-.-Anxiety..

[Morifish]

I do have a question, but first I must say this...

I was in class today and a girl was raving on about all her animals; dogs, fish and frogs. She begins to talk about how she just got a new fish, since she cant help herself when she goes to the pet store. I chuckled because I feel the same, though I hardly ever just buy one for the heck of it unless I happen to have an open tank or enough space...She begins to talk about her guppies. Six guppies, two pregnant, in a one gallon tank. I about jumped out of my seat and slapped her in the face! Then she talks about how many Bettas she has! Ten! Imagine how well she treats her Bettas, if we know how well she treats those poor guppies. It's so wrong.. Makes me feel even better about keeping my Betta in a 20 gallon;) but still... have respect. As she said all of this, she was laughing, as if it's funny to keep animals in small enclosures like that. Those poor fish (and frogs, I bet!)

My question:

My Betta has a small bit of white on his head, but it doesn't look like fungus or anything else I've ever seen. Could he have scratched his head? I'm not too worried (I have more medical products than i will probably ever use).. also, on the ends of his fins (his hands) there are small black dots. Should this be something I should be worrying about? He had them a while ago, but they went away... o.O Mysterious.
Okay, thanks.

[Saphira101]

Pictures would be a big help.

[Xaltd1]

I've had the head patch on 2 bettas. I think they are nip marks. They both went away w/o incident. One I medicated heavily; the 2nd, I did nothing. In both instances, there was nipping/chasing going on. Since both fish acted heathy w/ the patch, a bite mark was my conclusion.
I hope you can have a conversation with that girl. Some people just think fish are decorative accessories (like those geniuses who had the idea to put bettas in clear flower vases w/ flowers). Ask her what value she places on life- any life. If you can link her to some basic fish care web sites, maybe she'll learn how to be a responsible owner. I'm surprised that she isn't tired of tossing dead fish. Another thought- maybe you can get a 20 gal and offer to give her your 10 gal.?

[sainthogan]

IF the white on his head looks like a scale is missing, then yes, he could have scratched his head. Their flesh is white underneath their scales. My female loses scales on her head quite often, because she likes to jump for anything that looks like it might be food (even off colored water droplets on her lid) and bumps her head all the time.

[Xaltd1]

Originally Posted by sainthogan

IF the white on his head looks like a scale is missing, then yes, he could have scratched his head. Their flesh is white underneath their scales. My female loses scales on her head quite often, because she likes to jump for anything that looks like it might be food (even off colored water droplets on her lid) and bumps her head all the time.

Yes; I notice it only on the dark fish I have. I'm sure my pastels must have a scale or 2 missing, but I'd never be able to tell. The fact that bettas always seem to try to shove their heads between and under decor must have something to do with it. Also, when being in a nipping match, the nipper goes after either the top of the head or the anal fin of the nippee. When there is fin damage, it is usually on the anal fin, and in a crescent bite shape. I'm paranoid about disease, so I look for these patterns coupled with behaviour.