Trouble With Betta

[Discovery86]

What's wrong with my betta?? He has been shredding his fins regularly for quite a while. They will almost heal and then he shreds them again. I'm pretty sure it's not fin rot since he'll be fine in the morning and then by the afternoon one of his fins will be shredded. I've been treating him with maracyn and maracyn 2 for a week or 2 now, and doing water changes every few days.

Also, the heater in his tank seems to have broken, and even though I had the light on for 4-5 hours, the temp. has not gone up. Is it possible that the heater has been dying for a while and sending shocks through the water?? I've noticed that he occasionally will dart against the marbles in the bottom of the tank, mostly at night. Last night he got himself stuck in the filter intake. So, I've turned off the filter, and I'm contemplating moving him to another tank. The only other tank I can heat is a 5 Gallon. He will also wedge himself between the thermometer and the side of the tank, behind the filter and other small spaces in the tank.

Last but not least, he seems to have lost his appetite. I usually feed him blood worms, and occasionally frozen brine shrimp. He doesn't seem to be at all interested in eating. Usually he's a little pig.

So, I guess I need to know:
1) what should I do about him shredding his fins?
2) If I move him to the 5 gallon, what filter should I use? I have a sponge filter, a whisper micro (the one he got himself stuck in), and an Elite mini.
3) What to do about his loss of appetite?

I'll try and get a picture posted of his tail.
Tetragirl

 

[Zafirah]

If the heater is bad. Take the heaterm out of the tank. Also, he sounds like atail bitter. You dont need a filter for him. He'll be fine without it and a 5 gallon is wayy big enough

 

[Discovery86]

Here's the pic of his tail:

I guess I didn't explain very well - the heater is not running anymore (it's unplugged, haven't had time to take it out), and the weather is still chilly enough that he needs a heater. The only other heater I have is for a 5 gallon or larger, hence temporarily moving him to the 5 gal. tank. (He's in a 2.5 gal. right now)

About the tail biting -- He only started it a year or more after I got him - and when I moved him downstairs at Christmas time, he did not shred/bite his tail until he came back upstairs. The only difference was that I used salt while he was downstairs instead of Betta Spa. I switched back to the salt, and it helped for a while, but it's not helping anymore.

Sorry for not explaining better -- I guess I had too much coffee this afternoon.
Tetragirl

 

[knt5005]

I think I've heard of bettas being tailbiters, too. I would try putting him in the tank without a filter; otherwise just make sure he isn't rubbing against anything in the tank that could be roughing up his fins.

Why he would tailbite, I don't know. Maybe he's bored or depressed? Try putting a mirror against his tank for a period of time to entertain him for a while. Otherwise...maybe try looking up information on tailbiters?

Good luck.

One more thing: blood worms and brine shrimp are more like treats than everyday food. Try giving him a thawed pea once a week, as this will help prevent constipation. Maybe try some pellets?

 

[betttta]

Could it be a blown tail?

"Over activity or sometimes bacterial diseases will give Mr. Betta a quick "hair cut": The fins (which are only a few cells thick) ) will tear and fall off (also called "blowing a tail"). This will usually rejuvenate Mr. Betta and he might become once again (although now ugly) active... Meaning that the tail will literally fall apart, somewhat like a large sailboat sail in a strong wind. One day your betta is glorious, the next he looks like an old torn rag LOL. Once blown, the tail will never be the same, it will grow back, but some discoloration or unevenness will occur." http/www.bettatalk.com/betta_anatomy.htm

 

[Discovery86]

I don't think it could be a blown fin, because when he first started the tail biting thing, it was his Caudal fin that got torn up, but now it's healed nicely, and he's shredding his Dorsal fin. Good theory, though.

He's going into the 5 gal. today, since the water is freezing in the 2.5. I'm also going to set up the 1 gal. I used when he had fin rot and see if the temp will remain stable enough for him to be there until I can get a new heater.

About the food-- he absolutely refuses to eat pellets - I tried them when I first got him and he gave this look like "you expect me to eat this??" I have successfully fed him flakes in the past, so I will try those once he is in a warmer tank. I've also gotten him to eat some peas, but when I tried a few days ago he paid no attention.

I suppose he could be bored. I'd like to get him something he can 'rest' on. Right now he sits on the bar of the feeding ring - I've tried some fake plants, but the last time I put one in he split his tail all the way down to his body. I've seen a couple nice silk plants, but I hate washing plants. Also thinking of some sort of decoration... Any suggestions??

Thanks for the advice!!
Tetragirl