fin rot diagnosis and treatment

[flumine]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and I desperately need some guidance. I've had my fin tank for a couple of months now, and I'm worried that my betta might be suffering from fin rot.

I've taken out all the ornaments, so I don't think he's damaged his fins on anything. I've tried doing partial and full water changes, but so far, I haven't seen any improvement. Our filter system is closed, so I'm pretty sure he's not getting caught in it.

The aquatic store suggested I use melafix, but after using it for a few days, I didn't see any difference. Then I read that it's actually bad for betta's, so I did a full water change to get rid of it.

Since we don't have any other fish that could be nipping at him, and I've been keeping a close eye on him, I don't think he's damaging himself either.

I've moved him to a 7l quarantine tank with fresh, treated water - he's usually in a 30l tank. I'm not sure what to do next, so please, any advice would be appreciated!

I'll attach some photos of him when I first got him and how he looks now. He's still eating and responding to us, but sometimes he just lies on the bottom of the tank and seems really lethargic.

[finleyx]

I'm no expert, just got back into the hobby last year, but I'll try to help you out. A few questions to start - what kind of plants are in the tank? Have you run a water test recently, checking for nitrite, ammonia, pH, and double-checking the temp in that tank?

[barnicle]

Are your tanks fully cycled, would be great if you could share your test results with us, thanks.

[flumine]

I'm no expert, just got back into the hobby last year, but I'll try to help you out. A few questions to start - what kind of plants are in the tank? Have you run a water test recently, checking for nitrite, ammonia, pH, and double-checking the temp in that tank?

I've got a Java fern and what looks like an Anacharis in the tank. I've checked on them and they seem fine, but I'll double-check again this morning to be sure.

[flumine]

Are your tanks fully cycled, would be great if you could share your test results with us, thanks.

Honestly, I've attempted to cycle them, but I'm not entirely confident I've done it right. I'll test the water now and keep you posted.

[flumine]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and I desperately need some guidance. I've had my fin tank for a couple of months now, and I'm worried that my betta might be suffering from fin rot.

I've taken out all the ornaments, so I don't think he's damaged his fins on anything. I've tried doing partial and full water changes, but so far, I haven't seen any improvement. Our filter system is closed, so I'm pretty sure he's not getting caught in it.

The aquatic store suggested I use melafix, but after using it for a few days, I didn't see any difference. Then I read that it's actually bad for betta's, so I did a full water change to get rid of it.

Since we don't have any other fish that could be nipping at him, and I've been keeping a close eye on him, I don't think he's damaging himself either.

I've moved him to a 7l quarantine tank with fresh, treated water - he's usually in a 30l tank. I'm not sure what to do next, so please, any advice would be appreciated!

I'll attach some photos of him when I first got him and how he looks now. He's still eating and responding to us, but sometimes he just lies on the bottom of the tank and seems really lethargic.

Just got the test results back and here they are:

Nitrate's at 25mg/l, no nitrite present, general hardness is 8°d, and the carbonate hardness is 10°d. The pH is reading 7.8 and no chlorine detected.

[barnicle]

I'm no expert, but I've found that test strips can be a bit hit or miss. I'd recommend investing in a liquid testing kit, like the API master kit - it's a game changer. The strips just aren't accurate, if you ask me. Do you know what your ammonia reading is, by the way? And yeah, I think you're right about Ci2 being chlorine - if you've used tapsafe, it should read 0.

[barnicle]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and I desperately need some guidance. I've had my fin tank for a couple of months now, and I'm worried that my betta might be suffering from fin rot.

I've taken out all the ornaments, so I don't think he's damaged his fins on anything. I've tried doing partial and full water changes, but so far, I haven't seen any improvement. Our filter system is closed, so I'm pretty sure he's not getting caught in it.

The aquatic store suggested I use melafix, but after using it for a few days, I didn't see any difference. Then I read that it's actually bad for betta's, so I did a full water change to get rid of it.

Since we don't have any other fish that could be nipping at him, and I've been keeping a close eye on him, I don't think he's damaging himself either.

I've moved him to a 7l quarantine tank with fresh, treated water - he's usually in a 30l tank. I'm not sure what to do next, so please, any advice would be appreciated!

I'll attach some photos of him when I first got him and how he looks now. He's still eating and responding to us, but sometimes he just lies on the bottom of the tank and seems really lethargic.

I think it's a good idea to get a proper test done, thanks for the advice.

[flumine]

Just got my hands on a liquid test kit, and I've run the tests. pH is reading 8, nitrite is still 0, and ammonia is a bit tricky to read due to the water opacity, but I'd say it's either 0 or 0.2, can't quite tell for sure.

[finleyx]

Maybe give API aquarium salt a shot, at the right dose for his tank, and bump the temp up to around 80. See if that helps him perk up. Fingers crossed it does.