Betta questions

[nancec]

I put one of my bettas in my 10g. Instead of real, I have fake plants. Rufus is (was) a beautiful scarlet red veil-tail but now his fins are looking rather shabby. He loves to swim around those plants & hide in them & as a result, is tearing his fins apart.

Does this hurt him (it doesn't seem like it) & will the fins ever grow back? Should I take him out? I hate the thought of that cuz he's so happy with all the room. :sad:

 

[fishcatch22]

I don't think having a fish's fins torn really hurts them, but i'm not sure. and fins do grow back. do you have any other fish in the tank that could be nipping his fins?

 

[Ms.Bubbles]

Yeah, plastic plants can be really sharp and jagged, and can easily tear a betta's fins. It would be best if you could get soft silk plants with rounded edges, or better yet, a live plant. This would require proper fluorescent lighting though. If you've got a standard 10 gallon, you probably have a flourescent light already, or you could swap out the bulbs for a few screw-in fluorescent bulbs.

Why not leave him in the big tank and just replace the plants?

PS. If you remove the injuring plant and keep the water in pristine condition, most likely his fins WILL grow back.

 

[dorkfish]

Hmmm... Iv'e never had this problem (and almost all my bettas are kept in tanks with fake plants, and I can hardly say that none of them have sharp edges), but I have had two male bettas that got in a fight (one of them found a way around the divider). Both bettas got beat up pretty bad. but with extra water hanges for that week, both of them are still living, and now you (1-2 months later, I think) you can hardly tell they got in a fight.

 

[Ms.Bubbles]

Unfortunately I've seen my betta destroy his fins this way, so I know it can happen.

However, just to be sure nancec, I suggest that you ensure that tank water is pristine with no ammonia or nitrites and nitrates under 20 ppm. Sometimes finrot can look like shredded fins, too.

I'm also assuming there are no other fish in the tank with him that could be nipping at his fins...

 

[nancec]

There are other fish with Rufus - 5 neons & 4 fancy guppies. The neons did nip at my old man Wolfie so he was replaced by Rufus. None of the fish nipped Rufus at all - he's too quick. As for finrot - I know for a fact he's tearing them on the plants. Found a piece hanging & it was red. (Took it out & when it dried, looked like a piece of dark thread.) I just hope he gives them a chance to grow back. But I like the idea of silk plants. Never considered it.