could i keep a female betta alone in a 2.5 gal?
- Thread starter cutie_monster
- Start date
betta tank by big_cutie_monster, on Flickr
this pic may be a little better. u ca really see the tail fin fr this angle
BettaFishMommy
finkids make me happy :-)
the plants are plastic, right? they could also be the fin ripping culprit. it's usually not advised to keep plastic plants in with bettas, for the fin ripping reason. silk plants, if you don't want to go with live, are good - just ensure there are no dyes likely to leach out of the silk. do a soak test for a week in a bucket to check.
and i didn't receive any pm's from you.
and i didn't receive any pm's from you.
u might be right about the plants and i have heard that b4, but these are very soft plastic and passed the pantyhose test. i figure, now that the filter intake pipe has been fully betta proofed, i will rule things out one at a time. if he's still having injuries, plants are next to go, then decor, then gravel, etc. until we dont have any more injuries. thank you again so much BettaFishMommy for all ur advice today. its a blessing to have kind ppl like you on these forums.
BettaFishMommy
finkids make me happy :-)
you're very welcome! 
happy to help.
the only other thing i can see in there that might be an issue is the one ornament with the holes in it. plastic resin ornaments (which i'm pretty sure yours is) can have rough edges on them, especially around the holes. if your betta spends time swimming through there, that might be it. but the plants seem more likely to me, especially that one on the right (the leaves are thicker and more sturdy than the one by the filter, eh?).
happy to help.the only other thing i can see in there that might be an issue is the one ornament with the holes in it. plastic resin ornaments (which i'm pretty sure yours is) can have rough edges on them, especially around the holes. if your betta spends time swimming through there, that might be it. but the plants seem more likely to me, especially that one on the right (the leaves are thicker and more sturdy than the one by the filter, eh?).
the holey ornament is brand new, came in after previous injury. yes, a bit thicker leaves on the right one, we'll see what happens with the filter situation. i may just pick up some live plants when i hit the LFS to look for Betta Revive next time we go to knoxville. thanks again.
EDIT: i pulled that holey ornament out and scraped off all the rough parts on the inside
thanks again & again & again...
EDIT: i pulled that holey ornament out and scraped off all the rough parts on the inside
thanks again & again & again...
That's a cute little tank and fish! The only time I've ever had problems with torn fins was with plastic plants, or current that was too high. I had one betta that really hated any kind of current, and if the water moved at all his fins would get tattered over time. I believe that was from stress as there were no plants/decorations at that point, under than a cave that he had taken to hiding in. He wouldn't eat etc. and I finally had to stop using any type of filter with him. Sometimes you can get a finicky betta regarding a current, but first I'd try removing that plant. Your temps are a bit cool though, it just adds to the stress level with his healing. Bettas are tropical, and are much healthier and happier in warmer temps. I have used a small heater in a 2.5 gallons with no issues. There are all kinds of small ones out there, just last week I bought a little one called a Betta Stik. They are just too small to dangerously overheat a tank. It's great that you are spending the time to try and correct the problem.
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