I Can't Tell If My Fish Has Fin Rot!

[Imcanadieneh]

So I'm not sure what it wrong with Sam if anything at all but he doesn't seem to eat very much. I have tetra flakes for betta and he will only eat the green flakes. He puts the red and brown flakes in his mouth and then spits them out, i also have Hakari pellets that I give him but he spits those out also. He swims around like there isn't anything wrong at all. He does look at his reflection and chases it but i have read that its normal for betta to do. Um I have had him for 4 days now and his water is just now starting to get dirty. I don't thunk that is the problem. i also want to know if anyone can tell me if he has fin rot. I'm not an expert yet but i really like taking care of him and i was thinking about breeding betta in a few months but not if I can't take are of one alone. He was bought at petsmart and I have read that that is a no no but i looked for forever and can't find anyone who breeds them so I got him because he looked healthier than the rest there. he is in a 1 gallon tank with a filter but no heater, could that be the problem? I won't be getting a bigger tank until november around my birthday so I want him to stay alive at least until then, I really like the little guy. Please help me determine what he has. The pictures are bad because my camera isn't very good but i thunk you can see what i am seeing with the end of his fins being sort of clear.

 

[Honeythorn]

The pictures are a bit fuzzy. I'm finding it hard to tell really.

If your water is visibly dirty then you have a real problem. You're exposing your betta to a lot of waste like that even with a filter ( what filter is it anyway? ) . Have you not got anything bigger to put him in as a temporary measure until you get your bigger tank? A big plastic storage tub or something? Anything bigger than 1 gallon will do. 1 gallon is a very very small amount of water and you'll need to do 100% water changes every day on it if you keep him in there until November. You'll be able to keep the water stats more stable in a bigger container too.

Bettas are tropical fish and it would be better to have a heater to keep the temperature nice and stable. That would also be easier to do with a bigger tank or tub, as I think the smallest internal heater you can get is for 2 gallons. I know some people use heat pads in place of internal heaters though.

 

[Colin_T]

Fin rot is characterised by the fins splitting and fraying. Over a few days the fins actually rot away (dissolve). There is often red lines running through the fins. It is caused by a bacterial infection and poor water quality will often lead to the infection.
If you don't have a filter on the tank, or even if you do and it is a new filter, you should probably do a partial water change. Remove 30-50% of the tank water every few days and replace it with some clean dechlorinated water that has a similar temperature to the tank. Use a clean container that hasn’t had any cleaning products in.
Only feed the fish once a day. Most Bettas will eat dry food but prefer live or frozen food. Do some water changes and if he doesn't show more interest in the food then perhaps get some frozen food for him. You can offer him bits of raw prawn or fish. You can also feed him on flies, mozzies & aphids but make sure they are free of chemicals. Catch them by hand, don't use bug sprays.