Due to the huge popularity of the betta fish in North America and Europe with it currently being the second most commonly kept species of fish, we always see people reaching out and asking a wide range of different questions about caring for their pet betta.
We already have a large number of articles published going over some of the more common questions that we see people asking about betta fish ranging from diet to tank mates to general care.
For today’s article, we are going to be taking a look at why your betta fins are curling and how you are able to fix it.
We have seen a number of people specifically reaching out about this in recent months and if left untreat, some of the causes of curling fins in betta fish can end up being fatal to the fish.
Thankfully though, the most common causes of curling fins in bettas are usually very easy to fix in most situations.
Summary Of Things That Can Make Your Betta Fish Fins Curl!
The most common reasons that your betta fish may have curling fins are all due to some sort of problem with your tanks water parameters. There are a number of other problems that we have listed below and will cover in more detail in the article though:-
- Poor Water Parameters
- Water pH Levels
- A Full Water Change
- Stress And Anxiety
- Genetics
- Fin Rot
- Injury
- Infection
- Problems With Diet
Is It Normal For A Bettas Fins To Curl?
The only time is is considered normal for a bettas fins to curl is if the curling is due to the genetics of the fish but this is rare and betta fin curling is almost always due to a potentially serious problem.
In most cases, we recommend that our readers always think of their bettas fins curling as an early warning sign that there is a problem in their tank.
Provided you act early enough, it should be quick and easy to fix.
What Causes A Bettas Fins To Curl?
The vast majority of the time, when we see people asking why their bettas fins are curling, it is usually due to one of two reasons. Either the water parameters in their tank are outside of the ideal range for betta fish or their fish is suffering from stress and anxiety.
We have detailed both of these issues below along with a number of other potential reasons for your bettas fins curling.
Water Parameters Outside Of The Ideal Range
The first and most common reason that your betta fish may have curling fins is due to the water parameters in their tank being outside of the ideal range for betta fish.
Betta fish are tropical freshwater fish that come from Southeast Asia and as such, they have evolved to live in water that has a neutral pH level, is of a moderate hardness and contains very little in the way of dissolved toxins.
A quick check of your tanks water parameters with a water test kit should be enough to give you a good idea of any potential problems in there.
In many cases, a simple 10-25% partial water change will usually be enough to get the issue fixed and within a week or two, your betta should be fully healed.
If you are using tap water for your water change, be sure to use a water conditioner to deal with the chlorine in the water or it will cause additional problems with your betta.
Water pH Levels
One of the most common water parameters that we see people asking about is the pH level in their tank. The vast majority of the time, this is because they are using tap water to fill their tank which can often have a high pH level.
The ideal pH range for betta fish is between 6.5 and 8.0. If your tanks pH level is outside of this range, it can cause a number of problems for your fish including curling fins.
A change in pH levels can often also be the result of using certain types of decorations or gravel in your tank so if you have recently added anything new to your aquarium, this may be the problem.
It can take a little time to workout what is actually causing the problem with the pH of your bettas tank but in many cases, removing the cause of the pH chance and doing a partial water chance will be able to deal with the issue.
Again, just like general water parameter problems, after a week or two of having a suitable pH, your betta with curled fins should be back to normal in most cases.
A Full Water Change
On the flipside of the problems with water parameters for bettas covered above, a full or large water change can also cause the fins of your betta fish to curl sometimes too.
This is due to a full or large water chance usually changing too much of the water in the tank to a pre-cycled state and the water needing time to adjust.
This is why we would recommend that you avoid anything over a 30% water change if possible and just stick to 10-30% water changes each week as required.
Remember that you should be using a water conditioner product on tap water to remove the chlorine prior to putting your betta fish in it too or it will cause other, more serious problems than just curling fins.
Stress And Anxiety
Another common reason that your bettas fins may be curling is due to stress and anxiety. Bettas are very sensitive fish and even small changes in their environment can often cause them a lot of stress which can lead to a number of different problems including fin rot and, in some cases, curled fins.
