[lollipop]

Hi guys, I have been treating my betta with ick medicine without success. Can anyone tell what's wrong with him and how can it be treated? Thanks.

Newbie here, my first fish pet, love my betta.

Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? 0.5
Does it have a filter? No
Does it have a heater? No
What temperature is your tank? Don't know
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? No

Food:
What food brand do you use? Betta Safe
Do you feed flakes or pellets? Pallets
Freeze-dried? No
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? 2 times 4 pallets daily

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? Weekly
What percentage of water did you change? 50-70%
What is the source of your water? Tap water dechlorinated naturally for 48 hours and under sunlight.
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? Tried both.
What additives do you use other than conditioner? What brand of conditioner? Bought betta safe conditional

Water Parameters:
What are your water parameters? Please give exact numbers. If tested by pet store please get exact numbers. "Fine" or "Safe" won't help us help you. Important: Test your water before the regular water change; not after one.

Ammonia: don't know
Nitrite: don't know
Nitrate: don't know
pH:don't know
Hardness (GH):don't know
Alkalinity (KH):don't know

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? 3 weeks back
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? Some white scales around head and face
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? Not really
Is your Betta still eating? Yes
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? Ocean free white spot medicine
Does your Betta have any history of being ill? No
How long have you owned your Betta? 6 weeks
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? Don't think so.

I put some spider plant on top to grow root but the root got rotten. Since then noticed this white scale. Please help. If not ick then could it be fungal infection? Thanks.

 

[Feanor]

Hello and Welcome!
Could you please fill out the form linked below (just copy & paste it here with the answers filled in).
It also would be great if you could provide a clear picture
Thank you!

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Fill out this form so we can...

 

[lollipop]

Hello and Welcome!
Could you please fill out the form linked below (just copy & paste it here with the answers filled in).
It also would be great if you could provide a clear picture
Thank you!

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Fill out this form so we can...

Hi, thanks for the tips, I have updated the original post. Will try to take a clearer picture.

 

[MABetta]

Can't wait to view another picture, he looks gorgeous!

 

[nwdwn23]

Unfortunately the living conditions of your betta are far from optimal. Bettas need 5 gal tanks minimum as well as a filter and a heater. And you need to get your water parameters checked quickly. You can buy the API test kit, alternatively many pet stores will test the water for you. You need to provide him with those basic necessities and find out about your water parameters and then it'll be easier to help or the problem will get better by itself.

 

[BettaloverSara]

Bettas need two things to thrive, warm water and quality food. Size of tank is a personal preference and there is no minimum..5 gallons is not ideal but if it's all you can get I would do daily water changes of 50%. If the temperatures in Singapore are warm enough you likely wouldn't need a heater for a tank that size. If you use a meat thermometer you can see what the current temperature in the tank is. The white looks like a possible fungus but I would need some better photos also.

 

[lollipop]

Unfortunately the living conditions of your betta are far from optimal. Bettas need 5 gal tanks minimum as well as a filter and a heater. And you need to get your water parameters checked quickly. You can buy the API test kit, alternatively many pet stores will test the water for you. You need to provide him with those basic necessities and find out about your water parameters and then it'll be easier to help or the problem will get better by itself.

Thanks, getting started to setup an aquarium! Will get some basic tools to test the water parameters.

 

[lollipop]

Bettas need two things to thrive, warm water and quality food. Size of tank is a personal preference and there is no minimum..5 gallons is not ideal but if it's all you can get I would do daily water changes of 50%. If the temperatures in Singapore are warm enough you likely wouldn't need a heater for a tank that size. If you use a meat thermometer you can see what the current temperature in the tank is. The white looks like a possible fungus but I would need some better photos also.

Thanks for the advices, I did a lot of reading online and suspected fungal too. Singapore temperature is OK for bettas. I have taken 30 over pictures but non clearer than the provided. I'll try to use other phone to take the photo again tomorrow.

 

[BettaloverSara]

Thanks for the advices, I did a lot of reading online and suspected fungal too. Singapore temperature is OK for bettas. I have taken 30 over pictures but non clearer than the provided. I'll try to use other phone to take the photo again tomorrow.

Is it fuzzy at all? It doesn’t look like ich to me. Ich looks like they have sugar sprinkled all over them.

 

[lollipop]

Is it fuzzy at all? It doesn’t look like ich to me. Ich looks like they have sugar sprinkled all over them.

Not really, he acts very normal and very energetic. It doesn't look like sugar sprinkled, looks like cotton or missing scale. Gonna treat him sooner and have the tank setup.

 

[AlphaBettas]

Not really, he acts very normal and very energetic. It doesn't look like sugar sprinkled, looks like cotton or missing scale. Gonna treat him sooner and have the tank setup.

Don't start treating him just yet. Wait until other members diagnose what is wrong with him first before adding meds. Extra meds that aren't needed can do a lot of harm.

 

[MABetta]

I am no expert, but this betta looks to be a two toned blue fish, could the picture be the lighter color coming through the dark head? I would suspect the owner would know or see this and if not just color, wouldn't have asked, but the picture presented looks like lighter color coming through a darker shade. (to me)

 

[BettaloverSara]

I’m also inclined to think it might be a colour change but I don’t know about the cotton look. That sounds more like fungus.

 

[lollipop]

Many thanks guys, I can't recall but the faces looks like just pure black when I got him. If it's color change then what can I do? These are the best photo I can take, the "model" kept moving =D

 

[MABetta]

You can’t do anything if it’s a color change, other than admire it! Just keep an eye on the area. If it starts to look fuzzy or he acts different let us know.

 

[lollipop]

You can’t do anything if it’s a color change, other than admire it! Just keep an eye on the area. If it starts to look fuzzy or he acts different let us know.

Thanks! At least I don't have to keep worrying and treating my betta. Didn't know before that keeping a pet fish will get me worried, haha...

 

[nwdwn23]

I'm no expert but the cotton look that you mentioned and the color make me think of columnaris. 😥

 

[lollipop]

I'm no expert but the cotton look that you mentioned and the color make me think of columnaris. 😥

Thanks, will do some research and monitor hope he is okay!

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

I'm no expert but the cotton look that you mentioned and the color make me think of columnaris. 😥

Please note post #10. It is not fuzzy.

 

[nwdwn23]

Please note post #10. It is not fuzzy.

Maybe I misunderstood but I thought OP said it looks like cotton?

looks like cotton or missing scale.