Oh no... ich?

[Kiyi]

Was feeding my little guy this morning, and noticed a little speck of white on his right side. It's the only one, I spent almost a half hour trying to find more, and could not. I really hope it's not ich, because I have medical supplies coming in the mail. But if it is, I could go to walmart. I know I saw API AQ Salt there.




Housing
What size is your tank? 10 Gal
What temperature is your tank? 76-80 I know It should be steady. My heater malfunctioned, and I'm doing my best to keep a stable temp. New heater on it's way.
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, though it isn't holding it's temp at the moment.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None.

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? I only got him a week ago, so I've only fed him LFS Pellets, a piece of freeze-dried bloodworm, and a piece of freeze-dried daphnia.
How often do you feed your betta fish? Once in the morning, and once at night. 3 LFS Pellets.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Water changes daily, testing ammonia everyday because my tank is not yet cycled.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 20%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Nutrafin Aqua Plus Water Conditioner.

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

Ammonia: 0ppm or close to it.
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm
pH: 6.4
Hardness: Unknown
Alkalinity: Unknown

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Appearance hasn't changed at all, expect for his colors getting a bit brighter and shinier. He was very pale and dull when I got him.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Only had him for a week, but he's been acting the same as before the white speck was there.Sometimes he darts around quickly on the right side of the tank, looks like he's trying to swim through the glass, I thought he was just being active. After these bursts of energy he rests on the gravel, or a leaf. I haven't noticed him 'itching on anything'.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? This morning, the white dot.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Not that I know of. He looks like he may have had a little fin rot in the past. No sign of fin rot now though.
How old is your fish (approximately)? No idea. I'll try and measure him to a growth chart some time. Can't be that old though, he was one of the samller ones at the store.

Oh god, I just looked at him again after finished this, and the dot is gone! False alarm? Or did the ich drop off to divide? D: I noticed little white pieces in the tank that look like what was on him, which I think came from the filter when I accidentily turned it on while it was set on low flow.

[LeoTheLakerBetta]

I see the little dot but I wouldn't be worried too much unless you see multiple little dots on him. You can go a little easier on the water changes, like 50% twice a week. The fact that he is getting brighter is a good and normal sign. Once you get the new heater you should be doing great.

Edit: Oh and also the fact that it disappeared could be because it was just a tiny air bubble that got attached to his little body. My filter makes a lot of tiny bubbles and they tend to stick onto the underside of their bodies because they are curved. It usually goes away fast because they are constantly moving. Should be nothing to worry about :)

[veggiegirl]

Hey there,

I wouldn't be too worried being that it is only the one white spot. At this stage I would just keep a close eye on him and if the white spot begins to multiply then we will consider treatment. Fluctuating water temperatures can cause white spot so it will be good when your heater arrives.

[Kiyi]

Thank goodness, I thought it may just be an air bubble, but I decided to post this anyway after it disappeared just to be absolutely sure. xD

I kinda freaked a bit because all the medical supplies I ordered were just shipped today, including an ich treatment. I'll watch closely for the next couple days. And do less water changes... ^^;

[callistra]

If it does end up being ick I'd use the AQ + higher temp treatment: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=73332

But I wouldn't be too concerned now either.. new boy.. new environment.. temp fluctuations.. he's just going to need a few weeks to settle in, I'm pretty sure.