Kaetlin's Fish

[Raan]

Originally Posted by Pareeeee

I always, as a rule, add about 1-2 teaspoons of salt to my 33 gallon tank after every water change. It prevents stress and aids them in forming their natural 'slime-coat' to prevent disease. Any more than that would damage my live plants.

Never had any fish eat their own fins because of it...can't speak for bettas as I don't usually put salt in their tanks, but I have used it for treatment of diseases and have never witnessed this fin eating phenomenon.

You have to use actual Aquarium Salt made for fish. Don't use table salt or cooking salt, as they have additives such as iodine. (BAD!)

Originally Posted by Wildside

Right-o!!!!

I always use aquarium salt with my angelfish without any problems but with bettas it always seems to affect them in this way. At one point I thought it was fin rot but then figured the salt would prevent that.

[Wildside]

Originally Posted by Raan

I always use aquarium salt with my angelfish without any problems but with bettas it always seems to affect them in this way. At one point I thought it was fin rot but then figured the salt would prevent that.

I think you may have something else going on with your bettas. The situation you're describing would make more sense if it were reversed. I'm thinking there might be something in your water you don't know about. Bettas are almost a brackish fish. The Asian waters they come from have a higher salt content than the South American waters where Angels originate.


Kaetlinv:

Betta are aggressive fish. When you come near he is preparing to protect his "puddle". That thick slime is part of his bubble nest. A good sign of a happy male betta is a large bubble nest. Their natural environment is stagnant, barely moving water. I only ever changed when it started stinking or was discolored. Also, keep in mind that bettas are labyrinth fish. They breathe the same air you breath instead of the oxygen in the water. It's the exact thing that allows them to thrive in stagnant puddles.

All fish are gorge eaters. If he is eating all that you give him and there is nothing left to rot and foul the water then you can just keep feeding him the way you are. I wouldn't change his water at all until needed. Just add a little to make up for evaporation. As for your goldfish, well goldfish are more resilient than Bettas. They eat garbage and can live in about anything from a block of ice to algaefied muck. My only advice with him is to refrain from overfeeding and keeping him too clean