A small hole on the dorsal fin: is it ph related?

[barnicle]

You can kill the cyanobacteria with meds, but it's just a Band-Aid solution - it'll come back if you don't tackle the root cause of the problem. Your tank's got issues that need fixing, like inadequate water changes and too much light.

I'd recommend bigger, more frequent water changes - at least 50% every week - and stirring up that substrate to get rid of all the built-up gunk. You should also consider reducing the lighting significantly; that's probably contributing to the cyanobacteria growth.

That small hole on your Betta's fin could be the start of fin rot, and you know as well as I do that poor water quality is usually the culprit. I'm not going to sugarcoat it - you need to get your tank in order to keep your Betta healthy.

[boomer]

Today I noticed a small hole on my betta's dorsal fin, as you can see below:










My setup is as follows:
• Tank size: 15.74" x 11.81" x 9.84", holding 7.29 gallons;
• Substrate: 11.02 lbs of Aqua Pedras gravel nº 0;
• Heating: Roxin HT-1300/Q3 50 W, set to 26 ºC;
• Filtration: Xynyou xy-2835 sponge filter with Tetra Whisper air pump;
• Lighting: 4.8 W, 12 volts, 7.87" LED;
• Photoperiod: 11 hours daily, with Coibeu YTS-823 timer;
• Inhabitants: Betta splendens;
• Plants: Elodea sp., Ceratophyllum demersum, Taxiphyllum barbieri, and Salvinia minima;
• Other organisms: Cyanobacteria and something else;
• pH: 7.5 or higher;
• Ammonia/nitrite: 0/0 ppm;
• Maintenance: 20% water change every two weeks;
• Feeding: Poytara Betta (Monday to Thursday), fasting on Friday, live Artemia franciscana on weekends.

I'm trying to lower the pH using almond and chestnut leaves, but no success so far. My tank has been cycled since last month.

Thanks for your attention.

Note:
[1] Poytara Betta food isn't well-known outside Brazil, but its main ingredients include fish meal (tuna and sardine), salmon meal, squid meal, brine shrimp meal, and flaxseed meal. It guarantees 35% crude protein, 6% crude fat, and 2.5% fiber.

Poytara Betta food isn't well-known outside Brazil, but its main ingredients include fish meal (tuna and sardine), salmon meal, squid meal, brine shrimp meal, and flaxseed meal. It guarantees 35% crude protein, 6% crude fat, and 2.5% fiber.]Using an antibiotic to deal with a light/nutrient issue, like cyanobacteria, is unwise. This approach can be counterproductive and may harm your fish. Antibiotics should be reserved for specific bacterial issues, not for problems caused by excess nutrients and light.

Cyanobacteria thrives in environments with high organics and adequate light. Simply reducing the light intensity or duration may not be enough to resolve the issue if the underlying nutrient problem persists. With a single betta, it's unlikely that waste production is the primary cause of the issue. Instead, consider adjusting your feeding schedule, increasing the volume of your water changes, and thoroughly vacuuming the substrate during these changes. Regular filter maintenance is also crucial.

From my experience with cyanobacteria, I've found that manual removal using a sipLion or similar tool can be effective. Loosening the cyanobacteria with a scraper or your hand allows it to settle on the substrate, making it easier to remove during water changes. I also discontinued using liquid plant fertilizer, which forced my plants to rely more on the available nutrients. This approach took a few weeks, but I observed a significant reduction in cyanobacteria with each passing week until it was eventually eliminated.

[lanpen]

Today I noticed a small hole on my betta's dorsal fin, as you can see below:










My setup is as follows:
• Tank size: 15.74" x 11.81" x 9.84", holding 7.29 gallons;
• Substrate: 11.02 lbs of Aqua Pedras gravel nº 0;
• Heating: Roxin HT-1300/Q3 50 W, set to 26 ºC;
• Filtration: Xynyou xy-2835 sponge filter with Tetra Whisper air pump;
• Lighting: 4.8 W, 12 volts, 7.87" LED;
• Photoperiod: 11 hours daily, with Coibeu YTS-823 timer;
• Inhabitants: Betta splendens;
• Plants: Elodea sp., Ceratophyllum demersum, Taxiphyllum barbieri, and Salvinia minima;
• Other organisms: Cyanobacteria and something else;
• pH: 7.5 or higher;
• Ammonia/nitrite: 0/0 ppm;
• Maintenance: 20% water change every two weeks;
• Feeding: Poytara Betta (Monday to Thursday), fasting on Friday, live Artemia franciscana on weekends.

I'm trying to lower the pH using almond and chestnut leaves, but no success so far. My tank has been cycled since last month.

Thanks for your attention.

