Who Gives A Fish Forums

I've been searching the forum for advice on treating my betta's fin rot and I thought I'd ask for some help. I'm pretty sure his fin rot started because the temp in his tank was too low, but I've since sorted that out with a new heater and moved him to a 23 litre tank. Since the upgrade, he's really perked up. I've also added aquarium salt to his water - 9g per litre, as the packet said. I haven't noticed the fin rot getting any worse over the last couple of days, so that's a good sign, I think. If I post some pics, could anyone take a look and tell me if they think his fin rot is mild, moderate or severe? I'm also wondering if I need to do any further treatment at this stage and what you'd recommend. I've read that bettafix and melafix aren't the best for bettas, so I want to make sure I'm using the right stuff. Or should I just be patient and see if the aquarium salt does its thing? Oh, and should I remove the plant from his tank? He loves resting in it.

My water parameters are:

Ammonia 0
Nitrate 0.5
Nitrite 0
KH 6
GH 7
PH 7.6
Chlorine 0

Your water parameters look good, I was just wondering how often you change the water in your tank and how much you typically take out at a time. Also, how long have you had your betta? Was the tank cycled before you put him in there?

It seems like you're on the right track with treating the fin rot, but I would suggest doing regular water changes to help speed up the process. I'd recommend changing 50% or more of the water every couple of days - if you're comfortable doing so, you could even do 75% daily, but your levels look okay so it's up to you.

Your water parameters look great, I'm glad to see that. How long has the tank been set up for, and what's your maintenance routine like? How often do you change the filter media, and how frequently do you do water changes? Also, just to confirm, I think you mentioned it's a 23 litre tank, right?

IME, fins take a while to repair, over a month in my experience. I'd keep the aquarium salt in for at least two weeks. I think Juicebox's advice on water changes is spot on, follow that. Also, consider adding some Indian Almond Leaves to the tank, they're a natural part of a betta's habitat and have healing properties. The tannins they release can help with fin repair and even lower the pH a bit, which can help with curled fins. If you do add the leaves, just make sure to remove any carbon or Purigen from the filter.

IME, healing time can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to nearly a month.

Mine took just over a month to fully recover.

I've had my betta for almost 2 months now. When I first got him, he was in a 2.6 gallon fish bowl - I know, I know, big mistake. Local fish store gave me some poor advice about keeping bettas in small tanks. I did have an air/filter pump in there, but I'm not sure if it fully cycled. I added healthy bacteria and water conditioner when I set it up, and waited a week before adding the fish - the store said I could add him after a couple of days since I was using Safe Start.

I was doing 25% water changes once a week, and testing for nitrites and nitrates regularly - they always seemed stable. But then he started getting really lethargic and struggled to swim, so I treated him for swim bladder. I also got a heater around that time, and I think I might have had a slight nitrite spike - I did a 50% water change one day, and then 25% for the next two days, which seemed to bring the levels back down.

After doing more research, I decided to upgrade to a bigger tank - 23 litres, not 6 gallons, I made a mistake earlier. I conditioned all the water, added healthy bacteria, and made sure it was the right temp before adding the fish. I also moved the pump/airfilter from the old bowl to the new tank. He's been in the new tank for a week now, and I've been testing the water daily - nitrites and ammonia have been 0. I'm due for a weekly water change today, but I've been putting it off since the water parameters have been good and I didn't want to stress him out more than necessary.

Do you think I need to treat the fin rot with anything else at this stage? I've added aquarium salt, and I'm not sure if I should be patient and see if it works, or if I should try something else.

I think regular large water changes will be beneficial, and you can also consider adding aquarium salt to the water.

Thanks for the advice, I've already added aquarium salt as I mentioned earlier, but I'm just wondering if I need to do anything else to treat the fin rot at this stage, or if I should just stick with the water changes and salt for now. I'm also considering adding almond leaves, I've read they can be beneficial for healing.

Luminaa wrote: ↑Wed Jun 05, 2024 12:20 pm I've been searching the forum for advice on treating my betta's fin rot and I thought I'd ask for some help. I'm pretty sure his fin rot started because the temp in his tank was too low, but I've since sorted that out with a new heater and moved him to a 23 litre tank. Since the upgrade, he's really perked up. I've also added aquarium salt to his water - 9g per litre, as the packet said. I haven't noticed the fin rot getting any worse over the last couple of days, so that's a good sign, I think. If I post some pics, could anyone take a look and tell me if they think his fin rot is mild, moderate or severe? I'm also wondering if I need to do any further treatment at this stage and what you'd recommend. I've read that bettafix and melafix aren't the best for bettas, so I want to make sure I'm using the right stuff. Or should I just be patient and see if the aquarium salt does its thing? Oh, and should I remove the plant from his tank? He loves resting in it.

My water parameters are:

Ammonia 0
Nitrate 0.5
Nitrite 0
KH 6
GH 7
PH 7.6
Chlorine 0

I think almond leaves will be a great addition to your tank. Just keep doing what you're doing with the water changes and aquarium salt, and I think you'll see some good progress.