Shredded Fin(s)?

[Winterlily]

Well, here we go again. I posted not long ago worried about fin rot, but it turns out it was just damage he got likely during shipping. Fins were healing nicely - tons of that clear new growth. Today he was fine every time I looked at him during the day. Until this evening. I look in, what the $%^&* happened to his dorsal fin?? Looks shredded. Looks almost like a feather - that kind of shredded. And, every time he moves and sorta does that slight shimmy to swim at any speed, little bits of white seem to come from his fin, like it's coming apart or something. (In the first pic, you can see a bunch of white dots all around him in the water - that's the stuff - almost like dandruff coming off the shredded fins. (Edited to add that now some 4ish hours later, I don't see any more of that white stuff - I wonder if, if it IS damage, if it had just happened like moments before I saw it or something?) I don't see white, gray, or singed looking anything on the fin (the different color you see at the ends in the photos is that clear new growth that he had so much of). Here are 4 pics - best I could do - including them all here in hopes that at least one of them will help you tell me that it's not fin rot or anything else awful. (And if it IS damage, what on EARTH could he have damaged it on?? He's in a small tank [too small, I know, he's moving - it's a 3 gallon Eclipse] with only silk plants and a sideways terra cotta pot. That's IT. ??? ) Here he is:

Pleae let me know what you think it is and if you've any thoughts about what caused it??

Thanks!

 

[loraxchick]

could he have gotten it caught in the filter intake? it really doesnt have any weird discoloration (at least the photos dont really point t ofinrot).. by the pictures, it just looks shredded from something (id suspect the filter). they love to go where they shouldnt be going, and sometimes gets them into trouble.
best of luck!

 

[Winterlily]

He sure could have. It's an Eclipse - the intake has large openings, and just later, I saw him sorta wrapped around it, with tail being pulled in a bit. What do I do about this? (I seem to remember reading how to cover that intake... can't remember now with what?

Good, so doesn't look like disease, at least?

 

[loraxchick]

well at least you know its not disease so that's good.
to fix the problem there are a few options:
take some filter sponge and wrap it around the intake and secure it with either thread or a rubber band
get a clean pair or tights/pantyhose and put it around the intake, and secure with a piece of thread or rubber band
get creative- anything that will not reduce flow, but hinder getting a bit too close to the intake and getting sucked in

and dont worry about his fins...clean water and they'll heal up in no time!!!
cheers

 

[betta fish]

It looks to me as if he is shredding that fin himself, I once had a betta that shredded his tail and it looked identical to that, keep an eye on him as you'll probably see him do it, I've never had a betta get shredded by a filter even if they get stuck to the side of it it may be the flow is too great and it is stressing him a bit causing him to bite his fins, you could cover the intake using stockings or tights.

 

[loraxchick]

i cant imagine him reaching his dorsal fin...had it been a tail, maybe id agree...best to keep the intake of the filter secure...and if it continues, THEN just maybe he's doing it to himself, but i dont think so in this case.
cheers

 

[tibby25731]

I agree, it looks like filter damage to me, my Neptune once had the same problem. Block up the filter liike Loraxchick said, and keep the water nice and clean to speed up the healing

 

[Winterlily]

More pics. There is some color on the ends otherwise only clear. He won't stay totally still long enough for me to be sure WHAT color it is - it kinda looks like a bluey-purple (his body is fully purple) so I dunno if this is the gray that means fin rot, or just that the new clear growth is getting color now?? (I'm looking at him SUPER close now, if you kwim.) When I look at the original pics I posted yesterday, you can see that blue-type color a bit in the 2nd picture. I didn't notice it yesterday. Also, the fin under his body (dunno that name for that one??) is shredded a bit at the tail end. Was yesterday too. That you can see a small bit in that last pic from yesterday, but you can see it well in the last pic here today (below). Also, I looked back and found a pic from June 17 and it showed that color "change" or addition even then. Also, I was just watching him (trying to get a decent pic) and he went behind some plants, so I looked from the side of the tank. He was fully curled in HALF and it happened too fast and he saw me and moved, but I dunno if he WAS biting that dorsal! He could reach it, absolutely, curled in half and it sort of hanging in his face if you know what I mean. I don't know that he WAS biting it, but the position was really weird - almost like when they get in tight quarters and try to turn and aren't very graceful about it?.

