Could he have fin rot?

[jsjss]

Hi,
I got my betta two days ago and had him put into a tank which had been conditioned and running (filter & heater) for 3 days.
The water temperature has been between 25-27 degrees celcius with the water filter running non-stop.
I took a look at his tail today and saw that it had been frayed and I’m worried that it might be fin rot..
The only decoration in the tank is a silk plant which he likes to sit in but he also likes to sit on top of the filter.

 

[OliveFish05]

Hi! He is a really pretty betta! Does he have any tank mates? What is the tank size? Does the tank have a heater?
I am not very experienced with fin rot, but I can tell you that fin rot is caused by poor water quality, and sometimes stress (as stress lowers the fish’s immune system, it leaves room for the infection to set in) his fins do look a bit rough. Were they like that when you bought him? If it is fin rot, I would do 50% daily water changes to keep the water clean

 

[jsjss]

Hi,
Thank you
He was like this when I bought him so I’m a bit confused as to whether his fins have always been a bit frayed or if the fin rot began at the aquarium I got him from. The tank is 8 gallons and the heater keeps the water temperature at around 25C.

 

[OliveFish05]

Hi,
Thank you
He was like this when I bought him so I’m a bit confused as to whether his fins have always been a bit frayed or if the fin rot began at the aquarium I got him from. The tank is 8 gallons and the heater keeps the water temperature at around 25C.

Oh ok! Was he in a tank with other fish when you bought him? Perhaps there were sharp decorations in it? He must be living the life in your 8 gallon!

 

[Essjay]

put into a tank which had been conditioned and running (filter & heater) for 3 days.

Since you've only had the fish 2 days, ammonia is unlikely to have caused the fin rot, but I do need to check with you - are you testing daily for ammonia and nitrite? If either of these are allowed to build up in the water they will only make any finrot worse.

The reason I ask is that you only had the tank for 3 days before putting the betta in there, so it will not be cycled. It takes several weeks to cycle a tank, by adding ammonia to grow two colonies of bacteria which 'eat' fish waste.
You are now doing a fish-in cycle which means testing every day and doing a big water change whenever ammonia or nitrite read above zero. This is important as your fish already has a damaged tail and poor water quality will stop it healing.

Another thing that will help him is to get some live plants, especially floating plants - even stems of elodea/anacharis left to float on the surface will help.

 

[hansgruber7]

Beautiful fish. I recommend you get an API Master Test kit and test regularly for Ammonia and Nitrite and do a large water change every time it's above zero. Also, get some live plants like frogbit, java fern to start with. Your tank is pretty bare.