Fin Rot Information and Symptoms

Fin Rot Information and Symptoms

By Rachel Hunt (Mushi)

A Betta with Finrot © Mushi Fin Rot is arguably the number one issue you will have to deal with if you keep any number of bettas for any length of time. Fin Rot is a bacterial infection of the fins, usually brought about by poor water conditions and/or stress that causes the fins to deteriorate. Fin Rot can also set in when a fin is injured and the water is not kept clean enough to avoid infection of the injured fin.

Symptoms can include:

Small holes (pinholes) anywhere on the fins.

Fins that seem to be growing thinner or more transparent.

Fins that seem to be "fraying" around the edges.

Fins that seem to be breaking off in large chunks.

Slimey looking areas, usually on the tips of fins, that seem to "eat away" at the fins over time.

Fin Rot in and of itself is not contagious, but if you keep fish in a community tank you may end up with several fish contracting the infection. This is because the bacteria that cause Fin Rot are opportunistic bacteria - poor water conditions stress fish out, and when fish become stressed, their immune systems become weak. Weak fish are not able to fight off illnesses that healthy fish easily can. So if you have poor water conditions or something else causing stress in the occupants of your tank, you may have an "outbreak" of Fin Rot.

Quick Medication Dosing Tip Since most medication dosing directions are meant for larger tanks and some medications come in tablet or capsule form, it can be difficult to dose a small container. There is a trick to doing this.

If your medication calls for one capsule to 10 gallons, grab a small container that can hold water. Using a measuring spoon, measure out 10 teaspoons or tablespoons full of water into the container (it doesn't matter which you use as long as you use the same unit of measurement the whole way through). Dump the capsule or crush the tablet into the measured water. Then dispense the medicated water into your isolation container - if it is a 1 gallon container, one teaspoon/tablespoon will be the correct medication dosage. This method works for any size treatment container, just be aware that most medications lose effectiveness after 24 hours in water so you will have to discard any unused medication using this method.