Betta Care

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[Baritoner]

I recently got a Betta and I'm a bit new to this whole fish thing. I condition his water before I put it in the tank, and I have a filter with a low flow for him and a heater. I've also been doing weekly 20-30% water changes. However recently he's been showing symptoms of what I think is fin rot (the edges of his white fins are turning dark brownish) so I got an ammonia test kit and tested his water. I discovered his ammonia was pretty high. I though conditioning the water, a filter, and water changes would keep the ammonia out or at least at really low levels. Do you know a good method for getting rid of ammonia that I can use in addition to doing more frequent water changes? Also, if my filter isn't really filtering anything out like ammonia, is there any point in keeping it in there since I know Bettas prefer calm water?

Sorry this is kind of a long question

[Lonin]

I recently got a Betta and I'm a bit new to this whole fish thing. I condition his water before I put it in the tank, and I have a filter with a low flow for him and a heater. I've also been doing weekly 20-30% water changes. However recently he's been showing symptoms of what I think is fin rot (the edges of his white fins are turning dark brownish) so I got an ammonia test kit and tested his water. I discovered his ammonia was pretty high. I though conditioning the water, a filter, and water changes would keep the ammonia out or at least at really low levels. Do you know a good method for getting rid of ammonia that I can use in addition to doing more frequent water changes? Also, if my filter isn't really filtering anything out like ammonia, is there any point in keeping it in there since I know Bettas prefer calm water?

Sorry this is kind of a long question

Ok. So your filter isn't just there to get rid of floating bits in your aquarium (called mechanical filtration), it's also there to provide a home for your beneficial bacteria (biological filtration). Various beneficial bacteria grow to help get rid of ammonia and nitrite which are unsafe for fish and turn it into nitrate which is safe in small amounts. The filter doesn't get rid of ammonia itself, your bacteria do, but you need to give them time to grow which takes weeks. Definitely keep your filter in there. You can baffle it if the flow is too strong for him.
Water conditioner removes chlorine and chloramine as well as heavy metals which prevent your beneficial bacteria from growing and harm your fish. Some conditioners like Seachem Prime claim to detoxify ammonia in the water for 24-48 hours.
Ammonia is removed through your cycle or by doing water changes. It sounds like your tank is cycling at the moment, the only thing you can do is keep testing your water and doing partial water changes when you find traces of ammonia or nitrite. Your tank is cycled when you start getting nitrates.
Cut down on feeding to reduce waste and if you don't already look into getting some live plants. They absorb ammonia and look pretty c:

[Baritoner]

Thanks a bunch for the help!