty sure it was the orange and red one that bred because one of the babies was red and the other was like a peach color.

Thanks for the answers, I just wanted to rule out Swim Bladder Disease (SBD) and Dropsy. SBD can be caused by consipation or infection, and it will affect their ability to swim properly. Dropsy is fluid build up in the body and typically fish that have it will experience pineconing (their scales will stick out from their body. It can be caused by organ failure from cancer, infection, or something else. Both can be treated with antibiotics, but it doesn't sound like he currently has these issues so you don't need to worry about these things. I agree with @BlackLabelCarling to fast him again and try Epsom salt baths. It will help with constipation and fluid build up. I hope it helps! Good luck!

I wonder if it is some sort of fluid build up, since it seems to be getting larger in size and you can see through it. Does he seem to have trouble swimming? When you look at him from the top, does it look like he's pineconing (like his scales are sticking out from his body)?

For some of them I definitely think it's just an anxious/neurotic habit they have. Just like you, I had tried different things to stop mine from fin biting, but nothing seemed to help (the blue one I posted a picture of). I took the picture not long after I moved him to a bigger tank. He stopped biting for a few weeks, which is why it was regrowing, but then he started again. It really sucked because he had a gorgeous spade tail. I have one now that fin bites is a gold veiltail. They are both from the same store chain so I feel like it might be something from their supplier's line. I'm definitely interested to see if certain colors and tail types are more prone to fin biting as well, because I think it might be a genetic trait. I haven't actually looked if anyone has studied it. I wonder if breeders keep records of this stuff. Maybe we could make a poll?

From what you've said here and in your other longer post (I went back to re-read it), I honestly think he may have just ripped his fins. For whatever reason some just don't regrow their fins. The white you are seeing may just be scar tissue. If fin rot had caused that much damage, he would most likely behave differently. Some people recommend daily flare sessions for fin health as it promotes blood flow to the fins. I'm not sure if it would help, but if it is something you are comfortable with trying it may help them regrow. I might be wrong and it could be fin rot, or a chance that he may have had a secondary infection from fin damage. But I think your treatment has probably cleared that up by now. If you stop treatment and the fins start to deteriorate again, it probably is fin rot. But it sounds like you are taking good care of him! It can be hard to tell what is wrong with these guys, so it is always our best guess. There's always something to learn, which is what is so great about this hobby! I'd love to hear an update in a few weeks. Good luck!

They are relatively new, I think they started appearing in stores the beginning of this year/the end of last year. As far as I know they only come in the yellow/green color. I'm not a huge fan of GloFish either, and I prefer them under regular light as opposed to blacklight. Breeding projects would be cool, but I don't know if you would be able to sell the offspring. I assume that there is a patent involved.

I'm leaning more toward fin rot from the pictures, but it is hard to tell. From my experience, fin biting tends to make more uniform edges/edges that follow a pattern, while fin rot tends to be more ragged/does not follow a pattern. These questions might help you narrow down the cause: Do the edges where there is damage look inflamed or like they have something growing on them? If it is fin rot the edges will look inflamed (or if it is caused by a fungus the edges will be white/fuzzy). Typically edges from fin biting will look relatively normal and not have any change of color. How long have his fins been like this, and has the damage progressed or stayed the same? If the damage keeps moving closer to his body it is most likely fin rot, but if it is not and has stayed the same, it could be fin biting. Does the damage always stop at the same point? This is kind of a follow up question from the previous one, typically fin biting damage will only reach a certain point. It won't go past where the betta can reach. Also the damage will typically only be on the tail. Has his behavior changed? If it is fin rot, he might be acting lethargic or sick. If it is fin biting, his behavior will most likely be normal, and sometimes you can catch them doing it (it looks like they might be twisting and rubbing themselves on the substrate or decorations). I'll attach photos of some of my own fish as examples. The one with the koi pattern had a bad case of fin rot when I bought him. The edges look red/irritated and the damage doesn't follow a pattern. Also all of his fins are affected. The metallic one developed a bad tail biting habit. The photo was taken during a healing period, but you can see that the damage stopped at a certain point (it didn't go past where he couldn't reach) and followed a pattern. Only his tail was really affected.

I second the use of Mardel's Maracyn, I've had good success with it in severe cases. If the case is not that bad, then aquarium salt should work well, and will kill off both fungus and bacteria.