Plant tearing betta's fins?

[Liz McGuire]

I've got a betta and what I believe is Ceratophyllum demersum
(hornwort?) - you can see it here:
http://www.tropica.com/productcard_1.asp?id=021

Today I showed the betta a mirror to get him to flare and saw that his
tail was split/torn down the middle a ways (a little more than half
way) and his lower fin looked a little rough at the bottom edge (not
sure if this is any different from when we got him, but I'm sure his
tail didn't have a problem before).

Is anyone familiar with this plant? Could it be the cause of his tail
problem? Is it too stiff? Or should I be looking for other possible
causes?

You can see the tank here: http://www.lizmcguireonline.com/6g.jpg

I'm pretty sure the other two types of plants aren't the cause
(they're very soft). He has no tankmates (except a few small snails
which came in with the plants).

Should I medicate (if so, with what) or just keep an eye on him?

6g tank, pH 7.2, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 15, temp 81F, flourite
substrate

Thanks,

Liz

[js1]

On 2005-11-19, Liz McGuire > wrote:
>
> Today I showed the betta a mirror to get him to flare and saw that his
> tail was split/torn down the middle a ways (a little more than half
> way) and his lower fin looked a little rough at the bottom edge (not
> sure if this is any different from when we got him, but I'm sure his
> tail didn't have a problem before).
>

Bettas will "trim" their own fins sometimes. Not sure if it's
healthy behavior or not, but it'll grow back.

--
"I have to decide between two equally frightening options.
If I wanted to do that, I'd vote." --Duckman

[Jan]

This happened to my betta several years ago. One day he was fine, the other
day his tail was split in the middle. I could not figure out the cause, but
the fish healed nicely by itself. It never happened again, even though I
didn't change the tank setup.

By the way, I also keep hornwort with my current betta, and it doesn't cause
any problems.

Your betta should heal quite fast, as long as the water is clean. The two
'halves' of the tail will join together, and the tear will be less
pronounced each day. It's amazing how quickly bettas repair their fins.

Good luck with your fish.
Jan

"Liz McGuire" > wrote in message
...
> I've got a betta and what I believe is Ceratophyllum demersum
> (hornwort?) - you can see it here:
> http://www.tropica.com/productcard_1.asp?id=021
>
> Today I showed the betta a mirror to get him to flare and saw that his
> tail was split/torn down the middle a ways (a little more than half
> way) and his lower fin looked a little rough at the bottom edge (not
> sure if this is any different from when we got him, but I'm sure his
> tail didn't have a problem before).
>
> Is anyone familiar with this plant? Could it be the cause of his tail
> problem? Is it too stiff? Or should I be looking for other possible
> causes?
>
> You can see the tank here: http://www.lizmcguireonline.com/6g.jpg
>
> I'm pretty sure the other two types of plants aren't the cause
> (they're very soft). He has no tankmates (except a few small snails
> which came in with the plants).
>
> Should I medicate (if so, with what) or just keep an eye on him?
>
> 6g tank, pH 7.2, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 15, temp 81F, flourite
> substrate
>
> Thanks,
>
> Liz

[Liz McGuire]

Thanks, Jan and JS1. I did a water change today (just in case) and
cleaned up the jungle a little (removed some dying bits of plant and
trimmed some of the hornwort and moved to another tank - that stuff
grows fast!).

I'll keep an eye on him and maybe treat with Melafix if it doesn't
look to be healing (though today it's already looking like it's not
torn as much as it was - not sure if that's my imagination or him
healing fast - hopefully the latter).

BTW: Pics here if you want to see (again, they're large - one is over
750KB)...

http://www.lizmcguireonline.com/bettafin.jpg
http://www.lizmcguireonline.com/bettafin2.jpg
http://www.lizmcguireonline.com/bettafin3.jpg

Thanks,

Liz


Jan wrote:
>
> This happened to my betta several years ago. One day he was fine, the other
> day his tail was split in the middle. I could not figure out the cause, but
> the fish healed nicely by itself. It never happened again, even though I
> didn't change the tank setup.
>
> By the way, I also keep hornwort with my current betta, and it doesn't cause
> any problems.
>
> Your betta should heal quite fast, as long as the water is clean. The two
> 'halves' of the tail will join together, and the tear will be less
> pronounced each day. It's amazing how quickly bettas repair their fins.
>
> Good luck with your fish.
> Jan

