Betta Fins – Will Damaged Fins Grow Back?

Betta Fins – Will Damaged Fins Grow Back?
By Elizabeth Christopher

Many fish owners have other fish in the tank with their bettas. Either through contact with other aggressive fish, other bettas or betta diseases, they may notice the betta fins become torn, ripped or jagged. A common question after noticing this condition is whether the fins will regenerate. The answer lies in how the fish lost part of its fins.

Fin rot can cause betta fins to appear jagged, or incomplete. This is because the tank conditions have deteriorated in your tank, parasites and bacteria have attacked your betta, and begun to eat the betta fins or tail. This disease is very easy to treat, and virtually never leads to other afflictions. Betta fin rot is virtually non-existent in a clean, well- maintained tank that has approximately one tablespoon per five gallons of aquarium salt added.

Your fish’s fins will immediately start to regenerate and fill in the jagged, torn spots almost immediately after the tank conditions improve. It is then a mere case of ongoing tank maintenance.

Betta fins can, however, also become damaged due to fighting other fish. When this occurs, the damage can be extensive. If not caught soon enough, the fighting can lead to severe damage that goes all the way to the body of the fish. Separation and treatment in a salt bath to protect against bacterial infection must be immediate.

In some severe cases, both disease and fighting can lead to permanent damage of the fins or tail, but in almost all cases, if the fish is treated properly, and eased back into a clean, well-maintained tank, fin and tail re-growth is guaranteed. Knowing the precise treatment of disease, and some trade secrets about tank maintenance, will allow you to effectively extend your betta lifespan to three to five years.

“Want to know all about Betta Fins, and total betta set-up and care? I have enjoyed raising healthy, happy bettas for over 20 years, and use only one betta care guide, Adam Short’s Betta Care Made Easy.
Elizabeth Christopher

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Betta Diseases – Curing Your Betta Fish With a Salt Bath

Since many betta diseases occur due to improper tank conditions, most of these afflictions can be treated the same way. A salt bath may be the last thing you think could benefit your freshwater betta fish, but is actually a very effective, age-old cure that is one of the first steps you need to take to nurse your betta back to health.

How can salt help a freshwater fish, you ask? The bacteria and protozoa that attack your fish when its immune system is deficient are very low single cell forms of life. Common betta diseases are then transmitted to your fish by these simple life forms. They have almost no form of defense system, so even a gradual change in the level of salt in your aquarium will cause instant death to these primitive beings. They simply can not adapt quickly enough to the resultant change in their environment.

Why doesn’t it harm my betta, you ask? Fish are more complex beings, and have internal organs such as kidneys to help them deal with external environmental changes. They are much hardier than microscopic bacteria. Therefore a very minute change in the salt levels of their tanks causes them almost no discernible level of discomfort.

To learn what ratio of salt to fresh water to use, consult a guide for your particular fish. Usually, a ratio of one tablespoon per five gallons of aquarium water is fine for ongoing conditions, but this level needs to be significantly increased when treating betta diseases in a recovery tank or bucket.

Using salt to treat your sick betta is just one step to take to bring your fish back to full health. Once healthy, ongoing tank maintenance needs to be followed, and other tips and tricks can be used to ensure your betta lives as long and healthy a life as possible. Most bettas live about six months on averge, but when proper preparation and care are employed, you can have a vibrant, lively betta for three to five years.

Want to double your betta’s life? Need to know all about betta diseases? How about ongoing maintenance? Let a 20 year betta expert answer these questions and more in his best-selling Betta e-book Betta Fish Secrets located at http://www.godzillafish.info. It is the only resource for betta fish I recommend, and the only one you will ever need. Check out all my Betta Fish Care articles at - Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elizabeth_Christopher