Betta Diseases: Fin Rot

Fin rot the by far most common disease betta fish can get, but thankfully, it's treatable and does not usually cause death. In this blog, I'm going to list simple ways to help those struggling to treat their betta's fin rot. 

Mild Fin Rot

Characteristics

Mild fin rot is often seen in fish from large chain stores, due to poor water quality, cup size, and stress. The fish often looks like it has, "Brownish fin edges, jagged fin edges, whitish tips or spots" (bettafish.org). The fin edges could also appear black, although that usually comes with time and a higher degree of fin rot.

Treatments

Seeing as fin rot often stems from poor water quality and the stress that it brings to the fish, water changes are the best bet. For a well-cycled, filtered aquarium, 33-50% water changes are the best bet. While opinions on the amount of water changed may vary, the idea that it must be done daily until the fish heals is pretty much universal.

While cleaning your fish's tank, be sure to remove as much debris from the bottom the tank as possible. This can be done be either vacuuming it up with a siphon, or scooping cup-fulls of gravel out and boiling them in clean water as one might with pasta. Be sure to let them cool before you put them back in the aquarium. Rinse the filter media in your tank's original water as wash all our your fish's toys or decor with hot, non-soapy water.

Each time you clean the tank, check your water parameters. Your temperature should stay at around 75-83° F, while pH should be in the 6.5-7.5 range. If you are new to the hobby or haven't bought a pH testing kit yet, rest assured that these frequent water changes should keep the tank clean and at a safe pH.

Moderate to Severe Fin Rot

Characteristics

At this point, you'll start to see a large amount of fin loss. You may also start to see redness, black tail edges, or white spots. With severe cases, inflammation, lethargy, loss of fins or fin membrane, and many other symptoms follow.

Unfortunately for many betta owners (both new and old) moderate fin rot is often when the disease is actually noticed. On the bright side, there are many treatment options for it!

Moderate Fin Rot Treatment

I once had a betta that, while I was on vacation, came down with a case of severe fin for that grew back within weeks with the treatment above. However, cases like that are rare, and Percy was definitely a special fish, so I recommend another method.

Many sites recommend quarantining your betta in a heated, filtered tank of about 1-2 gallons, especially if the fish lives with snails or other tank mates--you wouldn't want to administer medicine to them.

After quarantining the fish, add salt to the aquarium tank. When doing this, dissolve he salt in a separate container before adding it to the water. If it is not entirely dissolved when added, it will burn the fish. Add 1-2 teaspoons of salt for every gallon of water.

Each day, do a 100% water change every day, otherwise the salt will add up and overdose your fish.

Severe Fin Rot Treatment

Medication really is the best route for severe fin rot. Be sure to remove the carbon filter insert in your original tank if you're treating there. Carbon filters can remove the medicine. Also, be sure to add an air stone to keep oxygen levels even and restore any removed by the medicine.

Do a 100% water change, washing everything in hot, non-soapy water. Follow the directions on the medication's packaging, and do a 100% water change each day before adding a new dose. The 100% water change keeps the medicine from overdosing the betta.

Some recommended betta treatments include: API Furan-2, Maracyn II, and Kanamycin.


I hope this post helps you and your betta! Best of luck!