Note:
[1] Poytara Betta food isn't well-known outside Brazil, but its main ingredients include fish meal (tuna and sardine), salmon meal, squid meal, brine shrimp meal, and flaxseed meal. It guarantees 35% crude protein, 6% crude fat, and 2.5% fiber.

Poytara Betta food isn't well-known outside Brazil, but its main ingredients include fish meal (tuna and sardine), salmon meal, squid meal, brine shrimp meal, and flaxseed meal. It guarantees 35% crude protein, 6% crude fat, and 2.5% fiber.]Using an antibiotic to deal with a light/nutrient issue, like cyanobacteria, is unwise. This approach can be counterproductive and may harm your fish. Antibiotics should be reserved for specific bacterial issues, not for problems caused by excess nutrients and light.

Cyanobacteria thrives in environments with high organics and adequate light. Simply reducing the light intensity or duration may not be enough to resolve the issue if the underlying nutrient problem persists. With a single betta, it's unlikely that waste production is the primary cause of the issue. Instead, consider adjusting your feeding schedule, increasing the volume of your water changes, and thoroughly vacuuming the substrate during these changes. Regular filter maintenance is also crucial.

From my experience with cyanobacteria, I've found that manual removal using a sipLion or similar tool can be effective. Loosening the cyanobacteria with a scraper or your hand allows it to settle on the substrate, making it easier to remove during water changes. I also discontinued using liquid plant fertilizer, which forced my plants to rely more on the available nutrients. This approach took a few weeks, but I observed a significant reduction in cyanobacteria with each passing week until it was eventually eliminated.

I'm concerned I might be overfeeding my betta, as I give him Poytara Betta from Monday to Thursday, and live Artemia franciscana on weekends - I'm also considering adding more live food to help with recovery, but I'm unsure about the right amount.

For the commercial food, I follow the instructions on the package, but I'm not sure if that's too much or too little. As for the live food, I give him a small amount of artemias and tiny BSFL, but I don't know how to estimate the right portion size.

I'd love some advice on this, as I want to make sure I'm not overfeeding him and contributing to the poor water quality and the hole on his dorsal fin.

[boomer]

Today I noticed a small hole on my betta's dorsal fin, as you can see below:










My setup is as follows:
• Tank size: 15.74" x 11.81" x 9.84", holding 7.29 gallons;
• Substrate: 11.02 lbs of Aqua Pedras gravel nº 0;
• Heating: Roxin HT-1300/Q3 50 W, set to 26 ºC;
• Filtration: Xynyou xy-2835 sponge filter with Tetra Whisper air pump;
• Lighting: 4.8 W, 12 volts, 7.87" LED;
• Photoperiod: 11 hours daily, with Coibeu YTS-823 timer;
• Inhabitants: Betta splendens;
• Plants: Elodea sp., Ceratophyllum demersum, Taxiphyllum barbieri, and Salvinia minima;
• Other organisms: Cyanobacteria and something else;
• pH: 7.5 or higher;
• Ammonia/nitrite: 0/0 ppm;
• Maintenance: 20% water change every two weeks;
• Feeding: Poytara Betta (Monday to Thursday), fasting on Friday, live Artemia franciscana on weekends.

I'm trying to lower the pH using almond and chestnut leaves, but no success so far. My tank has been cycled since last month.

Thanks for your attention.

Note:
[1] Poytara Betta food isn't well-known outside Brazil, but its main ingredients include fish meal (tuna and sardine), salmon meal, squid meal, brine shrimp meal, and flaxseed meal. It guarantees 35% crude protein, 6% crude fat, and 2.5% fiber.

Poytara Betta food isn't well-known outside Brazil, but its main ingredients include fish meal (tuna and sardine), salmon meal, squid meal, brine shrimp meal, and flaxseed meal. It guarantees 35% crude protein, 6% crude fat, and 2.5% fiber.]When it comes to feeding your betta, I'd say it's all about moderation. One or two quality flakes or a pellet per day is more than enough, and skipping a day or two each week won't do any harm. As ectotherms, fish don't need a lot of energy from food like endotherms do, and they're not expending energy hunting for it, so we can afford to keep things simple.

[lanpen]

I'm glad to report that the hole on my lovely betta's dorsal fin has miraculously disappeared. I've made a few changes to the tank, though, which might have contributed to this positive development.

I reduced the photoperiod to 7 hours a day, figuring it couldn't hurt to give the tank a bit of a break from the light. I've also added more plants, specifically Ceratophyllum demersum, which I previously treated with potassium permanganate to make sure they were safe for the tank.

I've been working on removing the cyanobacteria from the rocks and dry leaves, where it was accumulating along with organic matter. Now, I just need to tackle the cyanobacteria that's still growing on my plants – I'll take care of that with another partial water change today.