# White Spot?!



## TheBlur (Apr 16, 2014)

Hey guys, my beautiful baby Opal has developed a rather noticeable white spot on his tail (not fins)

His fins are in excellent condition. Scales are smooth, not slimy, and not sticking up. The spot is not cottony or fuzzy from what I can see but does protrude slightly. It does not emerge from in between or under the scales, but rather OVER them, and covers (in a vertical line) more than the length of 3 scales. His tail does seem somewhat swollen or kinked in the area of the damage but does not seem inhibited or in discomfort. No other unusual marks anywhere (white or otherwise) that aren't part of his natural coloring. His behavior and appetite are normal. No rubbing or scratching behaviors either.

Here's the form:

Housing 
What size is your tank? 5gal
What temperature is your tank? 81F
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
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? Omega One Betta Pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? 1 pellet morning, 2 evening (daily)

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? 50% every monday/wednesday, Fridays near 100% change
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
Depends on the day. 50-100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Water treatment/dechlorinator (betta specific)

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
I don't have a test kit.
Ammonia: n/a
Nitrite: n/a
Nitrate: n/a
pH: n/a
Hardness: n/a
Alkalinity: n/a

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Just this weird white spot (somewhat protruding, like a mole?)
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? No.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? This evening. Just saw the spot while feeding him. He has other white/pale blue flecks as part of his natural coloring, but this is large and unusual.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Just completed a 100% water change and cleaned all of his decorations thoroughly (no soap). Removed moss ball from tank.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Had a stint of fin bitting a long while ago. Made a full recovery in a matter of weeks. No long-term damage. No biting since.
How old is your fish (approximately)? I got him in April of 2014 from PetSmart. I assume he was a juvenile of at least 6 months to a year? Compared to my other males he is EXCEPTIONALLY small. I think he may have been stunted.

I'll try to get a picture but he's hiding... He hides at night.
I did find another picture of a betta on this site who had a near identical looking marking, so you can use this as a reference as to what it looks like for now. Remember, this is NOT my fish, just look at the spot thing, cos thats what his looks like sort of, but smaller.









This fish was diagnosed with "ammonia burns" though, and considering how frequently I change my fish's water, I highly doubt thats the case... If it is fungal I have some fungal stuff left over from my other rescues. I've just never seen a spot like this before.


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## lovieludu (Aug 14, 2014)

Be careful changing too much water too often, there is such thing as being too clean. Especially with 100% changes, you'll throw off the nitrogen cycle that's trying to establish. I know in one of the forums, there's oldfishlady's sticky on her guide to water changes so feel free to look at that. I'm not sure what betta specific conditioner is but I've tested just about as many as there are on the PetSmart shelf and Seachem Prime works the best and lasts forever.

Now, if it does look like the fish in that picture, look up "marbling" in bettas and compare that to your buddy. Other than that, I got nothing without a picture.


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## TheBlur (Apr 16, 2014)

lovieludu said:


> Be careful changing too much water too often, there is such thing as being too clean. Especially with 100% changes, you'll throw off the nitrogen cycle that's trying to establish. I know in one of the forums, there's oldfishlady's sticky on her guide to water changes so feel free to look at that. I'm not sure what betta specific conditioner is but I've tested just about as many as there are on the PetSmart shelf and Seachem Prime works the best and lasts forever.
> 
> Now, if it does look like the fish in that picture, look up "marbling" in bettas and compare that to your buddy. Other than that, I got nothing without a picture.


To clarify, the 100% changes are really closer to like, 80-90%. I'm always careful to leave about an inch of the previous water in the tank unless there is something infectious in the old water. I do siphon and clean the substrate for ickies, and after the BIG water change I wait 24 hours before putting the fish back in. (They have a "water changing station" holding tank)

The water conditioner is TopFin water conditioner from PetSmart.


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## TheBlur (Apr 16, 2014)

White spot persists but isn't protruding. Opal seems unaffected by it. I'm starting to wonder if its a color change thing, seeing as he has marbled once before... >.>


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

More likely it's a cyst or hyperpigmentation buildup on his scales. Neither are terribly lethal right away but over time, it will get bigger though.


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

I agree with lil.

also your water change schedule is fine since you do not have a filter.


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## kbeutel (Sep 9, 2015)

Do you guys know what causes hyperpigmentation buildup on betta fish scales and possibly how to treat it??


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

There is no treatment for hyperpigmentation, it's a genetic trait that get's passed down generation to generation. So if you want to avoid it, you'll (or whoever) breed fish that do not display these traits. Of course, it's always a gamble unless you are buying your stock from a breeder and they have a list of traits and whatnot.


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## kbeutel (Sep 9, 2015)

Thank you so much for your help!!


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