Rapid Betta fin deterioration

[Kacielauren]

Hi there, I'm in desperate need of help for my little Rose Petal Betta fish. I've had him for about two months now, and during that time his fins have deteriorated quite significantly. After having him for about a week and a half I started noticing the signs of what appeared to be fin rot to me (his fins had started to fray in places and then I noticed a chunk missing suddenly) so I started a treatment of API Furan-2. The first treatment didn't seem to take care of the issue so I followed the first round with a second almost immediately. Since that didn't work either, a couple aquatic specialists at my local Petco suggested perhaps a malnutrition issue so I started feeding him twice a day as opposed to once. In the morning he gets a PE Mysis pellet soaked in Seachem Vitality and at night he gets one or two New Life Spectrum probiotic pellets which are insanely small. Since the issue started I've since removed everything from the tank that I thought he could have been injuring himself on, all rocks, suction cups and root filled plants have been removed and all that's left is an Ozelot plant, his thermometer, and airstone attached to airline tubing in the back. The filtration system is functional but not significantly strong to where I feel like it could be ripping him up. It contains ceramic as well as a sponge. I use freshwater sold at Petco to do water changes but still add a drop or two of Prime for peace of mind and slime coat purposes. I also use Mircrobe-lift Special Blend weekly to maintain a healthy biological filter. He is otherwise healthy, beautiful color, swims all day, and has no dark or white cloudy edges.
Last picture is the oldest, first is the most recent.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what this might be and how to fix it? Some of his past tears have healed so I know he's capable, but he can't seem to heal faster than he gets worse. Any help would very much appreciated!!

 

[kno4te]

Would reduce the water flow. Look more like tears than fin rot. Would keep the water changes going and can always soak a qtip and dab the edges of the fins for now.

 

[Ulu]

Does he have a perch close to the surface of the water, where he can rest without having to swim up from the bottom all the time?

 

[Kacielauren]

Would reduce the water flow. Look more like tears than fin rot. Would keep the water changes going and can always soak a qtip and dab the edges of the fins for now.

Okay, thank you - I reduced the water flow as much as possible. What would I dab the edges of the fins with?

 

[Kacielauren]

Does he have a perch close to the surface of the water, where he can rest without having to swim up from the bottom all the time?

He didn't - This morning I moved one of the Ozelot sprigs to the corner furthest from the filter flow, which has a big leaf close to the surface, so he can use that if he wishes now. I've seen him there twice briefly throughout the day today. He's just not much of a percher in general. I almost never see him rest. Most active Betta I've ever seen, which was one of the characteristics I loved about him even in the store.

 

[kno4te]

Okay, thank you - I reduced the water flow as much as possible. What would I dab the edges of the fins with?

Sorry forgot to add that in there. Hydrogen peroxide. But wait it out as looks more tears than fin rot.

 

[rockarolla70]

Hello,
Sorry to see this happen, the same issue with my twin tail betta. One month since I got him home to a species specific tank, a 8gal tank with a no sharp edged drift wood & I have AC 20 power filter set at minimum water flow. I feed him 3 pellet "Tetra Bits Complete" in morning soaked for 15 seconds to make it easier for him to eat & avoid any kind of indigestion. In the night I feed him 3 pellets "NLS Betta Formula" soaked for 15 seconds.

What I observed after a months time was the same fin tear (not a fin rot) like your betta, but only on the twin tails. The water conditions are prefect, no sharp edges which might cause a tear, stable diet & the mim water flow. My aqua specialists who handled my 30 gal planted tank suggested use API Pimafix every alternate day for 3 days just to rule out any fungal infection, they also had a doubt that he might be bitting his fins which is common with veil tails & other bettas long finnage. The observation after a week is that the fin tear has stopped but the growth of the fins are taking awfully long time (pretty slow). I have also attached the pic of my betta fro your reference. I will post one more pic in the next coming week if all goes well.

Conclusion is that one cant put a finger on a specific cause for these developments, there might be a single factor or many variable factors for these kind of issues. Best is to treat them, give them good diet & keep doing frequent water changes during the illness to arrest the development. I would also like to add that genetics play a lot of role in every species, many of these betta's we buy are bred in not so good conditions & due to lot of in-breeding the outcome of those may be genetically transferred to the off-springs.