[jackfaz]

I rescued my betta about three weeks ago (he was used as a wedding decoration.) I kept him in a 1 gallon bowl for the first night I had him and then switched him to his current tank. From the moment I got him he's always been very active, and still is. When he was in his cup, he swam circle in the cup. When he was in the bowl, he swam circles in the bowl. And now he "paces" the front of his tank, and sometimes the side if I put my face on the side. He's never rubbing on things and only occasionally flares. (When he does flare he does it on and off for about 5 minutes then stops.)

As far as his body goes, he came to me with mild finrot. I haven't treated him for it yet, just regular water changes. It hasn't gotten worse, but the edges that were black are still black. Does that mean he needs treatment? Also, he has a single tiny white dot on him, not all over like people say with ick. When seen from above you can tell it's not flat. (I would take a picture, but I can't get him to stay still long enough.) I just noticed the dot yesterday.

Housing
What size is your tank? 5 gallon
What temperature is your tank? 86 because my room is super hot this time of year
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? I have a heater but not needed right now cause the room is hot.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Omega One
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2 times a day, 3 pellets each time

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Every 3 days
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? BettaSafe

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

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm
pH: 8.2
Hardness:n/a
Alkalinity: n/a

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? New white dot
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Hasn't. He's been this way all along.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? New dot yesterday, behavior approx. 3 weeks.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Finrot when I got him. He was from Petsmart.
How old is your fish (approximately)? No idea. He was purchased from Petsmart approx. 3 weeks ago by the people I rescued him from.

 

[sainthogan]

Pacing the tank is normal, especially for the first few weeks to a month in a new home. It's kind of his way of establishing the boundaries of his new home and showing his dominance. If he's doing it when he sees you, he's trying to get your attention to feed or play with him.

The white dot, since there's only one is most likely a scale that fell off. Their skin is white underneath their scales. This is nothing to worry about, he probably bumped or scraped himself on something and it fell off. So unless you notice more, and they start to look like someone sprinkled salt over him, then you shouldn't worry (the salt look is Ich - a parasite), it will heal in few days.

As far as the fin rot goes, keep doing the frequent water changes. If it doesn't start getting better or starts getting worse, you can do a round of aquarium salt for freshwater fish. Follow the directions exactly and ONLY for 14 days.