Beta Splenden Mystery (Fin Rot Or ?)

[UpsetBetaGal2424]

After much confusion over several attempts to introduce my female beta, Petunia, into larger quarters than her usual home (.5gal tank on my desk) I have finally come to a forum to BEG. And I mean it, BEG for any answers.

Petunia is a female splenden. A beautiful fish. A happy, healthy, excitable fish... She'll follow you around the room, trail your finger at the glass, etc. She has a home on my desk. A half moon .5 gal with no filter and no heater(but a thermometer so I can keep an eye on the temp). I have tried a couple times to place her into a larger tank. First, a five gallon already cycled tank and now a fifteen in hopes that the wide open spaces will cause her color to go from the dull to brilliant again. All attempts MET WITH DISASTER.

It starts out the same. Once shes acclimated, she seems happy and fine. Exploring. Checking out her tank mates. No aggression or itching or anything. THEN BOOM.

Two hours later, her fins look in shambles. Spines where there should be her small but full bodied fins. At first, of course, EEEK FINROT but this tank is brand new. Cycled for 24 hours with StartZyme tablets and water conditioner. The old tank I could understand. The 5 gallon had a bubbler and a filter, both could be producing vicious currents to do the damage since I have recleaned and re-established(sometimes using StartZyme, other times not) that tank's cycle three times in order to find the cause of the alleged finrot. All cases met with Petunia's fins being shockingly damaged.

I had a male beta, Will, in the 5 gallon with a snail. He had no such finage issues.

Eventually, I gave up and left her in my desk tank. Her fins healed after a few fast/feed days and salt treatments.

What is this? All cases of finrot and ONLY in tanks above .5? I am going -nuts-.
Please help me. Please. I know it is weird... but I love this fish. Shes brought me so much joy and I can't reciprocate with new environments

 . 

This is before. I just got her. Note her color and perfect fins. That is also the desktop tank.

This is her now. I apologize for the blur but she is a difficult one to photograph with a cell phone. Again. Note her color (The pink has turned to a faded redish brown).

I need to know what I am doing or possibly have done wrong. Please.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

What are the tank mates in the larger tanks? I see guppies in the one pic. Is she being stressed/picked on by other fish?


I'm leaning away from the culprit being the larger tank and rather the tank mates.

 

[UpsetBetaGal2424]

See, I thought that too. But the first time this happened... her only tank mate was an apple snail. She and the guppies seemed to stay away from each other. I saw no aggression but I could be wrong.

 

[Mammabe]

I would try moving her to the 5 gallon tank with all the same set up so it is familiar plus a few new things to explore and just a heater no filter to create current...and no tank mates - just her and see how she does... you can always add the rec. does of aquarium salt - already dissolved - never add aquarium salt directly. make sure she has a few big soft leaves maybe a live plant and she will love it and do well...she should have a little cave she can hide in or log etc. That's what I would do... good luck

 

[attibones]

Can you get a reading of tank stats? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate? Sounds like the tanks weren't actually cycled. Bottled products don't usually work.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I'm not sure I understood a detail.  Did you say you cycled these other tanks in 24 hours using a product?  If that is what you did then these tanks you are moving her to are not cycled as this process takes weeks not hours.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I can't believe I missed that detail.  It must have been the hour.  Sorry.
 
I agree with the above, StressZyme is NOT an effective means to cycle your tank, contrary to the claims made by the product.  Further, even if you were adding one of the few products that do contain the proper bacteria that we need in our tank, there's no guarantee that the bacteria were properly handled and are still alive, and further they don't cycle in 24 hours either.  They require test doses of ammonia to be added (1ppm concentration is best) to ensure that the bacteria are in fact alive and doing what they are supposed to do. 
 
Since she is in an unfiltered tank right now, although it appears with some plant(s)... bring all the contents of the smaller tank over to the larger one with her.  The plant(s) use ammonia and will help to keep her safe and healthy in the larger volume.  The decor may also have a bit of the bacteria you need as well (they colonize any surface with the necessary ingredients for their survival).
 
 
 
And as described above, testing the water parameters is the best way to determine what's going on in the tank, rather than guessing or assuming you know. 

 

[Wildbetta]

First off, your tanks that you are moving her into are not cycled which causes quite a bit of stress.  Also how are you moving her?  Cupping and dumping into the new tank or allowing her to acclimate to the temperature of the new tank?  Moving her from tank to tank is stressful and sometimes it may take a little while for her to get used to her new environment.
 
The tank that you have her in at the moment is not really a good one.  Unless you are doing multiple 100% water changes a day the water will not be able to stay clean and I can guarantee you that tank is not cycled.  The 5 gallon with no other tankmates, lots of hiding places (because the extra space -although great for her could also stress her until she is used to it), and a heater would be much better.
 
Her fin issue could easily be her nipping her own fins caused by stress.  Males are not the only ones that do this behavior although it is more often picked up with them since they have the longer heavier fins.  Even if she is the one damaging her fins, keeping her in the bigger tank with warm water (80F) will allow her to keep healthy and regrow her fins.