New betta appears to have clamped fins, will the med trio help maybe?

[Just Renee]

I purchased a new betta from a breeder with very good reviews on ebay.  I received him today, no issues with shipping and he looked fine from the moment I unpacked him except his dorsal fin and the top of his tail just will not open.  He's swimming around and acting normally except he does seem to be hiding more than my older betta did at the beginning.  The only other symptom I think I'm seeing is the beginning of fin rot on his tail fin.  I just ordered the medication trio suggested by Aquarium Co-op but the more I look into fin rot, the more it seems Maracyn won't help, that perhaps I need Maracyn 2?  Should I wait for the med trio or order some Maracyn 2 from Amazon?  If so, will Maracyn 2 crash my cycle since it's a broad spectrum abx?

20 gallon newly cycled tank.  Ammonia is 0, Nitrites are 0, Nitrates are 0-20, temp is 79.

Thanks for the help!

[Colu]

Maracyn 2 won't crash your cycle you can treat fin rot with aquarium salt 1 table spoon for 2 gallons if you have live plants salt at that level will harm them

[Just Renee]

I did read about using salt for fin rot, unfortunately, I have a LOT of plants and they're equally as important to me as the fish.  I don't have a quarantine tank because I'm so new at this and frankly, my old house is just too small for another setup, even a small one (aka 'my husband may kill me if I try to setup another tank at this point').  So, I am going to try the Maracyn since it's already on the way and if that doesn't help, I'll try Maracyn 2.

I emailed the seller, they said give him a day or two which makes sense but it's obvious to me he can't or just won't open his top fin nor has he fully opened his tail fin.  There is definitely something wrong there but it would be great if just nice, clean warm water helps, at least I have the meds on the way if it doesn't.  He's so beautiful, like a little real life painting.

[quikv6]

You can try a salt dip for 15 mins an another container, and see if his fins perk up during the bath.

[Just Renee]

41 minutes ago, quikv6 said:

You can try a salt dip for 15 mins an another container, and see if his fins perk up during the bath.

Oh wow, that's an idea.  How much salt would work for a salt bath?

[quikv6]

Depends on how large a tub you are using. I'd start small, with minimal salt. Perhaps 1/2 a teaspoon or less. You can always add a bit more to the bath if there are no adverse reactions. Jut monitor the fish the whole time.

[Betsy]

I would definitely let him settle in at least for 48 hours before treating...shipping is pretty traumatic for fish!

He is very pretty!! 😍

[FrozenFins]

I wouldnt medicate right now. as @Betsy said leave the fish alone and let him settle in for a few days.

Its really to early to tell if its rin rot, so hold off on the treatment. It wouldnt be a bad idea to have the med trio on hand so that you can start treating the second you see a big sign of finrot.

Clamp fins isn't really something that can be fixed through meds but rather the water quality, stress factors, etc. You pretty much have to find the reason why he has clamped fins and fix that problem. In this case its probably the stress for shipping, and the clamped fins dont even look that bad. 

So hold off on treatment for a few days until you see a more desisive sign of fin rot.

[quikv6]

Ahhh....I didn't realize you literally just got him. I must've misread your initial post. Fully agree on letting him settle in first. Good luck!

[Just Renee]

Thank you!  I haven't done anything yet, just letting him chill in his new tank.  He is opening his fins a bit more, but they're still not right and the black bits on the end of the tail look exactly like my first betta when he started getting fin rot (from being my unintentional fish-in cycle guinea pig).  I guess I figured the quicker I jumped on it, the better and I now have a little cheap hospital tank setup ready to go if I need it.  I have the med trio coming but it doesn't get here until Tuesday.

I went to Petco and just bought a medium size pet carrier for reptiles because they didn't have any made for fish but it looks like it will hold water, so Ok.  I bought a teensy weensy little heater for it too because... the internet said so?  It was like 6 dollars, so whatever.  I have a teensy little sponge filter coming because it seems like if I need to medicate a fish, I shouldn't rely on doing water changes to clean the water?  If I don't end up needing it now, I think I'll just set it up in my 20 gallon tank to get it juicy with the bacteria I worked so hard to get and that way it can work properly for a hospital tank if I ever do need it?

I'm just making this up as I go, someone feel free to tell me if this is all just me being dumb.  I am prone to that.

