Trouble :[

[Michi Mitten]

Hey guys, i might be posting this in the wrong area, but not only am i knew to taking care of a betta fish, im also new to the interent

Well when i first got my betta i put sea shells at the bottom of his bowl and did everything the begginer guide that came withthe bowl said to do lol. ( The drops to clean the water and what not and maintanace on the bowl )

But after about 1 week i noticed that the bottom portion of like his "belly fin" had a kind of tear in it and it split off into its on clump of the fin. and its not that big of a chunk of the fin that "suceeded" to make its own but it has like white tips to the fin that got torn and im pretty sure that cant be a good thing. And nothing i can find on google and what not can really adress this.

Any help that can be given to me would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

[madgap]

When I got my first set up, about twelve years ago, I bought some shells that looked lovely. I had a red tailed black shark that was quite shy. So it wasn't unusual that I didn't see it for a while. Infact. The next time I seen it was when I took the shell out of the tank. Someone should have told that shark that it wasn't a hermit crab. The loss of that shark's life due to stupid decoration tought me a lesson. I always make sure that stuff which is not sharp edged or with tight holes are not in the tank. I hope your betta is better soon.

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

If they are in fact sea shells you may run into a problem with them down the line. Sea shells do not hold up well in fresh water in the long term, and will slowly break down leeching minerals into the water. While there are some tropical fish that prefer harder water, many do not, and you'll also run the risk of swings in the water parameters whenever you do water changes (which should be around once per week).

Secondly, that rip may be fin rot, or your betta may have just caught it's tail on a shell. The best thing to do would be to use a mild medication like Bettafix, or a combo of Melafix & Pimafix. That way, if it's fin rot it should help stop the progression, and if it's a torn tail it should help prevent a secondary infection.

 

[Michi Mitten]

okky :] thanx a bunch.

just one question since all the pet stores are closed, how much does this medication your talking about usually run for ?

 

[gurnie]

okky :] thanx a bunch.

just one question since all the pet stores are closed, how much does this medication your talking about usually run for ?

I believe i plaid $3-4 for bettafix yesterday at petco

its main ingredient is tee-tree oil, so it's very low priced