Betta's fins not moving properly

[bookworm]

Hey TFF friends,

I'm really worried about my betta Lupin - he's been dealing with fin rot for a while now (I'd say about four times in the past two years). I've been keeping his water clean, and his tank only has live plants and rocks, so I'm not sure what's causing it. My other bettas, Fawkes and Norbert (yep, Harry Potter theme), have never had any issues. Lupin's a pretty anxious fish, so I try to keep his stress levels down. Right now, he's in a 2.5-gallon tank with salt and BettaFix, and he's got a filter and heater. But I think the recent move and my neighbor watching him has really stressed him out. His fins are all ragged, and I saw blood on his lower fin yesterday. I've been doing daily partial water changes and trying to minimize his stress, but it's not getting better. Has anyone else dealt with this? What can I do to help poor Lupin?

[flumens]

I see you mentioned Lupin has a heater in his tank, so that's great. Considering his stress levels, I'd suggest looking into reducing the filter flow - bettas prefer calmer waters. Those daily partial water changes you're doing are a good start, though.

[SeaBidder]

If clean water and salt aren't working, it's possible that the issue is bacterial. I've dealt with something similar in the past, and I eventually had to use Furan-2 to clear it up. Can you tell me more about Lupin's regular tank - how large is it, and does he have any tankmates? I'm a bit concerned that 2.5 gallons might be a bit too cramped for him, especially if he's already stressed.

[bookworm]

My regular tank for Lupin is about 3 gallons, and I've been wanting to upgrade all my bettas to 5 gallons for a while now - it's just a matter of finding tanks that fit my budget and are both reliable and visually appealing. I'm having a bit of a struggle with that at the moment.

Lupin does live alone, and I'm really hoping he'll start to heal soon. If not, I might consider trying Furan-2 like you suggested. Thanks for your help and advice - I really appreciate it.

[SeaBidder]

Hey TFF friends,

I'm really worried about my betta Lupin - he's been dealing with fin rot for a while now (I'd say about four times in the past two years). I've been keeping his water clean, and his tank only has live plants and rocks, so I'm not sure what's causing it. My other bettas, Fawkes and Norbert (yep, Harry Potter theme), have never had any issues. Lupin's a pretty anxious fish, so I try to keep his stress levels down. Right now, he's in a 2.5-gallon tank with salt and BettaFix, and he's got a filter and heater. But I think the recent move and my neighbor watching him has really stressed him out. His fins are all ragged, and I saw blood on his lower fin yesterday. I've been doing daily partial water changes and trying to minimize his stress, but it's not getting better. Has anyone else dealt with this? What can I do to help poor Lupin?

If you're in the US, I've found Walmart's 5G starter kit to be a great deal - it comes with the tank, lid, LED lights, and filter, all for around $28. I've got one for Seveflake, and some other members here have them too.