betta with fin rot?

pupnsuds211

I normally do 90% water changes on my betta 1 or 2 times a week, however due to life last week my betta went a week and a half without a water change. i did a water change, and added a little stress coat/water prime like usual and he was fine. a few days later he has been getting what look like tiny cauliflower bunches on the tips of his fins.... it doesnt look exactly like the fins are rotting away, but they have almost a clear/clowdy white film on them. the cauliflower has been diminishing but there are still patches of it on the pectoral fins and dorsal fin a little. im going to do another water change today. ive read to add a little salt and perform more water changes.. although im not sure how much salt so i prefer not to touch that solution haha. anything else i should be doing? he is in a vase, all by himself. ive been wanting to add him to my community but havent. dont know if it would be wise to put him in there or not now.

missfish

I'm not sure what it is, but I find that having really good water quality means the fish can expell energy on getting better rather than problems they may be facing water wise. I reckon the 2 changes a week would be ample and i'd just stick to doing that. Anyway that is what i would do. I would difinantly seek other opions. I problably would leave him by himself until the symptoms clear up and then a cupple of months past that just for saftey's sake.

missfish

nyrmel

ok this is a side note but how many tetra's and guppies do you have in the 5.5 since with the shrimp that is what i chose to put in my new tank

pupnsuds211

umm i have 3 guppies and 4 tetras... 2 shrimp. i had three but one got sucked into my filter that was when i first got them though, its been about 9 months, if not more.

Karackle

Something similar happened to my betta, the rotted pieces sort of fell off and then he was fine. I did extra water changes for a while, but he seemed to heal rather quickly. In terms of salt, you can add about 1 tablespoon of non-iodized salt per gallon (aquarium salt (not for saltwater tanks) is fine, but more expensive than what you can find in the grocery store). I'd guess you are in the ~1g range if you're using a vase, but you could go with 2/3 - 3/4 tablespoon instead. But if he seems to be getting better with no "meds" you might not need to go the salt route

Good luck!

pupnsuds211

ya, same thing happened as yours. he seems fine now. no signs of the white film or anything. ill remember the salt for a later date. might come in handy some day!

Karackle

Glad to hear he's doing better!