# optiontips.in -Help Fin Biting



## optiontips.in (Sep 4, 2012)

I have my betta in a 22 litre aquaone nano with bogwood, plants and a few snails. Purchased approx in May this year, tank fully cycled before introducing betta. Weekly 50% water changes, heated to 27 degrees. Fed twice a day on atison's betta food, also occassionally frozen blood worm, frozen water fleas and frozen peas (all defrosted before feeding).

He has always liked leaning against the vents in the tank where the water is sucked out, which did tear his fins slightly as they were sucked in too. Last week however his fins quickly looked awful so I covered the vents with a foot from a pair of tights and he no longer gets sucked into to vents. 

Tail wasn't looking any better, then today I came home to find him with a huge piece of his own tail in his mouth and a massive chunk of his tail missing right to his body!!!

What can I do to stop him? Is it because he misses being sucked into the vent... which also damaged his fins!?!? Could he be hungry? Bored? 

I'm gutted, he was such a beautiful boy and now he looks neglected... even though he is spoilt!!!

Please can anyone help?


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

I would keep the tights cloth on the vent as that seems more dangerous to me than the bettas itself. Make sure the water is as clean as possible so that the tail wont get infected. It is possible that he ripped of his own tail, but it is also possible that it got torn of on something else. Are there any sharp objects in the tank?


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## Jhynnifer (Jun 16, 2012)

optiontips.in said:


> I have my betta in a 22 litre aquaone nano with bogwood, plants and a few snails. Purchased approx in May this year, tank fully cycled before introducing betta. Weekly 50% water changes, heated to 27 degrees. Fed twice a day on atison's betta food, also occassionally frozen blood worm, frozen water fleas and frozen peas (all defrosted before feeding).
> 
> He has always liked leaning against the vents in the tank where the water is sucked out, which did tear his fins slightly as they were sucked in too. Last week however his fins quickly looked awful so I covered the vents with a foot from a pair of tights and he no longer gets sucked into to vents.
> 
> ...


You may want to watch him for a while. Sometimes betta's will see their reflection in the glass and flare at it (which is completely normal betta behavior)... but every now and again a betta may do this and spot its tail out of the corner of its eye, think its an enemy and chase it (much like a dog, though if they catch their own tail, dogs rarely bite them off) and tear off bits of his own tail.

It may also be a stress thing for the little guy. Aside from the vent, have you changed anything else about the tank... water quality, new fish?


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

It's most likely boredom. Put a mirror in front of his tank daily for 5 minutes, and tailbiting should go away. That or float a female in the tank.


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