clamped fin in my elephant ear betta

[darksail]

Haha, glad I could ease your worries, I didn't mean to scare you. So, floating plants - I agree Lace fern is a great choice, but you could also consider Water Wisteria or even just some Java Moss. They're all pretty easy to care for and will help with the lighting.

As for Terror's tank, yeah, that's Blue Stricta, and let me tell you, it's a real pain to keep healthy, but it's so worth it. My Bettas aren't too fussy, but they do have their quirks - Terror loves his food, but Ossie's a bit more laid back. I've never had a Betta that's as picky as Raj, though - refusing to eat Bloodworms if they're too big? That's a new one.

I love how different all our Bettas are, by the way. I've got another one, Kyogre, and he's the shyest thing I've ever seen. Took him days to come out of hiding, whereas Raj was swimming around in no time. Animals always surprise me.

Anyway, back to Raj - I hope that fin of his is okay. I've heard of Bettas shedding damaged fins, but I've never seen it happen before. It's great to hear that he's using it almost normally now, though. Please do share that pic, I'm curious to see how it looks now.

[goldminer]

Yeah, it's Blue Stricta, and Terror loves using it to launch ambushes and hide from view. I've also got Water sprite and duckweed taking up most of the surface area, some Crypts, and a bunch of Annubias plants. My two boys are like garbage disposal systems with fins - they'll eat just about anything. Terror's also a bit of a hunter, always chasing after the shrimp, and he loves to flare at me, the BN, and even the plants that get in his way. But his best flaring is reserved for the siphon hose. I've got a video of his tank on YouTube if you want to check it out. Ossie, on the other hand, lives in a cozy 5-gallon cube.

[darksail]

Your setup is just stunning, I'm in awe. Mine's a bit of a mess in comparison, I've never attempted aquascaping a planted tank before, so I'm still figuring things out. I'll be adding more plants as I get more experience, trying to make it look half as good as yours. What do you think about Raj's fin, though - it's still a bit of a mystery to me.

[fin_tank]

Something's definitely gone on there, so just keep the water in top condition and hopefully that fin will grow back no problem. Fingers crossed it's not the gobies causing trouble or that it was just a one-time thing. Keep a close eye on them and watch how they interact, I'm really taken with those bumblebees now, might have to pay my LFS another visit soon.

[larosa]

I just got home and my beautiful Elephant Ear Betta, Raj, has one pectoral fin stuck to his side - it's literally plastered there, but he can still move the lower part. The rest of his fins are fine, and he's eating like normal, no visible issues. He's in a heated 16-litre planted tank with 2 Bumble Bee Gobies and a golden mystery snail. I do regular 20% water changes and condition with Prime and a bit of salt. The Gobies are only 2 days old in the tank, so I'm worried about parasites, but they look healthy.

I did a water change and bumped the temp to 26°C, and he seemed a bit better. Now I'm not sure what to do next - treat for parasites or try a mild salt bath with some ascorbic acid? I've had limited success with clamped fins on Bettas at work, but they were usually too far gone. This just started today, so I want to catch it early. I don't think it's stress from the new tankmates, they're peaceful and he seems fine around them. I chose them for their calm nature and bottom-dwelling habits.

Any suggestions would be great, I want to stop this before it gets worse.

Hi everyone, I'm so sorry to revive this thread, but I'm having the exact same issue with my dumbo ear betta. I witnessed him struggling against the filter current, which I'm certain is how he got injured. His fin has been clamped for the most part, but he can still move it. Today, I noticed the fin is frayed and I suspect it might fall off like Raj's did. I'm really eager to know, how did Raj's fin recover? Did it grow back properly?