# Betta head/chin turning white and grey



## mbombay (Jan 27, 2015)

Hi everyone I'm a new fish owner and I'm really concerned about my fish. I just got him a week ago. A couple days after I got him I noticed he had signs of ammonia poisoning; he presented with white under his chin, red gills and the rest of his head turning grey. Started doing 25% water changes every other day with conditioned water and ammonia levels have been down since 4 days ago (<0.25). Ever since I started the water changes he seemed to improve and regain some of the black color. 

I left for work this morning and he seemed like his normal self, came home and his head is turning grey again and white spots have increased on his head (around gills and mouth). I can't tell for sure if they look cottony. No change in appetite but seems agitated right now, swimming around a lot in an almost a spastic way. I would love a second opinion and advice on how to what to do.

Housing 
What size is your tank? 3.5g (realized too late this is small, hope to upgrade soon)
What temperature is your tank? 82-83F
Does your tank have a filter? yes 
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? no - temp in my condo is warm and keeps the tank warm
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Natonal geographic betta pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2-3 pellets twice a day

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? 2x a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 30%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Water conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? Ammonia <.25

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Turning white under chin, around gills and mouth. His head is normally black and now appears to be turning grey.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Seems agitated, swimming around a lot, having spasms but not certain
When did you start noticing the symptoms? today
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No
Does your fish have any history of being ill? ammonia poisoning last week


----------



## mbombay (Jan 27, 2015)

This is my betta with a no flash picture. I apologize for not knowing how to rotate the pics


----------



## mbombay (Jan 27, 2015)

This picture was taken shortly after the first one using flash. I also don't know of that gold on his fins is velvet? I've spent hours reading up on diseases and just can't figure it out. He's had that gold on his fins since I've had him, always thought it was part of his coloring but now I'm not sure. I'm also not sure if he looks worse because of the lighting at this time, if it's just him healing from his ammonia burns or if it's more than that. Any input would be appreciated!


----------



## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

First, 3.5 gallons is not too small. There is no need to upgrade unless you want to. 

How cold does it get in your condo at night? Unless you watch the tank 24/7 there is no way to know if your tank is at a stable temperature. I say that you need a heater, regardless of the temperature of your condo. Room temperature -even when in the 80s - changes over the course of day. Even changing one - two degrees is bad for bettas. Usually at night, room temperature decreases which means temperature fluctuations.

also the gold is not velvet. It's just natural iridescence. Velvet is actually a matte gold-grey dust. It is not shiny at all.


----------



## mbombay (Jan 27, 2015)

Well I'm relieved that the gold is just his coloring. I do have a heater but I don't use it. My condo gets warmer at night but the tank doesn't go above 84. During the day it's usually around 83-84 but last night I left the window open and when I got home it was 82. Could that have caused the stress?

He seems a little better this morning. Still swimming erratically at times but his fins aren't clamped at all and he still has an appetite. I guess I'll just watch for now.


----------



## Zhylis (Nov 4, 2014)

A slow 2-3 deg F shift in temperature due to day/night will not stress out a betta as long as the temperature stays between 76-82 deg F. These are pretty hardy fish; they are bred in outdoor tanks overseas and can tolerate some minor temperature fluctuations. A rapid change of 8-10 deg F or long-term exposure below 75deg is very likely to cause stress. These types of changes are what should be avoided.

You said he was swimming spastically? Would you say he's deliberately ramming against things and trying to scrape against objects? Or is he more zooming around the tank and up and down the glass sides?


----------



## mbombay (Jan 27, 2015)

OK that's good to know. It doesn't look like he's trying to scrape against anything. Just like you said, he's zooming around and up and down the sides.


----------



## Zhylis (Nov 4, 2014)

He's probably settling into his new, bigger, warmer home full of new colorful things. I'd suggest leaving the tank lights off for a few days to let him adapt.

For the ammonia poisoning, you can treat with methylene blue. It'll tint the water and may stain some decorations blue but it'll help him get over the ammonia.

The pale head is one thing to keep an eye on. If he shows additional signs of stress like clamped fins, more color loss, refusing to eat, or low energy, then I'd bump this thread with a description and picture. Otherwise, zooming around is fine. LisaRivero just posted a funny time-lapse video of her new betta zooming around and exploring his tank: here.


----------



## mbombay (Jan 27, 2015)

Thank you so much! That gave me peace of mind. I'll keep an eye on him and see if I can find some methylene blue.


----------



## tcmi12 (Jan 22, 2016)

*Similar symptoms*

I've been dealing with something similar with my guy for the past several weeks. At first I thought it was an infection, so tried a couple rounds of Bettafix, then two rounds of Fungus Guard (the first a recommendation from the LFS, the second a recommendation from another betta owner). He's only gotten worse, so it doesn't seem to be fungal/bacterial.

I made my own post about this, and someone also suggested that it was an ammonia issue. I've been doing 50% water changes every two days with heated, conditioned water for the past week, and got some different (apparently better quality) food and some bloodworms, but he still lies on the bottom of the tank with clamped fins almost all the time and hasn't eaten in days. I also tried a little aquarium salt, but there's so much contradictory information out there on whether it's helpful or harmful, and how much to use.

Here's a picture. I'm not sure what else I can do at this point - advice would be appreciated!


----------

