Fin Rot?

[Flute]

Hey guys,

just a quick questions as I have a bit of an odd situation going on with my two male bettas at the moment.
I have two males in a divided 60ltr tank which has been up and running for about a year and a half now. I've had Tyr for about a month now, and Seaweed for two weeks. It's heavily planted and is well looked after and maintained.

The two boys are doing well- Tyr (the older betta) occasionally flares at my younger male Seaweed, but they don't try to jump over the divider to fight, etc.

My problem is that Seaweed's tail is disappearing. It looks like chunks have been taken out of it, and my first thought was fin rot. But Tyr's tail is absolutely fine, as are the rest of his fins and is actually looking the best he ever has. Is it possible that Seaweed could have fin rot even though Tyr doesn't, and they share the same water, etc? Or is it more likely that he's chomping on his own tail? Because the rest of his fins are totally fine with no damage what so ever. There are no pinholes, and the edges don't appear to be black or red.

I'm going to do a bigish water change tomorrow just to keep the water extra clean. Any tips to help his tail grow back? And if he is chomping on it, is there any way to distract him?

Thanks!

 

[Flute]

Accidentally double posted. Sorry!

 

[BethK]

finrot doesn't always effect the other fish, it could be as simple as 1 fish just has a weaker immune system.

Could you put a pick up of him?

 

[Flute]

He's really quite young at only about 3 months old, so could this cause a weaker immune system?

I'll post pictures early tomorrow- I have no idea where the camera is now and it's a bit too late to go digging around for it

Will soaking his food in garlic help boost his immune system and start the healing process?

 

[BethK]

yeah soak food in garlic, keep his water clean, i would say 30% water change every 2 days.

See how it goes for 14 days, no improvement, you may have to medicate.

If we could get a pic tomorrow, we could tell if he is a tail biter or if he has finrot x

 

[Flute]

Ok, thanks for the advice Beth Really hoping I wont have to medicate, so fingers crossed it'll clear up with clean water and good food.

I'll update tomorrow morning with before and after pictures.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Could it be tail biting.

If Seaweed can see the other fish and he can't get to it he may be getting agitated and biting his tail in frustration. Try and plant around the divider so they can't see each other

Although pics will help.

 

[loraxchick]

what kind of filter is in the tank? possible that his tail has gotten sucked up and ragged in the intake? just a thought.
if not agreed that finrot can make just one fish sick due to immune system being weaker (either from genetics OR stress. id separate them for a while and treat the "sick" boy separately if you are able. see if it improves on its own before you medicate. clean water is the best remedy for fin issues 90% of the time.
all the best
cheers

 

[Flute]

Aye, I was wondering if it could be tail biting from being able to see Tyr- there are plants against both sides of the dividers, but I'll see if I can move things around and block their view to each other some more.

Seaweed is on the other side without the filter. I should have realised that fin rot could be brought on by stress, because now that I look at the photos and him today, I do think it is fin rot. Luckily I do have a hospital tank that I can move him to if you guys think it's fin rot too.

Please excuse the crazy photos mashed together- was trying to get the best shots of his tail- the close up is for you guys to see more accurately.

And what his tail was like when he first arrived 2 weeks ago- don't seem to be doing too well with him as his tail is already destroyed in just two weeks

Tyr's tail for comparison-

And one last quick question- am I right in thinking that Tyr is actually a HM PK and not just a PK as he was advertised as?

 

[BethK]

That looks like finrot, can you see the slight blackness around the edges of the bad bits? Indicator to finrot.

Keep water clean, food soaked in garlic. Lora has mentioned a valid point, if you can put him in his own tank, he might heal faster and you can treat him easier.

 

[loraxchick]

have you found bits of his tail laying on the substrate? like its falling off in chunks? looks shredded to me (you certain its not the filter?). separate tank would be best for now for treatment. if you are able. clean water is the best remedy and more bloodworms. not too much tho 2-3 every two days. he looks in good condition otherwise.
and as far as Tyr-he is a HM...tail's too long to be a PK (although may have PK genetics). pretty boys you have.
cheers

 

[Flute]

Haven't noticed any bits of tail on the bottom of the tank- although it looks today like another little bit is missing. I can't say for definite if his fins are lined with black Beth, in some light they look like they are, in better lights they don't. I'm keeping the water clean though, and I'll start him on bloodworms tomorrow. Are frozen (not freeze dried) ones ok? He's still eating well and very active, so fingers crossed it'll be easy to get him back on the road to recovery Definitely not the filter though- Tyr is on that side, and seems to cope fine with the current. Seaweed's other fins are still intact and don't seem to be affected by what ever has damaged his tail

IF it does turn out to be tail biting, is there any way I can discourage this behaviour?

I've moved plants around to try and break up their sight of each other, and added a coconut cave for Seaweed to hide in. I recently quarantined and treated two pearl grouami's in my hopsital tank for fish lice, and I'm concerned that there could be traces of the parasite left in the tank and substrate even though I've emptied all the water. Any tips for getting it usable again so I can treat Seaweed in it?

Thanks for IDing Tyr's tail- I was wondering about that. I wonder why he was advertised as purely being PK. A typo maybe, or as you said, PK genes. Thanks very much for all the help and advice guys! I really appreciate it

 

[BethK]

tbh once a tail biter, always one. Best thing to do is to ensure he can't see and competition

Blood worm is fine x

 

[loraxchick]

to disinfect the hospital tank just epty it and scrub with hot water and a capful of bleach. rinse rinse rinse, dry with a clean cloth and let air dry. chlorine will evaporate and leave no residue. dont use soap! once dry set it up and you should be good to go.
finrot doesnt always have black edging. depends on species of bacteria causing it and generally black i smore likely ammonia burns. tbh, i dont notice any black-just darker blue areas(his fins are blue). id separate for a week doing waterchanges and feeding (yes frozen is perfect) bloodworms 2-3 every other day. also, if you are able, turn the temp down a bit to around 74-will slow the bacterial growth if it is finrot, giving his immune system a chance to catch up.
good luck. keep us posted.
cheers

 

[Flute]

Cheers Loraxchick- Will set the hospital tank up now.

I've changed my mind again about it being tail biting- came home form work to discover another piece of his tail, this time from his annal fin. It's perfectly smooth and shaped in a crescent. So more likely biting?

I can't keep him in the hospital tank permentantly as it's in the garage and mam wont let me have any more tanks in the house. So eventually he'll have to go back to the 60 ltr. At the moment I'm using one of these and no matter how much I move plants around they can totally see each other. Is there any fish friendly way of making it more difficult for them to see through it? e.g. Paint it dark? Get a second divider so that it obscures their view even more? etc.

God, if I'd have known that Tyr would stress Seaweed out so badly I would have never put the poor little thing in there D: