Does my betta have fin rot?

Tyler burkett

as the title suggests,i think my beloved betta might have fin rot:( i took pics but they are bad and blurry so any advice would be extremely helpful.

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DragonFyre14

Is it a crowntail betta? if so their tales are usually like that. It doesn't really look like fin rot to me. (hard to tell from the pictures). If he isn't a crowntail, it looks more like he's been chewing on his fins but i can't say for sure.

Tyler burkett

its a crown tailed betta but its real white i was just concerned because its only on the tips of a few and that worries me

DragonFyre14

You said white? That means it could be a couple different things...
-If it is kind of a clear-ish white it could be fin regrowth from previously damaged fins
-The betta could be losing color due to stress (I don't think so)
-It could be the initial stages of fin rot, in which case it will start turning black soon.
-Or, if it is a fuzzy white, it could be a fungus like columnaris

Tyler burkett

its like a milky white.

DragonFyre14

I guess if it doesn't look fuzzy or see through then it could be. I would start with a major water change (if you haven't already) and make sure to just step up the frequency of the water changes for a bit. I would also suggest adding some aquarium salt. That can help with pretty much any of the possible causes for the white on the tips of his fins.

If it looks as if it is fin rot, and continues to get worse, then get some antibiotic medication to help fight the fin rot.

Tyler burkett

how would i go about the aquarium salts.i dont know how much and will it bother the pleco?

Tyler burkett

if it is the fungus how would i get rid of it because i dont really know wich one it is so i will treat both.

DragonFyre14

Typically, most antibacterials would work for both. (For example I use Pimafix but you could also use melafix.) Aquarium salt would help with either the fungus or if it is fin rot. However, It's not particularly recommended to use salt with plecos. but in small amounts it could be okay. The typical recommended dose is about 1 tbsp per 5 gallons. I would do around half of that. (maybe 1 tsp per 5 gallons) and do it slowly if at all. otherwise relocate one of them if possible.

Kim

A lot of crowntails will have white tips to their fins- it may just be his color. Has he always had this coloration? The thing that sticks out to me is that his rays seem rather thin, which could be the result of a bacterial infection, but hard water also can cause ray curling and deterioration. What is your pH? Also, how long have you had him, and has he gotten worse over time?

If his rays seem to be deteriorating or melting away, I would suspect fin rot. You can try aquarium salt, but I would not recommend melafix (bettafix is just diluted melafix) or premafix as they are antiseptics at best and can damage the labrynth organ at worst. If you feel that the aquarium salt is not working or the situation is getting severe, I would use a good broad spectrum (gram pos. and neg.) antibiotic. Make sure to treat for the entire duration of the recommended treatment, even if the symptoms disappear partway through, as this guards against antibiotic resistance. The only exception would be if the antibiotic is not working at all, in which case you would need to switch to a different treatment.

How big is the tank? If you want to avoid treating the pleco, you could always float the betta in a smaller container filled with medicated water inside the big tank (your betta will get heat without the need to go buy a separate hospital tank and heater). You'd just have to remember to do 100% water changes frequently.

Hope this helps. Good luck figuring out what is going on with your little guy!