New Betta Fish Owner

[Julio1983]

Hi everyone,
I purchased my Betta fish a week ago - his name is Julio.
I have never had fish before so i want to make sure im doing everything right!
I have noticed he looks like he has a bit of a grey "goatee" or something underneath his mouth. I honestly cant remember if he was like this when we got him or not, but i have a feeling it was.
Also, i noticed yesterday that it looks like he has a bit of a "pimple" on the side of his head... like a pimple without a head, just a bit of a bump if you know what i mean.
Is this anything to worry about?

Looking forward to your replies :)

[eatmice2010]

can you post a pic, because it could help rule out ich if its not the case

[Julio1983]

I have attached a pic of his "goatee".
I couldnt get a clear pic of the other bump.
its a small little bump the same colour as him just near the top of his gill.

[callistra]

Grey is stress. I can't see a bump. Is it white?

More info would be helpful: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233

[Julio1983]

ohh is it stress? oh no :(
What could that be from?
No the bump isnt white... ill try and get another pic of the bump.
Thank you so much for your quick replies :)

What size is your tank? 3.4 litres
What temperature is your tank? has been 26 degrees but as we have had some hot days it has been up to 30 at times (80 degrees)
Does your tank have a filter? no
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? no

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? betta pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? once a day in the mornings normally 2 pellets

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? have done it once since i purchased him last week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? i did about 40%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? just the dechlorinator from the pet store

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? no

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? he has a grey "goatee" type under his mouth, and yesterday i noticed a little "pimple" on his head near the top of his gill. It doesnt have any white in it, its just the same colour as he is. smaller than the size of his eyeball
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? hasnt changed
When did you start noticing the symptoms? the grey a few days ago (cant remember if he was like that when we got him but 80% sure he was) and the pimple i noticed yesterday
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? no
Does your fish have any history of being ill? not that i know of
How old is your fish (approximately)? i only got him last week so im not sure

[Julio1983]

Hi guys,
Just wondering if anyone has any advice on my post from yday?
Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

Thank you

[liz26914]

your tank seems a little small. You could get a 5 gal critter keeper for about $13 at amazon or 3 gal at petco for $12.

with a tank that small you may have to do more water changes.

by betta pellets do you mean a random betta food from the petstore? you may want to switch to new life spectrum or omega brand. bad quality food can lead to constipation and swim bladder disease.

also you should feed your betta more and space them out. I feed mine 5 pellets a day. 2 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon and 2 before i go to bed. feeding him all at once can lead to constipation, swim bladders disease and pineconing.

the does the goatee look like fungus? sounds like cotton mouth. internet says that the causes can be stressed by conditions such as poor water quality, inadequate diet, or stress from handling and shipping.

suggested treatment is

• Change water
• Vacuum gravel
• Add aquarium salt
• Treat with copper sulfate or antibiotic
• Discontinue carbon filtration during treatment

i don't have any experience with cottonmouth so I suggest you wait for some other forum member to comment before you start medication. but do the water change and add some aquarium salt. its suggested to do 1 tbsp per 5 gal

[Julio1983]

ideally i would like to get him into a bigger tank when i can find the best spot for him.

im not sure of the brand however they are betta pellets from the pet store.

i was told at my local aquarium that i should only feed him once a day and that i should even fast him once a week.

the goatee isnt furry or anything, it just looks like part of his colouring but like a grey spot. im not sure if you can see it properly in the picture i uploaded.

[callistra]

They grey is a sign of stress. I can't see the bump.

You should be doing at minimum 2 water changes a week in a bowl of that size - one 50% and one 100% including a thorough rinsing of all gravel and dechor. I would also use a conditioner that says it detoxifies ammonia (not just chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals) like Prime because it will help deal with the ammonia build up in between water changes.

Bettas should be kept in 2 gallons (about 7.5l) at minimum. At this size you can get a good adjustable 25w heater like a Jager or Marineland Visitherm.

26C (79F) is an okay temp but 30C is too hot (this is 86F) and the constant fluctuations are really hard on fish and can even be lethal. You need to keep him on an interior wall away from exterior doors, windows and vents. Do you not have a way of stabilizing the temperature in the room he's in?

The container that the pellets are in should tell you the brand.. Can you not look? A good quality pellet should have the first two or three ingredients as whole fish, not fish meal and even worse would be wheat.

[Julio1983]

you know i think the bump has gone? or maybe i was just imagining it, im really not sure.

i am upgrading him to a bigger tank this weekend. a 15 litre (3 gallons)

i had moved him away from the window at the beginning of the week as we were having some really hot weather, and put him on the bench. when i got home from work he had made a MASSIVE bubble nest, so im keeping him in this spot for sure. he seems to really like it. unfortunately our downstairs area doesnt have any airconditioning so when its been hot for a few days the house heats up. it does have central heating however so winter shouldnt be a problem in keeping it more stable. is there any way i can cool his water down if it gets too hot in the future?

Im at work as i type this so i cant check out the brand however i will check the ingreadients when i get home.