Regular Member GreenTea Posted July 22, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted July 22, 2012 (edited) It is possible is a type of columnaris infection that is attacking blue bettas, it is very aggressive. However it looks like your betta is improving, keep up on water quality, aquarium salt prevents infection and helps the healing process. Good luck. If it gets worse rapidly you may consider taking him to a vet due to the potential of it being the newer and very aggressive bacterial disease. Edited July 22, 2012 by GreenTea 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted July 23, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 23, 2012 Okay, I just got back from camp. He looks horrible. Be honest, how bad is this? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GreenTea Posted July 23, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted July 23, 2012 I've seen a lot worse. This looks like fin biting to me. See how most of what's gone is directly behind his head? There's a big clue, and I don't see any fuzziness or grey that usually accompanies rot. Unfortunately I think you just have a tail biter - it's the reason I stopped keeping long-finned betta! Aquarium salt added to the water will prevent infection. Be sure to do a water change now and dissolve the aquarium salt before you add it in. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted July 23, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 23, 2012 But I've never seen him nip, and the edging of the fins is black! Is there by way to tell the difference? When I got him hi fins were perfect. Why would he just start nipping? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Narny105 Posted July 23, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted July 23, 2012 (edited) Mandie, I am still thinking on the lines of nipping as well, but it can still be very hard to tell especially when you don't catch them nipping. He is most likely to be nipping during the night if you are unnable to catch him, and they can easily do a lot of damage with just a few seconds to a minute of nipping, so that can be a likely reason why. Nipping is one of those things that can be hard to figure out why. Stress seems to be most common, however things like boredom, water quality, even length and weight of the fins can cause nipping! It's a pain, and I found that my nipper did better in a stress free environment with more plants and nice, clean and warm water. There are a few methods we can try now to see if that has any positive impact: Plant the tank a little more- a well-planted tank provides a sense of security, and for solitary fish, a well planted tank will decrease stress, and provide a much more entertaining environment. Reduce reflection (if any) throughout the day. This might mean you need to turn the tank light off late afternoon. Other than that, keep the salt in the tank for a further week with water changes every three days and see how he goes Edited July 23, 2012 by Narny105 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GreenTea Posted July 23, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted July 23, 2012 It doesn't matter if you've ever seen him do it. They can do it in literally seconds. I agree with narny, it can happen for no reason or a definite reason. Sometimes it happens once, sometimes they don't do it for years and then constantly do it. Just because he hadn't done it yet doesn't mean anything either, sometimes they just start. Maybe his tail got too long finally and heavy and he trimmed it himself? Maybe it brushed against his body when he was sleeping and it scared him? Who knows! Additional cover for your betta should help with boredom, as will rearranging tank decor every once in awhile and interacting with your betta every day. If he is just a nipper now, there's nothing you can do except keep the water clean which presumably you are already doing, and adding aq salt for a few days after each new shredding of his tail. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Narny105 Posted July 29, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted July 29, 2012 How is he going Mandie? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted July 29, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 29, 2012 Looks pretty similar, but it isn't getting worse 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted July 30, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 30, 2012 I think mowgli is dying :( in which case I think maybe I'm not exactly very good at taking care of bettas, and maybe I will get a guppy or two for that tank? Anyways, I'll let you know in the morning, but he looks absolutely awful...he is half floating on the bottom of the tank in a weird position sideways, but his gills are moving. It isn't looking good :( I'm super bummed, I hope he's okay. Maybe he's just sleeping? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted July 30, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 30, 2012 Hm. He just moved a teeny bit, maybe he's okay. I'm not sure. There's a 50% chance that he is just sleeping in an odd looking position, but he usually sleeps somewhere else. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Narny105 Posted July 30, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted July 30, 2012 There is every possibility he is just resting and you are just noticing things now that you are more aware of his health due to the fin issues. You are doing everything right, Mandie. Fin nipping is very common in bettas, especially with long fins. Regardless, please take a small video in case he may be a little ill. Can you also update your water parameters here, as well as what current treatments you are doing if any? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member IsabellaG Posted July 30, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted July 30, 2012 Hi Mandy, I'm only new to betta keeping, but I think that apart from being active, having a vibrant colour and a good appetite are also signs of a healthy betta. In the pictures it looks like Mowgli's colour is still good, has that changed? Is he still happy to eat? In the short time that I've kept my betta (6m) I think I have noticed that bettas seem to lose their colour vibrancy as an early sign that all is not well. I'd second Narny's request for a video if you can. Keeping fingers crossed for you, Isabella. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Narny105 Posted July 30, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted July 30, 2012 (edited) Hi Mandy, I'm only new to betta keeping, but I think that apart from being active, having a vibrant colour and a good appetite are also signs of a healthy betta. In the pictures it looks like Mowgli's colour is still good, has that changed? Is he still happy to eat? In the short time that I've kept my betta (6m) I think I have noticed that bettas seem to lose their colour vibrancy as an early sign that all is not well. I'd second Narny's request for a video if you can. Keeping fingers crossed for you, Isabella. There are 5 main areas to keep an eye on and routinely check up on that can be physical indicators of illness, which are skin/scales, eyes, colour, behaviour, shape, and fins. Checking their faecal matter is also a very good indicator of fish's health, however it is a lot easier with goldfish! lol. It is often hard to spot betta waste especially in a well planted tank Edited July 30, 2012 by Narny105 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member ShawneeRiver Posted July 30, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted July 30, 2012 Anyways, I'll let you know in the morning, but he looks absolutely awful...he is half floating on the bottom of the tank in a weird position sideways, but his gills are moving. It isn't looking good :( I'm super bummed, I hope he's okay. Maybe he's just sleeping? My betta looks like that often. He likes to wiggle into strange positions and hide or rest. It freaked me out a little when I first got him, but now I see that it's normal for him. Bettas are very different from goldfish and are interesting to watch. Mine is very snakelike. He stays still often, and he moves in bursts of energy. His body bends back over itself, and he squirms into strange places and positions. Then he hangs out in those weird spots for awhile. Last night, he was wedged head down between the plants and the glass. He looked dead (again)! When I first got him, I would often startle him to make sure he still was alive. Many people say that bettas fin nip from boredom. I couls see that. My guy is often doing something, even if it's on slow speed. He stalks the other fish and shrimp, he wiggles into strange positions, he plays in the current. He's a cool guy. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted July 30, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 30, 2012 Okay, false alarm, he is swimming again...but I'm still a little worried! Im going to do a wc today, I will get the params for you a little later, if that's okay. Sorry for the freak attack, by now you must know that when it comes to fish, I'm a little (or a lot) of a worrier Thanks so much for all your awesome info! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member ShawneeRiver Posted July 31, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted July 31, 2012 Hey, did you see how my betta was wedged between the wall and the plants in my picture? That's what I was talking about. He was like that for a long time. He always lays around and make me think that he's dead. Fun times. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member pandamanda111 Posted July 31, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 31, 2012 The fb one? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member ShawneeRiver Posted July 31, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted July 31, 2012 Yes. I posted it on here too, in the bettas section. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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