[Tynk]

Liz McGuire wrote:
> Thanks, Jan and JS1. I did a water change today (just in case) and
> cleaned up the jungle a little (removed some dying bits of plant and
> trimmed some of the hornwort and moved to another tank - that stuff
> grows fast!).
>
> I'll keep an eye on him and maybe treat with Melafix if it doesn't
> look to be healing (though today it's already looking like it's not
> torn as much as it was - not sure if that's my imagination or him
> healing fast - hopefully the latter).
>
> BTW: Pics here if you want to see (again, they're large - one is over
> 750KB)...
>
> http://www.lizmcguireonline.com/bettafin.jpg
> http://www.lizmcguireonline.com/bettafin2.jpg
> http://www.lizmcguireonline.com/bettafin3.jpg
>
> Thanks,
>
> Liz
>
>
> Jan wrote:
> >
> > This happened to my betta several years ago. One day he was fine, the other
> > day his tail was split in the middle. I could not figure out the cause, but
> > the fish healed nicely by itself. It never happened again, even though I
> > didn't change the tank setup.
> >
> > By the way, I also keep hornwort with my current betta, and it doesn't cause
> > any problems.
> >
> > Your betta should heal quite fast, as long as the water is clean. The two
> > 'halves' of the tail will join together, and the tear will be less
> > pronounced each day. It's amazing how quickly bettas repair their fins.
> >
> > Good luck with your fish.
> > Jan
> I'll keep an eye on him and maybe treat with Melafix if it doesn't
> look to be healing (though today it's already looking like it's not
> torn as much as it was - not sure if that's my imagination or him
> healing fast - hopefully the latter).
No, it's not your imagination. Bettas heal very fast. Nature made them
that way for a reason (their combative nature).
You don't need to medicate unless there's sign of infection.
I doubt he split his tail on any live plant.
It is possible for them to split on their own, or when flaring. Not a
big deal, as they heal quickly.
Some will actually chew on their own tails! That's a problem because
they never get a chance to look nice anymore. The tail grows, they
chomp it. Bad circle, but being that it's a split, I doubt he did it to
him self.
If this keeps on happening, I would then check other tank decor for
sharp edges. Any sharp plastic edges can be filed or buffed down with a
nile file (emory board) or sandpaper.

[caboose]

are you leaving your hood light on at night. i did this on accident one
night and my betta fought his refelection so much it tore his tail up.
this could be your problem or he has tail rot. nothing too serious you
can treat it with tank buddies or mediciane from your lfs. if you live
in the usa you can find tank buddies at walmart just look for the one
labeled parisite clear. best of luck



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[Tynk]

caboose wrote:
> are you leaving your hood light on at night. i did this on accident one
> night and my betta fought his refelection so much it tore his tail up.
> this could be your problem or he has tail rot. nothing too serious you
> can treat it with tank buddies or mediciane from your lfs. if you live
> in the usa you can find tank buddies at walmart just look for the one
> labeled parisite clear. best of luck
>
>
>
> --
> Posted via CichlidFish.com
> http://www.cichlidfish.com/portal/forums

> this could be your problem or he has tail rot. nothing too serious you
> can treat it with tank buddies or mediciane from your lfs. if you live
> in the usa you can find tank buddies at walmart just look for the one
> labeled parisite clear. best of luck

The Betta doesn't have FinRot. I've seen a picture of the male and his
fins are simply split.
This isn't uncommon with males and usually isn't anything that needs to
be treated with medication.
Also, just an FYI....the line of products called "Tank Buddies" are a
huge waste of money.
Cute label and marketing scheme, that's all. There about as bad as
those bottles of "special Betta water" for sale, lol.

[caboose]

well the parisite clear and the fungus clear have been working on my 90
gal. oscar tank, and i havent used any other tank buddies. just those
and i haven't seen a reason for them to be a waste of money, maybe they
just don't work on small quanites of water. and yep i have to agree with
the "special betta water" my aunt use to breed them and used pond water
to achive the right pH leavel. some ppl though will think anything if
they haven't done their reserach.



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