Who Gives A Fish Forums

I'm still stumped with my betta's injury. I've attached some pics for you to see. He's been in a 6.5 gallon tank by himself since I got him in December 2020 - I'm guessing he's around 9-12 months old now. I've had years of experience with fish and bettas, and I've successfully treated fin rot before, but this case has me beat. I need some advice.

It all started back in February when I was vacuuming the tank. I looked down at the bucket for a split second, and when I looked up, he was sucked up in the gravel vacuum cleaner - I've got sand as the substrate, by the way. I stopped the suction right away, and he dropped back into the tank from about 4 inches up. I thought he'd be traumatized, but he's such a curious little guy that it didn't seem to faze him. He's always following me around the tank when I'm cleaning.

At first, he seemed fine, but the next day, his fins were torn. I checked the tank parameters with my API test kit, and everything looked good - 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 10 nitrates, and a pH of 8.0. The tank was fully cycled before I introduced him, and I've been doing weekly 25% water changes. But his fins just kept getting worse.

I started doing more frequent water changes - every day or two, 50% at a time - but that didn't help. In March, I treated him with API E.M. Erythromycin and API Geneflake Cure simultaneously, following the instructions to the letter. It didn't get any better, but it didn't get any worse either.

A few weeks later, in April, I tried salt baths, and then I treated him with API Fin and Body Cure for 4 days. Still no improvement. That's where I am now - 3 months later, and his fins still won't heal, but they're not getting any worse either. I'm still doing 50% water changes, 3 times a week, and I'm using Prime. His tank is heated to 78 degrees, cycled, with a sponge filter. He's happy, eats like a champ, and swims all day and night.

I'm at a loss - should I keep up with the frequent water changes? Should I try Seachem Kanaplex? I'm worried that it might be too harsh, especially since it's the third antibiotic I've used in the past 3 months. I've heard it can be tough on the kidneys. What do you guys think?

I'd advise against using more antibiotics at this point. Sometimes, even after the damage has healed, fins just don't return to their pre-accident state. I've got a crowntail who got stuck on the intake a year ago, and he still has half his tail missing, but no infections or anything like that. If it were an infection that needed antibiotics, I'd think you'd see other symptoms by now, three months in. Have you considered adding high-protein foods to his diet, like frozen brine shrimp or bloodworms? Continue with the frequent water changes, but maybe give him some nutrient-rich food to help with the healing process.

Thanks for sharing your experience with your crowntail, it's reassuring to know that even with damaged fins, they can still thrive. I'm starting to think that my betta might not fully recover either, or it could be a really slow process. At least he seems happy and healthy otherwise, which is a big relief.

Give it some time, his fins might still recover, or they might not.