_groove_
New Member
Hey,
I am new to bettas, I've had him 6 days now and he came from a petstore in montreal. I am concerned he may be infected, but I am not sure, it may just be his colouration/me panicking for nothing, so Im asking on here to see what you guys have to say...
I'll start by explaining that his natural coloration on head and body are very dark reddish/purplish/black, with a lovely black-spotted indigo blue dorsal fin but a bright red tail fin and anal fin. His anal fin has a beautiful blue streak in it, and traces of blue can be seen in the creases throughout parts of the tail and anal fins, including the very edges. He also has a bit of striping on his upper body etc.
He has had very tiny white puss/fluff looking spots come and go, always on his fins, never more than 2 spots max. anywhere at any time, and they never last more than 24 hours before dissapearing, and this has taken place it seems since I got him. The next day, I look and the "infected area" (if thats what it is), appears completely fine and free of any problem at all. My concern is that a similar spot appears in another location on the fins every day or 2. Presently there are none, 12 hours ago there were 2.
He also has a VERY thin dark edge to parts of his tail and anal fins, which is partly blue, and some black/brown in it as well. I am keeping him in a 2/3 gallon jar which I keep under a lamp so that its about 78-80 degrees (its a uv incandescent bulb for heat, and I have a plain white bulb for light in the day/evening which is off at night). there's also a little fake plant with silk leaves that he loves to sit on sometimes or hide under, and make bubbles as well.
He swims and is active, eats well, flares to his reflection and sometimes to my fingers/hands or my face if he's excited.
He gets 50-80% water changes every 2 days, and I cleaned the tank completely after 4 days because I found it getting too cloudy. He has been more active since this as well.
I have been adding a pinch of rock salt to the water I prepare when I replace from his changes etc. as alot of websites seem to say that this helps prevent infections/promotes healing and that this trace of salt doesnt bother the bettas.
So my questions are - 1) the white spots I've been seeing seem like a mild infection described on many fish sites, or is there some kind of regeneration/molting that takes place, cuz it almost looks like it could be something like that
2) the dark edge on his tail and anal fin is possibly a fin rot but its also got traces of blue in it, and looking at his dark body colourations and that the blue matches his dorsal, I am questioning if this is a rot or possibly just his natural pigmentation. (I notice from other threads that this celebrity betta Vega, RIP, had a dark pigment on his tail) so I dont want to start a stressful medication treatment for nothing. I have been monitoring it, and I cannot say at this point that the fins are getting shorter or that spines are showing or that the dark band is progressing. The anal and tail fins do however look a little limp and stringey, almost like limp streamer paper, but again I am not used to what bettas look like, having previously kept live bearers and small tetras etc. (over 8 years have passed since I last had any fish)
3) he occasionally (when he's playing around with me or every couple days I notice it randomly) squeezes through a tight gap between a 2 leaves or a leaf and a glass. Can such action be part of normal behaviour or is it always an indication of illness?
Me and Fabian both thank you for any advice you may have in advance!
ps sorry its so long, but I wanted to give you as much info as I could so you could provide your opinions. If you need further info, please dont hesitate!
James
EDIT sorry I forgot to mention hes a crown tail. at least I think thats the name. Its Montreal, the store was all in french, and the shelf he was on was called Couronne which is the french word for crown. anyways his anal and tail fin are both of similar length, about the same as his total body length. Thanx
I am new to bettas, I've had him 6 days now and he came from a petstore in montreal. I am concerned he may be infected, but I am not sure, it may just be his colouration/me panicking for nothing, so Im asking on here to see what you guys have to say...
I'll start by explaining that his natural coloration on head and body are very dark reddish/purplish/black, with a lovely black-spotted indigo blue dorsal fin but a bright red tail fin and anal fin. His anal fin has a beautiful blue streak in it, and traces of blue can be seen in the creases throughout parts of the tail and anal fins, including the very edges. He also has a bit of striping on his upper body etc.
He has had very tiny white puss/fluff looking spots come and go, always on his fins, never more than 2 spots max. anywhere at any time, and they never last more than 24 hours before dissapearing, and this has taken place it seems since I got him. The next day, I look and the "infected area" (if thats what it is), appears completely fine and free of any problem at all. My concern is that a similar spot appears in another location on the fins every day or 2. Presently there are none, 12 hours ago there were 2.
He also has a VERY thin dark edge to parts of his tail and anal fins, which is partly blue, and some black/brown in it as well. I am keeping him in a 2/3 gallon jar which I keep under a lamp so that its about 78-80 degrees (its a uv incandescent bulb for heat, and I have a plain white bulb for light in the day/evening which is off at night). there's also a little fake plant with silk leaves that he loves to sit on sometimes or hide under, and make bubbles as well.
He swims and is active, eats well, flares to his reflection and sometimes to my fingers/hands or my face if he's excited.
He gets 50-80% water changes every 2 days, and I cleaned the tank completely after 4 days because I found it getting too cloudy. He has been more active since this as well.
I have been adding a pinch of rock salt to the water I prepare when I replace from his changes etc. as alot of websites seem to say that this helps prevent infections/promotes healing and that this trace of salt doesnt bother the bettas.
So my questions are - 1) the white spots I've been seeing seem like a mild infection described on many fish sites, or is there some kind of regeneration/molting that takes place, cuz it almost looks like it could be something like that
2) the dark edge on his tail and anal fin is possibly a fin rot but its also got traces of blue in it, and looking at his dark body colourations and that the blue matches his dorsal, I am questioning if this is a rot or possibly just his natural pigmentation. (I notice from other threads that this celebrity betta Vega, RIP, had a dark pigment on his tail) so I dont want to start a stressful medication treatment for nothing. I have been monitoring it, and I cannot say at this point that the fins are getting shorter or that spines are showing or that the dark band is progressing. The anal and tail fins do however look a little limp and stringey, almost like limp streamer paper, but again I am not used to what bettas look like, having previously kept live bearers and small tetras etc. (over 8 years have passed since I last had any fish)
3) he occasionally (when he's playing around with me or every couple days I notice it randomly) squeezes through a tight gap between a 2 leaves or a leaf and a glass. Can such action be part of normal behaviour or is it always an indication of illness?
Me and Fabian both thank you for any advice you may have in advance!
ps sorry its so long, but I wanted to give you as much info as I could so you could provide your opinions. If you need further info, please dont hesitate!
James
EDIT sorry I forgot to mention hes a crown tail. at least I think thats the name. Its Montreal, the store was all in french, and the shelf he was on was called Couronne which is the french word for crown. anyways his anal and tail fin are both of similar length, about the same as his total body length. Thanx
to the forums! I hope you enjoy your stay and we see more of you around!
