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If you have a fish pond, fish tank or are seeking advice about keeping tropical fish, you can find advice on our Fish forum.

Fishnet

Siamese Fighting Fish Eating Itself

8 replies

Valsoldknickers · 01/12/2014 23:22

Just looked in the tank and my betta is eating some of his own feathery fins. The fins are not attached to him.

Would anyone know why he would do this? I am wondering whether he saw his reflection in the glass, thought it was another fish and attacked himself.

If anyone knows, please can you advise? Thanks.

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EauLittleRougeofBethlehem · 02/12/2014 10:22

Is there anything else in the tank with him? Is there anything he might have caught his fins on- rocks, wood, plastic plants? How much of his fin came off?

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Valsoldknickers · 02/12/2014 11:08

Thanks Eau. He is in a 46l/13 gallon tank with 8 neon tetras. I introduced them to this tank (which has been running for two years 0 nitrates, 0 ammonia, ph 7.2, temp of 26°c). I do have plastic plants in it, some wood, an ornamental boat and a little Sponge Bob. Nothing really sharp (unless the grassy looking plants can cause injury).

He lost what looks like a couple of strands stuck togetether which measured about an 1-1.5 inches. He was eating it and when it sank to the bottom the tetras also had a nibble.

Do you reckon I should treat the tank with aquarium salt? It won't do any harm either way.

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EauLittleRougeofBethlehem · 02/12/2014 11:11

Ah, I might suspect the neons' teeth as the sharp object. They can be nippy. I would add melafix rather than salt.

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Valsoldknickers · 02/12/2014 11:15

Thank you so much. Have just checked out my 'Breaking Bad for fish' box of tricks and I have melafix. Will put it in straight away. Will the tetras ever calm down or is the poor Betta doomed to a life of getting picked on?

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EauLittleRougeofBethlehem · 02/12/2014 11:27

They are a bit nippy by nature- they're from the same family as piranhas and you can see the likeness if you look very closely at their jaws. Sometimes you get lucky with them as tankmates and sometimes not. Could you put more plants in to break up the space a little bit?

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Valsoldknickers · 02/12/2014 11:39

Will do and will also mess with their heads by moving stuff about to make them forget where they think their territory is. I notice I didn't finish my sentence in the first post to say that I only introduced them all last week. This is my first Betta. I hope he will be ok!

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Valsoldknickers · 02/12/2014 11:41

They're ugly little buggers up close! Thanks for your advice.

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EauLittleRougeofBethlehem · 02/12/2014 12:09

Oh, if you only introduced them last week then it might calm down a bit. If you could get a plant with broad leaves that grow fairly close to the surface then that would help. In fact, anything that will help break up the height of the tank as well as the width. Floating plants too. Bettas are surface feeders so it's likely he'll stay close to the top and that might keep the neons away.