What Is Wrong With My Betta's Fins?!

[Arei]

I've got a female betta in my community tank. I have never seen any of my fish being aggressive towards her (it was the other way for awhile), she's coexisted peacefully without fuss for over a month now. They've all been great.

But I noticed today her fins are like this:

While up until I yesterday, there were like this (and I took these pictures yesterday BTW):

She's acting totally normal otherwise, greeting me when I approach, swimming around with everyone else, eating, though I find her staying in my java moss alot today, like she's hiding or something. She likes to hang out around there when she's taking a breather, but she's staying there quite a bit tonight.

The only recent addition was a gold nugget pleco a couple of days ago, and a siamese algae eater a week ago. I really don't ever see these fish interacting, the SAE is usually never even around my betta. The other inhabitants are black neons and platies. The platies I never see giving her issues (she established her alphaness when she arrived lol), they pretty much ignore her, same for the neons

I'm worried she's coming down with something, or someone is nipping her, for for some reason she has her fins clamped? But her tail looks all nasty too Like I said, she's acting totally fine otherwise. 25% water change was done yesterday, Ammonia is 0, Nitrite 0, and Nitrates at 20. What could be wrong with her I'm going to be busy working most of the time the next couple of days and I can't spend a lot of time watching her.

I'm getting a much larger tank Monday (won't be able to get it all set up and ready immediately though), and I was hoping she would join everyone else in the new tank but she may have to stay alone in the small one...

Please please someone give me some insight if you can. I love her to death and want to do what I can X_X

 

[KittyKat]

She's just stressed about something, probably. Maybe there was something she didn't like in the new water.. if you hadn't done one just before her clamping fins, I would have advised to do a water change.

SAE can be mean #19###s, so keep an eye on it.

 

[the biffster]

She's just stressed about something, probably. Maybe there was something she didn't like in the new water.. if you hadn't done one just before her clamping fins, I would have advised to do a water change.

SAE can be mean #19###s, so keep an eye on it.

i agree on the SAE they can be a
bit on the dodgy side keep a real
close eye on that one check your
water stats and see were you need
to go as in the way of a water change
clamped fins can mean something is wrong
with the water quality or in the tank in
general

 

[Arei]

I did a 50% change tuesday, and a 25% change the day before because I fed them a little too much of their new treats and they decided to get all messy

I wonder if it is the SAE, I never see it even agknowledge her, unless its pulling a Jekyll/Hyde on me when I turn the lights out at night.

Since he is not doing the job I got him for X_X I'll try to rehome him. It's only been a week but the store I got it from has a 3 day return policy and its only if its dead =_= Seems they will take fish back if YOU kill them but if they're defective or not working out, it's now your problem... I'd rather him out than my Betta have to live all alone all the time because she's seemed to enjoy watching the others.

I've got her moved to a 1 gallon tank with a heater which will have to do for probably another week, I'll get the tank monday but I need my paycheck friday to buy all the plants and driftwood I need for the large tank.


I'm also getting that its finrot? It just really looks like her fins are clamped, not decaying like fin rot .__. No other fish in my tank has any sort of fin rot symptom, and my betta has been in the community tank for a month and a half atleast. Or it could be stress. I found her hiding up in the top corner trying to hide as much behind the filter as she can, which is not normal at all for her. Hopefully she'll feel more secure after a couple of days on her own. Should I maybe try to treat for fin rot?

To be fair to her, I'll just probably have to leave her in the small tank, which I want to add some neon tetras too later since they dont fair well in new tanks. She'll probably be a lot happier being the queen of her castle lol.

 

[the biffster]

i wouldn't treat for
fin rot if there is no fin rot
loading a tank with chemicals
causes more problems

 

[Arei]

Thank you guys for your suggestions.

Unfortunately, as I was floating her around in a baggy to acclimate her to the new tanks water, she passed away RIP Ponyo

 

[the biffster]

sorry for your loss


whats the stats on the tank
she just came out of

 

[Arei]

Ammonia and Nitrites are 0, Nitrate is 20-30 (slighty darker than than the 20 color so im guessing maybe 30, its no where near as dark as the 40 ppm mark though). Temperature is 78F/26C.

There's no signs of stress or damage from the platies or black neons, doesn't seem like the SAE messes with them.

 

[the biffster]

Ammonia and Nitrites are 0, Nitrate is 20-30 (slighty darker than than the 20 color so im guessing maybe 30, its no where near as dark as the 40 ppm mark though). Temperature is 78F/26C.

There's no signs of stress or damage from the platies or black neons, doesn't seem like the SAE messes with them.

i don't know what to suggest
the clamped fins means that
stress how long as it been with other
fish or as he just been put with
other fish

 

[Arei]

She has been with the over fish for more than a month in a half. They never bothered her, she would chase them for awhile at first to establish her place but after that, there were no issues. The SAE was added a week ago, and a Pleco 2 days ago. Her fins were fine 2 days ago, I just noticed their poor condition yesterday.

 

[the biffster]

She has been with the over fish for more than a month in a half. They never bothered her, she would chase them for awhile at first to establish her place but after that, there were no issues. The SAE was added a week ago, and a Pleco 2 days ago. Her fins were fine 2 days ago, I just noticed their poor condition yesterday.

by the look of the photo it had
clamped fins dint look like any
sign of fin rot you said it only
happened two days ago when you added the plec
i think it was getting stressed out over something
that had been done with in the last two days

 

[Arei]

You know, the day I added my pleco (which is also the day I took the first 2 pictures at the top, when her fins were fine) one of my platies has a massive flip-out. He went on a rampage with the chasing and his first fit cost a poor black neon his eye and life. He then began to chase other platies around (no nipping, just rather frenzied chasing), until one of my other platies stood up to be peacekeeper and got him to calm down, and by the 2nd day after that he was completely calm again and there has been no issues. My betta was usually observing the whole thing from a distance and wasn't chased but, I wonder if all the changes just stressed her out too much. All the fish seemed to feel insecure by the pleco until they saw he hid in his cave all day and he wasn't going to cause them any trouble. Betta's are usually hardy, and she always seemed to be in pleasant mood and very friendly, so I never imagined such big changes could get her worked up that bad