There are a number of different things that can cause stress and anxiety in betta fish including:
- An aggressive tank mate
- Being moved to a new tank or environment
- A change in the water parameters
- Not having enough hiding places or vegetation in the tank
The best way to deal with stress and anxiety in betta fish is to try and identify what is causing it and then take steps to remove or change the problem.
For example, if you think that your betta is stressed due to an aggressive tank mate then the best course of action would be to remove the aggressor from the tank.
You should also make sure that there are plenty of hiding places and plants in the tank for your betta to hide away in if they feel the need to.
Betta Fin Rot
Betta fin rot is a very common problem that betta fish keepers face and it can often be the reason for your bettas fins curling.
Fin rot is usually caused by a bacterial infection which can enter the tank through a number of different ways including:
- An infected fish being added to the tank
- Decaying matter in the tank such as uneaten food or plants
- Infected water being added to the tank
The best way to deal with fin rot is to remove the infected fish from the tank and treat them with a suitable antibiotic or suitable over the counter treatment.
You should also do a partial water change and clean the tank to remove any decaying matter which may be causing the problem.
If you think that your bettas fins are curling due to fin rot then it is important to act quickly as, if left untreated, fin rot can often be fatal for betta fish.
Injury
In some cases, your bettas fins may be curling due to an injury. This is usually the case if you have a betta that is particularly active and playful and they often run into things in the tank or bump into the walls or get their tail or fins cought on decorations in their tanks.
The best way to deal with an injured betta is to remove them from the tank and treat them with a suitable antibiotic or over the counter treatment.
You should also do a partial water change and clean the tank to remove any decaying matter which may be causing the problem.
If you think that your bettas fins are curling due to an injury then it is important to act quickly as, if left untreated, an injury can often be fatal for betta fish.
Infection
Although rare, bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic infections can sometimes cause the fins of your betta to curl.
This is usually more common on bettas with longer fins but even then, fin curling does tend to be rare for most types of infection.
Thankfully, there are plenty of quick and easy treatments available on the market that should be able to treat the problem.
Just keep in mind that most infections will heal faster with a specific treatment but a generic treatment such as Bettafix should be able to fix the issue too.
As we covered in our article on using Melafix for betta fish, we would always recommend that you use Bettafix over Melafix due to its optimised formula for bettas offering similar performance to Melafix without the potential downsides.
Problems With Diet
One of the most common causes of curved fins in bettas is actually diet-related.
You see, a lot of the time, commercial betta food isn’t of the best quality and this can often lead to problems such as fin rot and, in some cases, curled fins.
There are a number of different things that you can do to try and improve your bettas diet such as:
- Feed them a high quality betta food
- Give them live or frozen foods as treats
- Add vitamins and minerals to their tank water
- Feed them a variety of different foods.
As we covered in our article on the best food for bettas, we would recommend that you try and feed your betta a high quality food as this will offer them the best chance of staying healthy and avoiding problems such as fin rot and curled fins.
If you are looking for a good quality betta food then we would recommend that you check out our recommendations for the best betta food on the market.
As well as feeding your betta a high quality food, you should also try and give them live or frozen foods as treats from time to time.
Live and frozen foods such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, and daphnia are all great options and they will offer your betta a much needed nutritional boost which can help to keep their fins healthy.
You should also add vitamins and minerals to their tank water as this can help to improve the quality of their fins.
A good way to do this is to use a product such as Seachem MultiTest Betta Water Test Kit which will allow you to easily test the levels of vitamins and minerals in your tank water.
Genetics
Unfortunately, the genetics of some betta fish have serious problems due to having been inbred for generations to try and maximize the chances of certian colors, patterns, and fin shapes.
Due to this, your betta fish may just have problems with its genetics that are causing its fins to curl and in most cases, theres nothing that you are able to do about it.
