Help! Shredded Tail fins

**BettAsha** · 10-26-2012, 07:13 AM

I recently got a new betta almost a week ago from PetCo I've done my research on betta and the condition they are in at pet stores. Doing everything to make the acclimation process as painless as possible for him he seemed fine. A few days later I notices a small hole in is dorsal fin and thought that maybe it was already there when I bought him and I just didn't realize it. Anyways as the week progressed I noticed that his tail fins started to look stringy and shredded. It doesn't seem that he has fin not but I'm not sure what is causing it.

A little more about my tank
I do have a small filter
3 Red wag swordtails
1 tetra

--All my other fish I bought the same time as my betta and they all get along fine

Any advise is appreciated greatly.

**ekfishlover2011** · 10-26-2012, 12:37 PM

The one tetra could be nipping him because its not in a school and they are evil things when lonely. What size is this tank?

**BettAsha** · 10-26-2012, 12:45 PM

It's a five gallon tank and now that I think about it that could be the problem. I'm hopefully going back to the store today to get my tetra some more friends. Although I've also read that betta sometimes bite their tails to its an equivalent to us biting our nails.

**Brhino** · 10-26-2012, 01:09 PM

what kind of tetra is it? Some are nippier than others, and some need more space than others. Your tank sounds pretty stocked already - swordtails are not the smallest fish. If you want to keep a betta with other fish rather than by itself I'd get a 10 gallon tank at least.

Is this a new setup? If so, did you cycle the tank and do you know what your water parameters are?

**BettAsha** · 10-26-2012, 03:55 PM

This is a new tank set up and I have neon tetra in my tank. I did cycle my tank before buying my fish pH is 7 and ammonia 0.15ppm. I'm at college so a five gallon is my max however I do conduct 25% water changes once a week. I always condition my water and make sure that the new water is the same as whats already in there. I'm not completely new to keeping fish just betta.

**Azurescriber** · 10-26-2012, 08:17 PM

That tank is too small for any fish except one betta.

Seriously, do not get any more fish.

His tail sounds more like fin rot from the poor water conditions than any fish attack, though tetra will nip him too. A properly cycled and stocked tank has no ammonia. I am wondering what method you used.

Either way, swords create far too much waste, and grow too big, for your filter to handle, and so everyone is swimming in pee even if it is "cycled."

25% water change once a week is not enough for your stock. If you return everything but the betta and snails you will be fine and everyone will be healthy and live a long time.

Your betta needs its water to be a lot warmer than the tetras would like. About 80 degrees.

**tate8** · 10-26-2012, 09:32 PM

Some Bettas are tail biters. He might be doing it to himself.

**bethyMT** · 10-27-2012, 05:32 PM

I agree with Azurescriber....return all the other fish, keep your betta and your snails. There is too much in that tank. If you keep it as it is, you will lose most of your fish. You also need to do larger water changes...like 50% once a week. Thats not too hard for a small tank.
Please, take my advice, as i did a number of stupid involunary fishslaughter things when i was in college...didnt know to cycle, crammed too many fish in a tank, etc. You are here, you can do better. I am still kinda haunted by the my ignorance and the suffering i caused those fish when i was young.