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Betta Tail Fin - Rip or Rot or Bite Help


Kurt Brutting
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Last week I noticed a rip or rot or bite on my Betta’s tail fin. I purchased him back in June and he’s been a very happy little Betta. No problems until now. I do not see him biting his tail fin, but it doesn’t mean he’s not. I added extra Indian Almond leaves to increase the tannins. Should I dose Maracyn? The water parameters are the same as always. I also exercise him for 5 minutes a day with a mirror, should I stop until his tail heals? 
Any help is appreciated. 

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On 12/15/2022 at 6:22 PM, Kurt Brutting said:

I also exercise him for 5 minutes a day with a mirror, should I stop until his tail heals? 

I don't think it will do any harm. Probably a good indicator of health as well for the case of disease treatment.

On 12/15/2022 at 6:22 PM, Kurt Brutting said:

Last week I noticed a rip or rot or bite on my Betta’s tail fin. I purchased him back in June and he’s been a very happy little Betta. No problems until now. I do not see him biting his tail fin, but it doesn’t mean he’s not. I added extra Indian Almond leaves to increase the tannins. Should I dose Maracyn?

Very, very difficult to see anything with the exposure on the plants vs. The fish. Hopefully we can see better in more photos.

That being said. I would lean towards kanaplex or neoplex in addition to salt for treatment.

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It's kind of hard to tell if this is present in this picture, but fin rot usually has a visible ring or thinner bluish tissue that is about to rot off. This is different from the transparent skin that will appear as it heals. Fin rot in my experience is also pretty uniform where that is just one piece missing. To me it looks like a tear, possibly from the wood or something else in your tank. That doesn't necessarily mean you need to remove things from the tank unless this happens often. 

Tail biting usually has a "C" shape at the back of the tail where they can reach. It's possible he could be doing that, but if this missing piece appeared all at once it was most likely a tear.

As far as medication. Keep an eye on him, it should start to visibly heal a little in a few days. If it doesn't look like it's healing a little bit of aquarium salt might help. Or if it gets bigger or starts showing other signs of rot other medications might be needed. Some people say fin rot is a fungus so maracyn might not work on its own. I've only had it as a secondary infection and was using multiple medications already.

Good luck, if he seems happy and alert I wouldn't worry

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It sounds like your betta is quite well cared for. Have you noticed whether the injury appears any worse or any better since it first happened?

If you don't notice anything getting worse and the fish seems active and has an appetite, I would focus on temperature, clean water and a little aquarium salt.

I've brought home bettas whose tails were completely bitten off at the store (someone put them in a cichlid tank 😞  ) or who had other injuries/fin rot and treated them as above, with very good results. If it looks worse instead of better or your fish seems to be feeling poorly, I might escalate tactics.

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That looks to be healing really well!

As far as stopping him from biting if thats happening, you have to address the root cause. But that can be kind of tricky, some people say they do it because they're bored and lack enrichment. That doesn't seem to be the case here. Other people say it's a nutrition deficiency I'm not sure what kind. It seems like some bettas just do it for fun and there's not much you can do about it.  I'd look more into it, aquarium Co-Op might have some blogs about it.  Searching this and other forums can be helpful as well

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