# ripped betta fins!



## squishy

i dunno what happened to my male halfmoon betta!! I just looked at him today and saw his top fins looked pretty tattered. They were perfect before and now they look ripped and shredded and has some darkness around the tattered edges. I dunno if he caught it on something of if its an infection? I just added 1 tablespoon of salt (its 1tbsp/5gals) just now. i never added salt to it before cuz i didnt know if i could with live plants.

I've had him set up in a 5.5 gallon tank for a few months now, nothing new added. there are 3 real plants (amazon swords), a moss ball and 1 fake plant that he sometimes sleeps in and is not rough! the bottom has gravel with some smooth river rocks placed around. there is a heater buried under the gravel and a filter with very low current. The tank temps around 76 - 78 degrees (max temp i can get with that heater). i dont have a testing kit so no other values. I've been busy studying lately so i havent paid him much attention so i hadnt noticed anything prior to today. The current was stronger the past few days but i put in more water the other day so its not strong anymore. he wasnt swimming around much today but i thought it was cuz he was bored 

Do u think its an infection? or he got caught in something (i dunno what, maybe the current n went against the gravel??) is there anything i should do now?? im worried about my betta (((


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## jschwabe5

Hi, By chance can you take a picture of your betta fish especially the torn/damaged fin area and post here for others to look at it? It could be fin rot. Often, bettas will lounge on plant leaves, betta hammocks or rocks. They also seem to have a habit of squeezing themselves into tight places, often making me wonder if mine is a contortionist. Run your hand over every item in in his tank one at a time.. check for any possible sharp edges that could harm or rip his fins. Include the plastic plant, large rocks, plant pot edges ect. How long has your tank been set up? Was your tank properly cycled? How often are you doing water changes and filters? What are you feeding and is he eating? 
If you do not have a water test kit, see if you can take about a half of a cup in a clean jar or container to your local pet/fish store. Often, they will test your water for you for free.


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## squishy

Its been set up for I about 5-6 months I guess. I hand feed him everyday n he's been active and normal during that time.. I did the nylons test on the plastic plant n it was good. The rocks r smooth, the only non smooth things in there r the gravel (which is y is covered alot of t with smooth river rocks) and the filter intake thing. I do weekly tank cleaning (scrub the glass, use a dropper to suck up any left over food n poop the filter misses and do 1/2gal -1 gal water change a week. I'll try uploading a pic but, I always have trouble o here. 
Maybe he coulda blown his fIns? He doesn't flare much normally n sometimes I leave the tank light on at night when I want to c him (he's in front of a window so I don't have the lights on during the day). The fins look ripped tho like there r pieces missing. Lemme go take a pic


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## squishy

heres a kinda blurry pic (taken from above looking down at the fish) n u can see hsi top fins n the tips look torn Indu Ambli Nair's Photos | Facebook


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## Kayceekins

Luckily, I have never had any bettas get sick, but I did have one with slightly tattered fins. I used some Stress Coat and after one use, the fins looked sooo much better. Maybe you could try that? I hope you figure out what is wrong.


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## squishy

My baby  he had PERFECT fins b4. I'll try buying some stress coat tomorrow for him, and get his water tested. I added salt today and turned off the filter just incase that's what he got caught on.... ((((


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## Kayceekins

If the filter was what caused the fins to rip, then I wouldn't be too worried. Hopefully the Stress Coat will help your betta like it did mine. As said above, just get your water tested and if all is well with that, try the Stress Coat.


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