Help! I Think My Betta Has Fin Rot!

First off remain calm. Fin and tail rot can be treated, although it may take some work (and cash) to treat your Betta.

First, off, exactly what is fin and tail rot?

Fin and tail rot is a bacterial disease that any fish can get. Its symptoms are seen starting with the fins, which may look like they are tearing or shredding. A dark edge around the ends of their fins is also a sign. This usually happens because your Betta is kept in dirty water. If the water is kept very clean, your Betta may never get it. However, some bettas are more fragile than others and can get it when you think your water is clean. Fin and tail rot can also be brought on by imbalances in the water. With treatment and proper care, bettas can recover. However, when their fins do grow back, they may not be the same color as they once were, or they may be a bit curled.

So, I think my Betta has it, what can I do?

First we're going to change the water. Take your Betta from the tank and put it somewhere out of the way. Empty the tank and clean it thoroughly with warm water. Never use soap or any other household products to clean your fish tanks! This can kill your fish! Swirl the gravel around several times and empty it to make sure you get rid of all the dirt and waste. Refill the tank and set it out to warm or cool, so the temperature is right for your Betta.

When the time is right, put him back into the tank. Now, unless you're a pretty seasoned fish owner, now we have to make a trip to the store. Because this is a disease, you'll need to treat it with a medication. If the fin rot is pretty mild, you can purchase tablets by Jungle Lab Products called Jungle Fungus tablets. One tablet treats a 10 gallon tank, but if you have something smaller, you'll have to dissolve the tablets in water and use a spoon to dose your tanks. Usually it's about a teaspoon full per gallon.

If you have a more severe case of fin rot, your local pet store will carry medicines by Mardel. To treat this, you'll need to purchase Marcacyn I and Maracyn II. One treats gram negative bacteria and the other treats gram positive. Since you probably aren't trained to test which bacteria are currently ailing your fish, it's best to use those both together.

When worst comes to worse, and either of the above products does not work, or you have an extremely severe case of fin rot (fins are falling off or the rot has eaten away at the tail so much it is now attacking the body) you'll want to purchase a different medication made by Mardel called Tetracycline. This is an extremely powerful medication that will help take care of the problem.

To help the healing process and to help cut down on the stress of having an illness, purchase a small container of aquarium salt as well. Aquarium salt helps reduce stress, improve gill functioning and helps the healing process.

When you get home, add some aquarium salt to the water and mix up whichever medication you purchased and add that to the tank. Now, you must wait.

Changing the water between each medication dosage is not always a bad idea. Add aquarium salt to the water each time to help cut down the stress of being taken from their environment for the change. The clean water in itself will help the healing process.

If worst comes to worse, and none of their fins seem to be responding, or the rot and healing process both seem to halt, you can do another procedure, but this is drastic and should be done only if you are comfortable.

You'll need a paintbrush, two paper towels, your Betta, fish net, clean water set aside in a cup and peroxide.

Wet one paper towel with water and fold it and lay it aside for a moment. Place your Betta in the fish net and then lay him on the un-wet paper towel. Take the paper towel that is wet and place it over his head and eyes. This will help keep him from jumping and keep him calm during the process.

You are now going to paint the fins that are giving you the trouble. Wet the paint brush with peroxide and brush it gently over the fins. STAY AWAY FROM THE HEAD AND GILLS. This is important so they do not breathe it in. Once this is done, wait about a minute before you place your Betta in the net. Use the water you set aside to wash off all the peroxide. Put your Betta back in its tank. They may be stressed for awhile, shaking out their fins, or sitting at the bottom of the tank. Their fins may start looking a bit 'melted' and discolored but this is ok.

For a few days, this may occur, however, you'll soon start seeing their fins respond to the treatment. You can also add a medication to the water, plus extra aquarium salt to help with the stress.

If you do not want to use peroxide, taking a clean pair of scissors and snipping away part of the diseased fin is also an option. They too will be stressed, even a bit more than if treated with peroxide. Adding an herbal medicine to the water called Melafix, which is practically Neosporin for fish, will help heal the cut fin, and help re-grow it quickly.

Once you start to see a bit of re-growth, you can stop treatment with the medication, and use aquarium salt and Melafix to help the new growth flourish.

To help prevent this in the future, keep the water clean. If the same signs start to appear, immediately change the water so the rot does not start again.