# What is my betta tearing his fins on?



## Oliver Wilmore (Jul 14, 2011)

I have had my betta for just about 2 months now and have noticed tears appearing on his fins. I don't know where they are coming from. When I first noticed them I rearranged some rocks that I had noticed him hiding in because they looked a little bit haphazard. He got another one yesterday and looks a bit worse for wear today. 

The only thing I can think of now is that it is the filter. I have a 10 gallon whisper filter and I think the outflow might be too much for him. Can anyone recommend something I could put over the outflow as a buffer?

Incidentally, I don't think that it is fin rot, but I have been doing 1/3 water changes and applying salt on the off chance that it is.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

First off,a link to a DIY baffle:http://www.aquariumforum.com/f34/filter-baffle-8822.html

Second are you sure he is ripping them,or is he blowing them or are you 100% sure its not finrot?Possible tail biter?

What is his setup?His tank size,temp,plants(live,fake,plastic?)
How often do you do waterchanges,and how much is changed?Cycled tank or not?

Does he constantly flare?Bettas who are always flaing will stretch the webbing between the rays and if they stretch too much,too fast they will rip.Also some bettas will get bored,or see the tips of their tails,and commence to chewing it off.This is basically equal to a dog who has a self mutilation habit due to stress or boredome.

On his decor,have you done the panty hose test?Takt a panty hose and run it all over the decor,and if it snags,the bettas fins will also snag on it.


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## Oliver Wilmore (Jul 14, 2011)

He has:
10 gallon tank
Heater (temp is between 78 and 80 degrees)
10 gallon whisper filter

The tank is cycled and I have been doing small water changes (a bit more than a gallon) since he has been having problem. 

Regarding the decor, I have not done the panty hose test but I do know that all the rocks in his tank are rocks for a local streat that are smooth from wear. He also has has a plant ( I am not sure of the species).

He doesn't flare without a mirror but he does swim vigorously against the side of the tank most of the time. I have never observed him tail biting, but it doesn't seem like him. He seems rather happy and active (which is part of the reason that I assume it isn't fin rot)


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I would up the temp to about 82,and keep this constant.Keep adding the salt but he needs more than a 10% waterchange.You should be doing no less than 30% weekly.

He could be blowing them but it very well can be water quality issues as well.I would also add more live plants as they really enjoy them,and they can really help the water.

Bettas dont just bite out of stress,its a boredom thing too.Have you tried him with a ping pong ball?Many tailbiters that are bored will punch it around the top of the tank,and so they spend more time with the ball,and less on their tails.


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## Oliver Wilmore (Jul 14, 2011)

I have come to the conclusion that it is probably fin rot. I didn't believe it at first because there were no black fringes to his tail and the the cuts looked more like tears. I have kept the filter off since last night and he is more ruffled looking and looks less happy now. 

I did a 40% water change and added more salt to his tank, as well as the baffler which I think will be extremely helpful to help him de-stress. I had put a seed pod (what was essentially a ping pong ball) in his tank a while ago but he ignored it. 

Thank you very much for the help! To treat what I assume is his fin rot, does this sound like the appropriate course of action:
-Nightly 40% water changes
-Continued application of salt (increasing concentration to two tbsp for his 10 gallon tank)
-Increased water temperature.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Yes that is how I treat mine.Since he is in a larger tank with a filter its best not to do 100%.

Just remember the salt does not evaporate.

Fin rot doesnt always have black edges.Sometimes you will catch it right after the edges are discolored.Sometimes the edges are also red or even white.Just mainly depends on the fish.


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## Oliver Wilmore (Jul 14, 2011)

My betta was doing better and regrowing his fins this morning. Then, when I came home this afternoon I saw the top of his head and it looked like a bunch of the scales were missing with a scab in their place. What could this be? I've kept his water quality up and everything. I'll get pictures up when I get the chance.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Get me pics.Im thinking your boy has behavior issues.He seems to be a pacer(running the side of the tank)and possibly a jumper too.could have hit his head on something.

try to watch him one day,but not near him.Dont let him know you are there.Look for agitation.


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## Oliver Wilmore (Jul 14, 2011)

He's most certainly a pacer. He always does that when I'm around but I assumed it was just him begging for food. I observed him earlier. After a while he went back to his normal routine which was wandering around his tank.

As for jumping, I've never observing him jumping without me encouraging him. The more I think about it, it does seem like an injury. It seemed to literally appear out of nowhere


I bought a java fern (and an aquarium snail) for his tank to give him other stuff to pay attention to and to hopefully de-stress him a little bit.

I will try to get a better picture later. As you can see, he looks like he pulled the scales off the top of his head on something. I need to make sure that he doesn't get an infection so I upped the amount of salt in his aquarium tonight (I was at about 1/4 a tbs. for the 10 gallons).


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Dont up the salt anymore.What you have is plenty to aid healing.Just keep him warm and comfortible,and he should heal.


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## Oliver Wilmore (Jul 14, 2011)

Thanks again for the help Majerah1. It has been invaluable to me. Porthos's head and fins are healing very well and I have been giving him things to keep him more entertained in the last few days to make sure that he is more relaxed. At this point, I think I have a handle on the situation and that he will be fine.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Awesome!You are most welcome.

The names Bev,BTW


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