Ick? Fungal infection??

[jCo72]

Hi,

I was gone on vacation and had asked my brother (much better with fish than I am...) to take care of my betta. While he was taking care of him, he noticed that his eyes were hazy and he had spots on him. I'm not sure if this is ick or a fungal infection. Should I treat with aq. salt? I also have a snail in his tank... is it okay to use salt with him in the tank? I don't have a quarantine tank but I could get one. Whats the recommended size for one - 1 gallon? He is in a 5 gallon tank and all the water parameters are fine. The water temperature is 81.5 degrees currently. My brother did a full water change a week ago and I did a 2/3 water change today. He hasn't been interested in his food but I think its just because hes been sick of his food. He has been clamping his dorsal fin lately and he likes to hang out around the bottom of the tank (until he starts to sleep - then he hangs out on his hammock up top).

I'm not sure what to do to make him better?? Please help!



Housing
What size is your tank? 5 gallon
What temperature is your tank? 81.5 degrees
Does your tank have a filter? yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? one snail

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? new life spectrum betta formula - pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2/day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? 1/week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50-75%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? water conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? --just changed the water today--

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? hazy eyes, white spots
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? lethargic, clamped dorsal fin, not interested in food unless he hasn't eaten in a day
When did you start noticing the symptoms? a few days ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? n/a
Does your fish have any history of being ill? yes - ripped fins
How old is your fish (approximately)? 4 months?

[Maura]

From what I understand, it's not uncommon for the scales of a dragonscale betta to grow over its eyes.

Where are the spots that your brother saw? I can't see any in this picture...

Always remove snails when treating with any kind of salt.

[jCo72]

Originally Posted by Maura

From what I understand, it's not uncommon for the scales of a dragonscale betta to grow over its eyes.

Where are the spots that your brother saw? I can't see any in this picture...

Always remove snails when treating with any kind of salt.

really? I have never heard of scales growing over eyes. I wasn't sure if my betta was a dragonscale. I thought he was just a bicolor. Do dragonscales change color? He lost the black on his head and gained 3+ white spots on his head. I assumed this was abnormal... The white spots are a little hard to see in the picture but the 3 lighter spots are the white spots.

[reggie oaks]

Ick makes the fish scratch against aquarium ornaments and/or the gravel. Have you notice this behavior?
Ick looks as if the fish has been sprinkled with salt granules. Fungus sometimes looks at cottony patches which are less numerous but larger.

[jCo72]

Originally Posted by reggie oaks

Ick makes the fish scratch against aquarium ornaments and/or the gravel. Have you notice this behavior?
Ick looks as if the fish has been sprinkled with salt granules. Fungus sometimes looks at cottony patches which are less numerous but larger.

He hasn't been scratching, but I thought they could still have ick without showing all the signs, just like people do.

He has some big and some small white spots. They really just look like part of his scales though and not something growing on top of them.

The past few days he's just been sitting at the bottom of his tank and he hasn't really been swimming around. He used to build bubble nests but he stopped that when I left for vacation.

I'm not sure what's wrong with him because his symptoms seem varied from the diseases I know about but I want him to be happy and healthy. Is there anything I can do that might provide a pick-me-up for him?