Betta Needs Help With Fin Healing

[Starfishpower]

so about 8 months ago i got into this hobby when i brought home my first betta. i was so happy particularly since the crowntail i got was one of the most beautiful iv ever seen. well as the story goes i wanted to get him some friends, and since a community tank was out of the question i looked at female bettas. the LFS incorrectly told me that the females would get along just fine with him. i got 2 (they are the ones in my picture) it wasnt until after they started chasing each him that i called them back, at which point i was told "oh yes, theyr like black widows, youll have to provide him with hiding places or else theyll kill him". well, i could use a lot of words right now to describe how i felt, but ill be polite and leave it at ~ I -WAS - NOT - HAPPY ~ so, they tore his fins up - i separated them. stressed out he got sick and i spent 3 months and about 10 times the amount of money i spent on him on medications (only to have him get better when i quite medicating him). now he's better. my issue now is that his fins havent fully regrown to their full magnificence. hes not necessarily a bad looking betta but his appearance is definitely not doing his former brilliance justice. the fins havent gotten theyr old flowing pridefully look, his face is now an array of grayish (blacks to whites) colors, and his colors in general have morphed, and he doesnt seem to have that old pride that he used to flaunt. do yall have any advice on what i can do to help him fully regain his former image or is he doomed to never grace that beauty again? i tore down his tank and cleaned it out after he got a parasite, it is presently being cycled and once it is done he'll be moved back in there. i seriously HATE having him in the little "betta jar" he's in now, i know its bad so please dont fuss at me about it... i have a 5 gallon for him tis just not ready yet i really hate what happened to him so please help me out with getting him back to being a gorgeous, proud, and confident betta

 

[Monty2451]

I would suggest Melafix (10 drops per gallon instead of the bottle's instructed amount as bettas are sensitive to it), freshwater aquarium conditioning salt (1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water) and a good diet (Hikari Betta Bio Gold Pellets are great and supplement with freeze dried or frozen brine shrimp or bloodworms, frozen is better than freeze dried though. If you do use freeze dried food use it sparingly 1 or 2 blood worms a day or a small pinch of brine shrimp). This combination of treatments should reduce his stress level, improve gill function, help with any slight wounds or minor infections, help stimulate fin growth and treat finrot (if this is the case), and also provide extra protein for fin growth and improved color. I should note though that different food can sometimes alter a fishes color depending on the ingredients, so depending on what the LFS was feeding him, he may not get back the exact same coloration. Also, be sure to skip feeding him one day a week or feed him a cooked, unshelled pea once a weekto avoid any constipation due to the increased protein diet. So give this a go and let us know what happens!

Also, pics of the little guy would be nice too, just so we can get a better idea of what his condition and see how he improves along the way.


Good Luck!

 

[Starfishpower]

all right, sounds good. ill get pics up here today or tomarrow thanks

 

[Amunet]

His tail will grow back with some TLC.. but I wouldn't really expect it to grow back the way it used to look before unfortunately.
It's a hit or miss kind of deal. It might grow back and look like it used it, but it also might not.