Strange white infection?! Please help?!

[firefox1526]

My 4 year old betta Abe has this odd white infection on his body at the root of his dorsal fin. I thought it was fin rot, so I moved him to a smaller tank and did daily water changes but he has not improved, he has gotten worse over the past few weeks. It almost seems like his scales are rotting off, and his color is definitely dull. Other than that, he seems fine: he's eating and swimming around normally (a little slow, but probably due to age: he's an old man!) please, any help would be greatly appreciated! He normally lives in a 5 gallon tank that is heated and has an air pump (no filter but the water is circulated).

Thanks!

[callistra]

More info and photos are needed: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233

[firefox1526]

Apologies! I'm new to the forum!

Housing
What size is your tank? 5 gal, currently in a 2 gal QT
What temperature is your tank? Around 76
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? Yes
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? Freeze dried worms
How often do you feed your betta fish? Every day, just a pinch

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Once weekly 100%
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? BettaSafe, for tap water

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? White saddle like marking at the root of his dorsal fin. Seems like the scales have completely fallen off. Resembles an open sore.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Not really at all, just swims a bit slower.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? About three weeks ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? In a QT tank with daily water changes
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No
How old is your fish (approximately)? About 4 yrs

[callistra]

Sounds like maybe columnaris. Either that or maybe he hurt himself on something? Bettas are notorious for trying to cram themselves into spaces they can't fit in.

I would increase water changes in the 2g to 50% 100% alternating every day and look for a heavy hitting antibiotic like Kanaplex or Triple Sulfa. Treat for 2 weeks.

Also as a side note blood worms are like potato chips. They have high fat and very poor nutritional value. They should be fed no more than once a week as a treat, in replace a pellet meal. I would also not feed more than one. Also any freeze dried food must be thoroughly soaked for at least 10 minutes in cup with treated/tank water before feeding because they cause constipation. He also needs one day a week fast. I would be looking for a good quality pellet whose first two or three ingredients are whole fish, not fish meal or wheat.