[Betsy]

@Just Renee - it sounds like you are prepared!!

I've been babysitting a betta that is growing back some fins (he had fin rot, was a fin nipper, experienced some ammonia poisoning, and also had pop-eye), and I've found that every other day (or every third day) 30% water changes have kept his healing process going strong!  Granted, his tank is a little 3.5 gal (he was in a 1 gallon 😱, and I upgraded him slightly...he still needs to go home to his owner who doesn't have space or interest for a larger tank! 😂), and it is not planted.

I'd love to see a picture of the black bits you're talking about if you can get one!

Here's a picture of the healing betta (you can see the edges of his fins growing back):

[Just Renee]

Hi Betsy, that betta is so cute!  Poor little guy. Here is a picture of Ezekiel taken just now. When I got Tony (if you know what the names are referencing, shout out!) from Petco, he was immediately flaring his fins out without issue, where as Ezekiel still hasn’t fully extended his fins, especially the dorsal fin... like it only opens part way. So after I cycled my first tank with Tony, I noticed the tips of his fins were black and then those black bits melted away. He’s slowly growing them back. When I saw Ezekiels black fin edges, I assumed it was the same thing, beginning of fin rot. Maybe not?

[NanoNano]

I'll add my voice to the chorus of "let him be" for a few days.  He was immersed in the same water for an extended time period while shipped,  but he wasn't fed.  If he does have fin rot going on- it's more likely a burn from the ammonia that built up from his excreted waste rather than bacteria.

Important to also remember that Bettas,  even those from reputable breeders, are almost always raised in tiny bare environments, so this guy's mind is likely being blown seeing a natural environment.  Being a bit apprehensive and guarded for a bit is probably correct natural behavior.

I use those little 1G Petco "critter keepers" as hospital tanks too.  The three recommendations I'd make with them are 1) They don't hold heat well, so get a small 10 or 20w heater *that has a preset thermostatic shut off*.  Not all small heaters have this (they will heat constantly), so look for it listed explicitly as a feature. 2) Put something floating or anchored to the side so that your Betta isn't resting in the waste that collects at the bottom of the tank. 3) Lid on at all times (you can pass the cord for the heater through the feeding window at the top.  Small tanks and treatment can make mellow fish into jumpers and jumpers into pole vaulters.  You don't want to end up with your buddy on the floor.

If treatment with medication becomes necessary down the line,  be sure to read the directions for the specific treatment carefully.  Some medications state that there should be NO water changes during treatment.

[NanoNano]

I'd also add that I've had good luck using Seachem Stressguard (which has antiseptic qualities) helping with early cases of suspected fin rot.

[Betsy]

Ezekiel is beautiful!!!

(Are Ezekiel and Tony from that "What's your name?!" TikTok??  If so...that's awesome!) 😂👍

[Just Renee]

Yes!  Props to Betsy!  So I am using the med trio anyways because the guppies I got from the same ebay seller are not right.  One female has a tiny little cotton tuft on her belly and a male is doing the shimmy thing at the top of the tank and appears to have something hanging out of his whatever the fish term for rectum is despite having water that looks and tests perfect, is kept warm and they've been eating well with good food.   I did increase the temp a little bit, to about 81 because I read that is supposed to help?  I did a 50% water change and then added all of the meds.   So we shall see what happens.

[Betsy]

Awww!  I'm sorry to hear that!

I look forward to updates!!  I hope the fishos recover quickly!

[quikv6]

Just Renee,

In regards to the guppies...they all sound like candidates for salt. That may take care of the cottony tufts.

As for the proturustion, it could be a prolapse. In that case...I have had good luck with epson salt baths for 15 mins at a time, a few times a day. It may help the fish absorb it back into it's body, if it is indeed a prolapse.

I don't know what your water parameters are in regards to hardness (GH), but sometimes livebearers if they don't have enough hardness, and are used to harder water previously.

[Just Renee]

I just added 4 TB of aquarium salt to my 20 gallon tank, because that's supposed to help a little and not kill my plants.  My water is super hard, with Aquarium Co-op strips, it immediately turns purple.

I can't figure out if I should just do the med trio like you would prophylactically, since the signs are so minor, or if I should do a full dose of the Maracyn and IchX?  

Edited June 1, 2021 by Just Renee