Large white growth on betta's underside

[MelliJ926]

Hello - I am looking for help in diagnosing what my betta has growing on his underside. I've attached a picture below. He is eating well and is energetic when someone pays attention to him, but if we leave the room he sits on the bottom (maybe sleeping?). It's not a cottony growth, so I'm not sure if its a fungus. I've also filled out the suggested list of questions with as much as I can. Thanks in advance for any assistance anyone can provide.

Best Regards,

Melanie

Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 78F
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? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? dried brine shimp
How often do you feed your betta fish? 1 cm size piece once a day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? every other week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50-75% depending on how dirty. Recent issues with algae led to 100% water changes.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Splendid Betta water conditioner and a pinch of Sea Buffer instant ocean salt

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? Not recently.
If so, what are the following parameters?

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Yes, large white growth and fading scales, see picture below.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? seems to sleep more, but eats well and is energetic when we talk to him (yes, we talk to him - he really gets excited when do this!)
When did you start noticing the symptoms? about a month ago - it got bigger until about a week ago, and it's been the same size since last week.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Yes, started BettaFix on Saturday - not seeing any changes
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Yes, one year ago during the freak snowstorm on the east coast, we had to leave due to power loss and trees falling, didn't have time to take him right away. When we came back the next day, we though he was dead (laying on the bottom upside down). I added slightly warm water just in case, and flipped upright and started swimming. He got really skinny after that and his fins shredded, too.
How old is your fish (approximately)? about 2 years

[asukabetta]

Originally Posted by MelliJ926

Hello - I am looking for help in diagnosing what my betta has growing on his underside. I've attached a picture below. He is eating well and is energetic when someone pays attention to him, but if we leave the room he sits on the bottom (maybe sleeping?). It's not a cottony growth, so I'm not sure if its a fungus. I've also filled out the suggested list of questions with as much as I can. Thanks in advance for any assistance anyone can provide.

Best Regards,

Melanie

Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 78F
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? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? dried brine shimp
How often do you feed your betta fish? 1 cm size piece once a day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? every other week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50-75% depending on how dirty. Recent issues with algae led to 100% water changes.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Splendid Betta water conditioner and a pinch of Sea Buffer instant ocean salt

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? Not recently.
If so, what are the following parameters?

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Yes, large white growth and fading scales, see picture below.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? seems to sleep more, but eats well and is energetic when we talk to him (yes, we talk to him - he really gets excited when do this!)
When did you start noticing the symptoms? about a month ago - it got bigger until about a week ago, and it's been the same size since last week.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Yes, started BettaFix on Saturday - not seeing any changes
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Yes, one year ago during the freak snowstorm on the east coast, we had to leave due to power loss and trees falling, didn't have time to take him right away. When we came back the next day, we though he was dead (laying on the bottom upside down). I added slightly warm water just in case, and flipped upright and started swimming. He got really skinny after that and his fins shredded, too.
How old is your fish (approximately)? about 2 years

A 2,5 gallon tank needs weekly water changes 100% or biweekly 50% . The cleaner the water the better, it could be fungus but it is hard to tell, is it cottony? Or stringy?

And putting salt in the aquarium when the fish has no issue if not in very small quantities, it can be harmful for the fish, if you want to prevent bacteria and fungus, then IAL or Oak leaves are your best option, and most natural as well.

Keep the temperature stable and the water clean. Let's see how he does then, and if you can get more pics, perhaps a tad bigger it would help as well.

When we find out people's opinions of what it is, you should treat it with a medicine specific for that aliement.

[MelliJ926]

Hi - thanks very much for the info. He is definitely feeling better and is more energetic, and is making bubblenests again. The growth is still the same. It is neither cottony or stringy, which is why I havent treated him for fungus. I've attached another picture, but I'm not sure if its big enough. He wont really sit still long enough for me to get a good closeup.