Does this look like fin rot?

[Patrick M. Bodega Aquatics]

Hello! I have a roughly 2-3 year old male betta and I've noticed his fins have begun to appear more and more torn over time. He is in a small 2g temporary bowl with a filter that I only turn on occasionally due to his sensitivity of high current. The reason that he is in this take in the first place is that we are moving and don't want to transport another tank (but we will definitely be upgrading him later😁). Does his torn fins look like fin rot or something else? Thanks in advance!

[Fish Folk]

Whether it is fin rot proper, or just an ailment common to aging long-finned male bettas, I’ve seen it before a lot.

Fin rot usually has a light gray edge where infection is breaking the fins down. Poor water quality is a major factor.

[lefty o]

looks more tattered than fin rot.

[NanoNano]

Same experiences as @Fish Folk.  The mottled coloration on this guy makes him look like a senior citizen to me, though fin rot can be in play at any age.  A couple of things that I've noted in caring for older bettas:

* They definitely become more sensitive to water quality, temperature, and general "bad bacteria" when they're older.   If your schedule allows, small partial daily water changes and fast removal of uneaten food and waste (I use a turkey baster) to create a consistent water environment helps.  Giving him a floating log, leaf "hammock",  or plant perch if he doesn't have one would be good as well.  You want to keep him from resting at bottom of the tank where his fins can get further damaged or where he can "wallow" in waste.  Edit- You also want to try to keep his water in the 77-80 degree F range as that's the optimal range for his immune system to work it's best.

*New fin growth on Bettas starts clear and then gets pigmentation later.  I've had several where the pigmentation stops coming in on the new growth as they age.  it looks like that might be going on with your guy.

* While this guy doesn't look underweight, it could be that his fins are a sign that his metabolism has changed and he needs a different diet mix of proteins, vitamins, etc.  You might want to consider introducing some new foods (keeping the old food if he's eating it well) and see if there's any improvement.

He's handsome and looks like a good companion- good luck

Edited May 29, 2021 by NanoNano