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Why does my betta's dorsal fin look weird?

I bought a Betta yesterday from wal-mart... i know, worst place to get a fish. He was such a good color and I had an extra tank, so i went for it. He looks and acts completely normal, except for his top fin. The top tip of it is flopped over, and even when he flares, it stays flopped over. It also loos like someone took a cheese grater (i dont really think that is what happened, it's just a visual) to the flopped over part, but didnt grate all the way through. The shreds are still there. Ive seen pictures of tail rot, and i do not think that is the problem. I guess it sort of looks like the pine-coning symptom of dropsy, but on the top of the fin, not on the scales, and as far as i know, dropsy only affects the body. I am not really sure how to describe it. Is my fish just supposed to be this way? or should i do something about it? I tried getting a picture for 15 minutes, but it did not work. This is my 2nd betta, the 1st is very happy.

Public Comments

1. dont worry, they all do this, since the fins are so long they dont really care about keeping them upright and is almost physically impossible for them. Mine is like this and is really happy.
2. Honestly, chain pet-stores (WalMart, Petco, etc) usually get the "culls" from betta breeders. These are the slightly imperfect fish. He probably has a slight "comb" on his fin, this is natural and is just a genetic variation. My old betta had the same thing. He's probably fine :)
3. well if you're familiar with fin/tail rot and dropsy, and your betta is not showing any symptons of a disease, my best guess would be is that he is a Crown Tail. Crown Tail betta's resemble that of fin rot - split and "spiky" like dorsal and tail fin. here is a picture of a CT: http://www.aquariumfish.net/images_01/betta_crown_tail_turq.jpg
4. it sounds like the effects of poor water quality. ammonia build up in those little cups goes off the charts really fast which can and will burn the fins. some of my crowntails have dorsal fins that are too big for them to completely flair out -- so the rays tend to flop over on the ends.
5. maybe it is because he shredded his fin somehow, is there any rough objects in ther? any decorations that might be able to shred his fin? It could also be that the fish is deformed. Most bettas that are from petstores and not from breeders are not 100% perfect, ofcourse, someone that is just looking for a pet and not fish to breed, overlook imperfections. i have a betta (rainbow) and his bottom fin is actually a little "bent" It doesnt matter to me at all, because he acts normal and is healthy. your betta could also have some crowntail genes, they can be found even in pure bred high quality halfmoon bettas, and are not desirable for bettas(that are not crowntails) that are raised for competitions. but its just a pet, i bet you still think he is beautiful.