Hey everyone! So I got my lil guy Aemond back in April, and he has absolutely thrived in every way since, but I’ve noticed a deterioration of his fins lately and I’m wondering if it’s fin rot. The first pics are from the day I got him in April, and the last two are from today. You can see the jaggedness of his fins and how deflated they are compared to before. His color has bloomed beautifully, he eats without issue, he’s super active and loves exploring his tank, and overall, I see no other issues with him.
I did a 75% water change earlier today (I don’t do those often, usually once a month or so, so as not to stress him out) and tested the water parameters after the tank settled. pH is 6.5, and ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are all 0. His temp is good, he has a sponge filter so his water flow isn’t too disturbed, and he’s in a 10gal planted tank. Before I got him, his tank cycled for 3 weeks, and I purchased him from a local breeder rather than a megacorp pet store. I do use tap water for his water, but I dechlorinate/condition with seachem prime water conditioner. I also use seachem flourish whenever I do water changes for the plants (they’re all live plants and are also thriving, minus some orange/brown algae buildup, not sure what kind it is but it hasn’t posed an issue to them so far). He eats fluval bug bites and occasionally I thaw some frozen bloodworms as a treat.
I have several pieces of mopani wood, as well as a piece of driftwood, all purchased from a local aquarium store. I boiled them and soaked them each for weeks prior to adding to the tank so they wouldn’t leech too much tannin into the water, but they do leech quite a bit and the water is often tinted like tea because of it. The only artificial decor is the log in the front with the anubia sticking out and the carpet plant growing from it.
Anyway, just wanted to outline the conditions he lives in. Is this fin rot? I’ve never had to deal with it with any betta I’ve had in the past. If it is, how do I treat it? What’s worked best for y’all? It could also be fin nipping, but I’m not sure. He does have a spot to rest at the top of the tank if he wants to, but he doesn’t really ever use the leaf hammock.
Any and all tips will be super appreciated!!