Dark spots--looks like scale loss

[dorymomory]

Housing
What size is your tank? 1 gallon
What temperature is your tank? 79 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? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? New Life Spectrum betta formula

How often do you feed your betta fish? 2x/day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? usually weekly, sometimes more often
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? API stress coat

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? n/a, but I can bring it in to get tested tomorrow.

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? some dark spots all over his body--it looks like scale loss, but I'm not sure. It's hard to get a good look because he moves a lot.

I was visiting my parents for the holidays and took Hrothgar with me, so he's stressed out from the car ride, and he's a bit pale. It may have also affected his immune system, which is why this new thing has popped up.

Here are some pictures. The dark spot on his head is his normal coloring.





How has your betta fish's behavior changed? No change.

When did you start noticing the symptoms? Today

Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? nothing so far--not sure what to do.

Does your fish have any history of being ill? He's a tail biter, and he's had swim bladder disorder a couple times, but it cleared up quickly.

How old is your fish (approximately)? 1.5 years

Thank you for any advice you can give!

[asukabetta]

I don't think anything is wrong, it may be simply he is getting a bit old, do you know how old he was when you first got him?

Just in case keep an eye on him for any behavioral changes

also the fin could be from ripping against the decor, check the items you have in the tank and rub them against a panty hose then you will know if that is the culprit. It could be the reason that the scales are hurt/dark looking, perhaps she rubbed against it?

Keep the water extra clean it will help the healing

[dorymomory]

I'm not sure how old he was. I got him at PetSmart and he was full grown...I don't know what age they usually sell them at, but I've had him about a year.

[Syriiven]

It doesnt look too bad to me, almost like normal 'gaps' in dragonscale bettas. I had a panic when I noticed 'holes' in my Seiya's scales, though not so big...

It's also possible he scraped the scales off on some decor or gravel - my suggestion is add 1 tsp of AQ salt to his water changes to stave off parasites and it should heal on it's own.

[dorymomory]

That sounds like it could be the issue--I just got some new decorations (to keep him interested since he's a tail biter), but it looks like they're too rough. That's a shame. I'll take those out and get something different, and put some aquarium salt in. Thank you for your help, Syriiven and Asukabetta!

[Syriiven]

For decorations if there's any holes just make sure they give ample room for him. Bettas will try to squeeze through small holes. And keep an eye on his behavior for a few more days to see if he darts and scratches against the side of te tank or his decorations. If he does, he may have external parasites - but the AQ Salt will help with that also.

[asukabetta]

I don't recommend adding anything in his water yet, not even salt, you don't want to start tossing things in their water without knowing what it is. As Sriiven said keep an eye on him for scratching, but I doubt this is the case. But simple decor damage.

The best cure for an injury is nice clean warm water, and if you want to add something to help, you can put some API stress coat that is a conditioner I use for my tail biter and helps with regrowth because it has aloe in it safe for bettas to use as long as you want, and an Indian almond leaf, a natural additive to help him relax.

I noticed that the indian almond leaf made my HM stop tail biting :) I insist, don't add salt because it can harm them when used over 10 days, save the salt for when your betta really needs it :)

[callistra]

Does nobody else notice the advanced fin rot? Maybe he started to bite but that's definitely rot. It's not minor either.

Some of that is normal dragonscaling. But some of it looks like he's lost some scales.. You sure he's not like scraping himself on that castle or something? He can fit through the hole easily?

It's so hard to keep bettas healthy in something so small. 1-3 years is normal for something like that because no matter how hard you try ammonia builds up fast and he is always exposed to low levels of it.

I would invest in 2G+ and look for some antibiotics like Kanaplex by Seachem, Maracyn Plus or Furan 2.

[Syriiven]

Wow, yea - the title said scales and I kind of zeroed in on those. That finrot should be treated ASAP.

[asukabetta]

I wasn't sure lol I was asking someone about it before mentioning it, I'm known to be paranoic, glad my hunch was on the money :)