# Patch of raised white scale on King/Giant Betta



## OregonCoast (Jul 8, 2013)

My betta is named Thor, aptly because he is a giant/king betta. I happened upon this site and the particular thread about the same issue that Thor is having. Upon reading the thread I noticed that no other information or treatment was given. I would greatly appreciate more information as possible, how to treat this. 
http://www.bettafish.com/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=99 --the thread that I found with the same issue. Please reference this thread. The OP and myself seem to have the same issue and same size tank!
Housing 
What size is your tank? 10 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 82
Does your tank have a filter? yes (aquaclear 20 hob)
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? NLS Betta
How often do you feed your betta fish? 10-15 pellets once a day for 6 days a week
Maintenance: 
How often do you perform a water change? twice a week 
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 25% & 50% for the second water change. Wednesday and Saturday/Sunday
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? API stress coat +
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? Test once a week.
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10
pH:7.4 
Hardness: ?
Alkalinity: ?

Symptoms and Treatment- He has a raised white patch of scales on his back that is getting bigger. 
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? None, he is still curious and interactive as ever.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Unable to remember when we actually noticed it.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? We started salt treatments as soon as we noticed it. We did a Melafix/Pimafix treatment for a week, but only at half dosage..no change. That treatment has been stopped and now currently trying Tetra's Fungus Guard. 
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No
How old is your fish (approximately)? Unknown, purchased a few months ago

Please keep in mind that we currently reside in Seoul, South Korea and we get our betta medicines from Amazon.com. Also, due to the language barrier it is very difficult to purchase anything from LFS.


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## OregonCoast (Jul 8, 2013)

These pictures were taken just 3 days ago... and the area of extreme concern is getting worse. It is bigger now. We have been searching the internet for anything about this and have come up extremely short.


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## OregonCoast (Jul 8, 2013)

Anyone?


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## NickZac (Jun 26, 2013)

Get MelaFix and PimaFix out ASAP. It kills fish and is useless. That location is a common location for a physical wound, and sometimes heater burn. If it is getting worse, it may be a wound that got infected. Provided water stats are good, I believe you should begin treatment ASAP because infections need actual treatment. Mardell Plus (which a TMP sulfa) or doxycycline is going to be best IMO because it will treat bacteria as well as certain fungi, which the wound could be developing into. Mardell Plus is going to be the easiest with Amazon, and many local stores sell it. I would not settle on Maracyn I or II if they try to sell it to you as the sulfa in the Plus is very important if this is fungal. If it is a parasite, you would likely see other behaviors such as scratching or infection of tank makes or possibly even visible parasites.

Also, anything like plastic plants or sharper stones that could cut the fishy?


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

1) Can you repost the link? When I click it, it opens up a "new thread" with nothing in it.

2) Does he have white patches elsewhere on his body? Or just in the one location?

I'm not sure what this is. I'd like to see the other thread that you reference, in order to see what was said there.


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## OregonCoast (Jul 8, 2013)

@NickZac

The Melafix and Pimafix have been cleansed from the tank compeltey before we started the fungal treatment he currently has in his tank. We have read many different opinions on the products and decided to give it a shot. I understand many people do not like it, but there are still a lot of people that do.

You mention "Local" stores, are you here in Seoul, South Korea??? Please let me know of the local store you speak of that may have this product.


@LittleBlueFishlets

1) The link below, sorry about my error
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=194097&highlight=raised+white+patch

2) He has no other spots, irritation, lumps, or anything on any other location of his body, he is in a planted tank and acts very very normal, eats like a pig, very social and interactive, we have his tank by our dining room table so he visits with us for every meal!


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

Well, I was hoping there was additional information on the other thread, but there wasn't....

How long have you used the Tetra Fungus Guard? It contains two furan medications, and is effective against many gram negative bacterial infections. It needs a few days to work, but if he's been on it for 3+ days, it does not sound like it's effective. Therefore....

As NickZac noted, the area is a common place for injuries. It could be that a fungal infection is growing on the affected area. 

Nick recommended Mardel's Maracyn Plus, which contains Sulfadimidine and Trimethoprin. If you can't get it, look for those two medications separately, or try to get any of the following. They contain the same sulfa medications as Maracyn Plus:
TMP Sulfa 
Sulfa 4 TMP 
Triple Sulfa
TMP Sulfa Noé
Bactrim
Co-trimoxazole
Septra
Do NOT use any of the above medications if you are allergic to sulfa drugs.


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## OregonCoast (Jul 8, 2013)

This will be day 3 of the Tetra Fungus Guard. No changes for the better have occurred. We will let it run for the entirety of the recommended course which is 4 days then a water change. Tomorrow will be day 4. I will do a partial water change then. 
Here are some pictures that I have taken this morning of the area.

http://http://i1362.photobucket.com/albums/r682/BrandyG1977/IMG_0956_zps68baaf70.jpg

http://http://i1362.photobucket.com/albums/r682/BrandyG1977/IMG_0956_zps68baaf70.jpg

It has definitely grown. We are currently looking on Amazon.com for the recommended medicine. It is highly doubtful that we will find this medicine in a LFS here in South Korea due to the written language barrier. I'm hoping for the best. His behavior has not changed at all. He rather enjoys seeing us at the dinner table for the meals.


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## NickZac (Jun 26, 2013)

OregonCoast said:


> @NickZac
> 
> The Melafix and Pimafix have been cleansed from the tank compeltey before we started the fungal treatment he currently has in his tank. We have read many different opinions on the products and decided to give it a shot. I understand many people do not like it, but there are still a lot of people that do.
> 
> You mention "Local" stores, are you here in Seoul, South Korea??? Please let me know of the local store you speak of that may have this product.


I am not familiar with local stores in Korea, but chances are if you can find a local store, they will have Mardell products such as the Maracyn family...they produce packagings in multiple languages although I cannot say if they do Korean or not. You can also get it from any and every retailer tho no idea on how international shipping works.

Generally, the people who say MelaFix or PimaFix helped essentially dosed the medication, the fish's immune system overpowered the disease, they (incorrectly) credited it to one or both. The ingredients have a potential to cause major breathing issues and there is very little evidence showing effectiveness contrasted to many other medications with an established safety profile and effectiveness. It also can impact water parameters in a variety of ways...it is further complicated that there are reported interactions with other products often used in the tank simultaneously, potentially creating a compilation effect of stress. The difference between the therapeutic dosage versus the LD50 is not all that great and many fish have seen their demise because of this. If the fungi comes from a bacterial infection, an antibiotic is generally what's needed to kill the underlying bacterial cause. So I'm not a big fan of it.


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

The photos won't load for me, however.....

Do you have a local doctor there? Or a local veterinarian? If so, ask them the Korean name for "Sulfa antibiotics" (specifically Sulfadimidine and Trimethoprin). Ask them to write the Korean name on a paper. Bring this paper to local petstores.

Or, go to the Mardel website. Ask them if their product is marketed in South Korea, and if so, what the Korean name is. Also ask if there are stores in your area that carry it.


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## OregonCoast (Jul 8, 2013)

@NickZac
Thank you for explaining why those medicines are so disliked by many people. No one until now has explained why no one likes it. Now we know. Thank you!

@LittleBlueFishlets
I'm sorry that the pictures didn't load...I will repost them here for you for an update. 
We do have some local veterinarians here, but to play it safe we will order from Amazon.com...although it is fun playing charades with the natives here to explain what we want! 

We are continuing the salt treatment and frequent water changes for him.


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## Exquisite (Jan 27, 2014)

Any updates on this situation? I think I have a betta with the same issue (present since purchase from petsmart). I tried finding the Mardell Plus online but couldn't.


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