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Tail falling apart?

2K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  SST 
#1 ·
Hi,

I'm new to this forum, trying to see what's going on with my fish Charlie.

I upgraded him to a 2.5 gallon aquarium about 2 weeks ago, and got some snails and everything to help with the cleaning.

On Friday, I noticed that Charlie's tail was kinda jaggity, and now it's just pretty little.

Here's a pic...



What could this be, and what can I do? Charlie is the best!

Thanks!
Ames
 
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#2 ·
Got the Tank size but need to ask some questions first:
Do you have a filter?
Do you have a heater?
How often do you do water changes?
How much water do you change when you do your weekly water changes?
Did you use a water conditioner whith your water change?
Did you add any other chemicals or salt for any reason?
How long did you run your new tank before putting Charlie in?
Please give us this info before we can make any determinations as to his condition.
Thank You and welcome to the Forum
 
#3 ·
JMeenen said:
Got the Tank size but need to ask some questions first:
Do you have a filter? YES
Do you have a <span style="color:#3300FF;" onmouseover="return escape('A very important equipment used to regulate the temperature of the aquarium. It may or may not be included with a thermostat.')">heater</span>? NO, IT DIDN'T COME WITH ONE.
How often do you do water changes? EVERY 2 WEEKS, HE IS DUE FOR ONE.
How much water do you change when you do your weekly water changes? I HAVEN'T DONE A WEEKLY WATER CHANGE, ARE THESE NECESSARY?!
Did you use a water conditioner whith your water change? N/A
Did you add any other chemicals or salt for any reason? I USED AQUASAFE WITH BIOEXTRACT, WHEN I FIRST SET UP THE TANK.
How long did you run your new tank before putting Charlie in? ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO.
Please give us this info before we can make any determinations as to his condition.
Thank You and welcome to the Forum
Please, any feedback would be helpful!

Thanks again!
Ames
 
#4 ·
What type of filter do you have? I would recomend a Haydor..It raises the temp only 5-7 degrees and that way your fish won't get cooked ..2nd I would recomend the AZOO palm filter..a sponge filter that fits on the back of your tank like a tiny power filter..you can adjust the flow rate..both these items cost @ $10.00 each..You do need to do a 25% water change weekly but Ideally every few days..and as far as chemicals I would ALWAYS use a water conditioner ( that removes Chlorine from Tap water) with each water change) The condition he has could be Fin Rot from the water conditions in his previous tank from not haveing his water changed often enough or Fin Burn from chemicals in the new tank water..either way you can rectiffy this.. I would get the water conditioner, start with your water changes, make sure that the water you are adding is as close as possible to the water temperature in your tank and use the water conditioner as the directions call for your tank size..Do not add any other chemicals in the meantime...maybe get some BETTAFIX..use only a drop no more to heal his fins...Good luck with your Betta ..he is very pretty and he should be ok
 
#5 ·
JMeenen said:
What type of filter do you have? I would recomend a Haydor..It raises the temp only 5-7 degrees and that way your fish won't get cooked ..2nd I would recomend the AZOO palm filter..a sponge filter that fits on the back of your tank like a tiny power filter..you can adjust the flow rate..both these items cost @ $10.00 each..You do need to do a 25% water change weekly but Ideally every few days..and as far as chemicals I would ALWAYS use a water conditioner ( that removes Chlorine from Tap water) with each water change) The condition he has could be Fin Rot from the water conditions in his previous tank from not haveing his water changed often enough or Fin Burn from chemicals in the new tank water..either way you can rectiffy this.. I would get the water conditioner, start with your water changes, make sure that the water you are adding is as close as possible to the water temperature in your tank and use the water conditioner as the directions call for your tank size..Do not add any other chemicals in the meantime...maybe get some BETTAFIX..use only a drop no more to heal his fins...Good luck with your Betta ..he is very pretty and he should be ok
haha, I'm new to fish, so forgive me. I have an Aqua Expert Air Pump 600? Does that sound right?

Is there a water conditioner you would highly recommend, that works well?

Thanks again,
Amy
 
#6 ·
I would not use an air pump as all that will do is oxegenate your tank and create a current ( Bettas don't do well with current) get a AZOO palm filter or other comparable nano sponge filter and the Hador heater..as far as far as a dechlorinator just look for one that says "Tap water conditioner "eliminates chlorine and chlorimine from tap water" .
 
#7 ·
Okay, so I took your advice and invested in a Hydor Heater for my tank, as well as filter, the Smallworld one, since my tank is only 2.5 gallons. I've also been giving him some Bettafix everyday for the last 3 days.

How is that? How long should it take for him to be healthy again?

What else do Betta's really like? I'm really attached to Charlie, I know this sounds dumb, but he reminds me of my dog haha he's a huge dork!

Thanks again for your help,
Amy
 
#9 ·
When you do water changes for a 2.5 gallon it seems to keep things more stable by doing 30-50% a few times a week, 100% changes every two weeks repeatedly exposes Charlie to ammonia spikes instead of cycling the tank. As for the dechlorination, a lot of people use Seachem's Prime, I use API's water conditioner (because I had it and it works ok). Another recommended purchase is API's liquid freshwater testing kit. This is undoubtedly better than test strips and allows you to stay on top of your parameters.
 
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