Anyhow: Note the blue/purple on the ends of tail fins - this okay? Unrelated, I hope, to this shredding stuff? Just mean that he was/is in the process of growing those fins and they are getting their color? (3 pics)

And this below is from June 17 when he got hit with the stupid siphon and I posted about an injury (never mind the arrow - it's pointing at where he got hit). I feel better in that the bluey-purple color was there on the end of his tail even then as you can see. Do I assume that means it's likely NOT fin rot?

???

 

[tibby25731]

I don't think that is fin rot, it seems too close to his normal purply blue colour to me... doesn't look like fin rot to me either

 

[Winterlily]

Great - I can deal with damage. Awfully glad it's not rot. It certainly isn't any worse and I assume it would be by now if it was rot?

 

[loraxchick]

the coloration is fine. i dont see ANY sign of finrot either. the clearish bits are regrowth and sometimes are very faintly colored like what the actual color will be when it 'colors up"...that can take a few weeks to be the normal color. also if you got him when young, their fins sometimes change as they grow (for instance maybe you got a young betta whose fins are red and then one day you notice- uh oh, there are BLUE bits on the ends...is this normal?...and then panic...ive had a boy go thru an AMAZING color change after getting him into a suitable home with good water and food..doesnt even look like the same fish i bought. so i guess what im trying to say is it can be normal to have new colors grow in.

as for the biting...he is stressed still in some way...does he have things to keep him entertained? i know that may sound silly but these guys LOVE to explore and squeeze between things and have things to look at etc...if they dont, some get sulky and unfortunately others bite their own tails....try adding a LOT of plants in there. not only will it maybe make him feel more secure, but gives him something to swim around/thru and something to rest on.. or perhaps (if you cant get a hold of plants for whatever reason) rearrange the things in the tank so it is all "new" again and he will have to explore and check everything out all over again. keep his mind occupied with other things.
just some suggestions...he looks in great health regardless of his poor fins, but they will mend themselves if you keep good water and he leaves them alone i still wouldnt rule out the filter possibility and block up the intake as a precaution (and also to eliminate that variable).
good luck.

 

[CTlovesKS]

Your betta in the pics looks really healthy and doesnt show any signs of fin rot. The fins would be spiltting as well as going jagged on the ends. Though there is no dis colour there to show anything to fin rot. I believe that he has got it cought in the fliter motor or maybe you have a sharp rock, or plant (Plastic or slik) I somtimes think some of the slik plants are sharp for them. What might feel soft to you may feel different to him.

 

[Cdarmychi]

now, dont thik im crazy, but have you tried adding marbles, or a beer pong ball? my boys used to spend hours moving things i chucked in their tanks all over. they'd make piles of marbles, id get up and flatten it all out, then id listen to
clink clink
for about 4 hours as they all pushed them back into mounds. fun times for all.

And i agree, if a bit late, that thats not rot.

Edited for spelling....again

 

[Winterlily]

Cdarmychi: I love your suggestion about the marbles. I gave both him and Buster about 4 marbles each. For hours they both ignored them. Then I caught them both down at the bottom of their respective tanks sort of eyeing the marbles. Then, at different times, I saw them both pushing them around with their noses. Buster then ignored his (still), but Roo decided this was a neat game and started getting alongside a marble, and then flipping his body/tail to make it move. He seemed like he was actually trying to get one to hit the other. When he'd get one rolling, he'd then swim real fast in front of it and stop it with his nose - then push it somewhere else. My soccer-playing Betta.

Loraxchick: You are right. He's bored to death. So is Buster. I have to figure out some cool things for them to play in and on. As I mentioned elsewhere, I just cannot find decent wood type thing (real or fake) that are totally smooth. I did just make a cool thing from rocks. But they need other stuff for sure.

And yup - caught him literally wrapped around the filter intake (he kept doing it on purpose!) - so that was an issue too. Covered now in filter foam.

And thanks so much to everyone who made me feel tons better that it wasn't tail/fin rot!!!!

 

[Forestpisces]

Best of luck with your handsom little boy! I dont think my boys have ever been bored The captain likes the quiet life but does attak the filter curret sometimes lol, and Radish enjoys exploring everything so deffinately try get them some more interesting stuff in there