White patches on betta's head

[arodd525]

Hi everybody,

Our betta has been showing some white patches on his head and back (images attached). We have treated him for a week with BettaFix but he didn't get better. He is still energetic and eats well, but we hope to be able to cure him. Could anyone provide any suggestions on what might be causing this and how we could treat him? I've looked online, it does not look like ich or HITH; could be fungal infection but the patch area is not fuzzy.

Tank parameters:
3.5 gal
Temperature: previously at 73-75 (our room is cold) and now at 80 (just got a larger heater)
pH: about 7.5
Ammonia and nitrite: 0
Nitrate: between 10-20ppm
KH: 5
It is a lightly planted tank with java ferns and a moss ball. Sand substrate.

Thanks very much and Happy Holidays to all!

 

[bettafrog]

Hmm it could be a fungal infection. Definitely not ich which is much smaller. PLEASE don't use bettafix, it contains tea tree oil which inhibits a betta's ability to use their labyrinth organ. Don't worry though he'll be fine its just not a good option! I would start by adding aquarium salt to the tank and doing epsom salt baths every couple days (please research the proper way to give salt baths to be stress free and safe). However, he does look healthy, no damaged fins or breathing heavily. The makes me think it could just be a weird scale pattern he's developing, my bettas have had weird concerning patterns that turned out to be nothing lol. I would still do the aquarium salt and epsom salt baths as they don't have negative side effects on a healthy fish. Just make sure the pattern doesn't get bigger. You should only be using major fungal treatments if you are positive that is the problem as they can cause harm. Overall, I don't think you need to worry unless he starts acting lethargic, loss of appetite, inflamed gills, etc but still use aquarium salt and epsom salt! Wishing you and your little guy the best!

 

[arodd525]

Thank you, bettafrog! A question: what does epsom salt bath do in this case? I know it is usually used to treat constipation but I wonder what else it could do.

 

[Colin_T]

How long have you had the fish for?
How long has it had the pale patches for?

--------------------
It is not white spot or hole in the head disease. It doesn't look like fungus either.

It could be colouration if the fish has a marble gene.

I would just do water changes and gravel cleans and see how it goes. As long as the fish is eating well and the patches don't change, don't worry about it.

 

[arodd525]

How long have you had the fish for?
How long has it had the pale patches for?

--------------------
It is not white spot or hole in the head disease. It doesn't look like fungus either.

It could be colouration if the fish has a marble gene.

I would just do water changes and gravel cleans and see how it goes. As long as the fish is eating well and the patches don't change, don't worry about it.

thanks, Colin. We have had him for about 3 weeks and he developed the patches after about a week. He’s had more or less the same patches for two weeks now. There is also one small gray area on his mid-lower back as well. We will keep an eye on him and see how he does in the next week! Currently, we treated him with some erythromycin (two doses) and Aq salt, and will probably stop the medication and keep the salt in there for a bit longer.

 

[arodd525]

Btw the patches look a little like blisters/dead skin patches and some of them have a spot in the center that looks like normal color, seeming like the patch is dissipating from the center. However, they have not changed in the past couple of weeks.

 

[bettafrog]

Thank you, bettafrog! A question: what does epsom salt bath do in this case? I know it is usually used to treat constipation but I wonder what else it could do.

Epsom salt baths can reduce swelling and relive stress for sick fish. Just be sure not to do them too frequently and I’d suggest watching some YouTube videos on epsom salt baths for bettas to learn the proper method. Happy to help!

 

[Colorsofautomn]

Hi everybody,

Our betta has been showing some white patches on his head and back (images attached). We have treated him for a week with BettaFix but he didn't get better. He is still energetic and eats well, but we hope to be able to cure him. Could anyone provide any suggestions on what might be causing this and how we could treat him? I've looked online, it does not look like ich or HITH; could be fungal infection but the patch area is not fuzzy.

Tank parameters:
3.5 gal
Temperature: previously at 73-75 (our room is cold) and now at 80 (just got a larger heater)
pH: about 7.5
Ammonia and nitrite: 0
Nitrate: between 10-20ppm
KH: 5
It is a lightly planted tank with java ferns and a moss ball. Sand substrate.

Thanks very much and Happy Holidays to all!

View attachment 125244View attachment 125245View attachment 125246

Did you ever figure out what worked for him? I have a guy with a patch on his cheek like this.