Betta Fish Forum banner

Spot on head near eye

626 views 6 replies 2 participants last post by  earthworm88 
#1 ·
I did a water change this evening, did an ammonia test (which came back as ideal) and went to relax. He's been active this evening, and I noticed he was briefly rubbing himself on the cave I bought him. So, I turned on his aquarium light and noticed a spot on his head. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't anything to worry about.

I'm on a laptop at the moment, so it's hard for me to copy and past that questionaire; but if it'll help, I'll complete it tomorrow on the desktop at work.

I've been using stress coat as his water conditioner, and he has been changing color. The spot isn't "cottony" in appearance or raised very much, from what I can tell.

Sorry about the photos, they're the best I could get with my iPhone.
 

Attachments

See less See more
2
#2 ·
Was able to fill out the form

Housing
What size is your tank? 5.5 Gallons
What temperature is your tank? I've been keeping it between 77-80 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? He lives alone

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Nutrafin Max flakes
How often do you feed your betta fish? 3 small meals a day. Between 2-3 flakes and 1/4 of a bloodworm (If I manage to dig one out) <- the flakes have bloodworms mixed in.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? 2x's a week since I upgraded
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 1- 50% (Sunday's) 1- 10% (Wednesdays)
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? I've been adding Stress Coat, plan on going back to Prime this Sunday w/ the water change.

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? I take my water once a week to Petsmart. The only thing that has ever been off is the Ammonia, which I've been checking once a day and after water changes (before adding him back to his tank)

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? He has developed a spot on his head (attached photos) His coloring has changed a lot recently as well. He has some red developing on his anal and pelvic fins
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He's been rubbing himself against things a lot more recently.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Within the last 24 hours.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No
How old is your fish (approximately)? I got him on October 30th, 2011, so I'm estimating about eight months?
 
#3 · (Edited)
Hi Mardi,
That looks like he may have lost some scales there, probably bumped into something and came off when he "scratched" his head on the cave. :)

Nothing to worry about. But do keep an eye on him in case it gets infected, so make sure the water is super clean etc. The scales will grow back in a few days.

Beautiful betta with a nice blue! :)

Cheers!

Edited to add: Ok, from your sticky, I would worry about the scratching part. So watch out for any signs on his body like Ich etc. Also, I am curious what kind of worm you dug up because it sounds like it's a big one. :)
 
#4 · (Edited)
Thank you for the quick reply! I'll be able to sleep soundly now. :p

Do you think I should do an additional wc between now and Sunday? And I'll keep an eye on him. It seems that his head is the only part of his body that looks off, at the moment.

The brand of flakes I've been using have bits of freeze dried bloodworms mixed in. The bits of worm range from about 1/4th of a normal size one to 1/2. I only said "dig" because the ratio of flakes to worms is flakes>worms, so you kind of have to dig to find one. lol

And thank you! I'm sure if he were able, Bowie would blush at your compliment. ^_^.
 
#5 ·
LOL....oh that kind of digging! I really thought you were digging somewhere in a pond or something lol

I would do a water change. Is your tank cycled? I know it's harder on smaller tanks, but it's possible. I think your percentage of water change might be too small, but I will wait for someone with good knowledge of filtered tanks to comment on that.

Hehe...you are welcome...different time zone and all :-D
 
#6 ·
Yes, my tank has recently cycled. I was kind of concerned about changing the water and cleaning too much, not wanting to harm the beneficial bacteria. I just changed the water yesterday so, I was going to wait until tomorrow and do another small wc, and do my regular 50% with siphoning the bottom of his tank on Sunday.

And LOL! The thought of me out by a pond, digging worms for my Bowie is quite the image for me. haha.

I found out that he wasn't actually trying to rub anything off his body. He still looks healthy; but I woke up to his floating log and cave being in completely different locations. I suppose he was trying to remodel? :p

I took the cave out, because I have a long day at work, and was concerned that I'd come home to find him smooshed underneath it with all the remodeling he was doing.

-sigh-

He's such a goober. :roll:

LOL....oh that kind of digging! I really thought you were digging somewhere in a pond or something lol

I would do a water change. Is your tank cycled? I know it's harder on smaller tanks, but it's possible. I think your percentage of water change might be too small, but I will wait for someone with good knowledge of filtered tanks to comment on that.

Hehe...you are welcome...different time zone and all :-D
 
#7 ·
LOL...interior designer! impressive :-D Glad to hear he was just being mischievous, and nothing wrong with his body.

Cheers!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top