my first betta...and i think he's sick

XxTaLaxX

i just got my first betta fish four days ago. today i went to school and when i came home my little sisters told me that his bottom fin was coming off. i dont know what to do and i really dont want him to die. please someone....help me. :(

Cody

Please read this and answer the questions:
http://www.fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=882
That will help us adress this further.

It sounds like he is suffering from some ammonia posioning, because if his tail is coming off, that is a sign of fin rot, which is a sign of bad water quality. Do a 50% water change right now, and replace it with declorinated water at either room temperature, or bowl temperature.

Also, do you have a heater and filter? These are needed for the health of your betta. Invest in those, and in a good liquid test kit so you know what your water parameters are.

Kim

If you could post a photo that would help, but it sounds like your betta has fin rot. If it is that bad, I would recommend getting an antibiotic such as tetracycline. I have also read, although have not used myself, that Maracyn 2 and Jungle Fungus Eliminator work as well. You can order all of these medications from www.drsfostersmith.com, although if you can find them elsewhere great. The sooner the better. If you do decide to use the meds, I can not stress enough how important it is to do frequent water changes of about 25% during treatment. Also, don't feel bad, because most of the betta fish that are in pet stores already have these infections. In fact, when I went to buy mine, there were NO fish there that were not sick in some way. Good luck.
Kim