# White Spot on Female Beta



## Sunshine02 (May 5, 2012)

Hello. This is my first post here, but, I did not know where else to turn about my sick Betta. 

On my Betta, there seems to be something white covering up its anus and because of this, my Betta cannot go to the bathroom. The last time it went, its fecal matter was brown and white, but there was more of a white coloring than a brown coloring. I do not remember how long it was ago, but I think it was 1-2 weeks ago. Before, after reading some posts on this website, I was feeding it way too many dried blood worms in a day and I think my Betta might be bloated. 

Here are the answered questions below: 



> Housing
> What size is your tank? 1 gallon, I think. If not, I do not know.
> What temperature is your tank? I do not know.
> Does your tank have a filter? No.
> ...


Thank you so much for all of your help!


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

That's normal. It's called an ovipositor. It's where eggs are released during spawning.


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## Sunshine02 (May 5, 2012)

MrVampire181 said:


> That's normal. It's called an ovipositor. It's where eggs are released during spawning.


Thank you so much for all of your help! I feel really relieved now.

Do you know why my beta's ovipositor is showing when she is not pregnant?

Also, do you know why my beta has not been able to go to the bathroom after a few weeks? I am worried that I might bloat her if I keep feeding her pellets.


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## MollyJean (Dec 29, 2009)

There is a good chance she is going to the bathroom when you aren't looking or aren't around. If you are really worried, you can move her into a tank with nothing on the bottom, so you can watch for poop more easily. Odds are she IS pooping as a few weeks is way too long for a fish to go without.

As for why it is showing, most have theirs showing all the time once they reach maturity. Though it might be easier or harder to see on some fish. Such as light colored or white girls.

Also, you want to get a heater and a thermometer asap. A lamp is a very unreliable heater and you could accidentally burn your fish. Plus, fish sleep too, so it should be turned off at some point. The uneven heating might be why she is acting strange. It's nearly impossible to heat a 1 gallon tank properly, so look for a 2.5 or larger tank for her and a heater to go in it. A lot of cover for her to hide in and regular water changes and she should perk right up.


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## xjenuhfur (Jan 30, 2012)

+1 to what's above but also you are using water conditioner, correct?


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## Sunshine02 (May 5, 2012)

MollyJean said:


> There is a good chance she is going to the bathroom when you aren't looking or aren't around. If you are really worried, you can move her into a tank with nothing on the bottom, so you can watch for poop more easily. Odds are she IS pooping as a few weeks is way too long for a fish to go without.
> 
> As for why it is showing, most have theirs showing all the time once they reach maturity. Though it might be easier or harder to see on some fish. Such as light colored or white girls.
> 
> Also, you want to get a heater and a thermometer asap. A lamp is a very unreliable heater and you could accidentally burn your fish. Plus, fish sleep too, so it should be turned off at some point. The uneven heating might be why she is acting strange. It's nearly impossible to heat a 1 gallon tank properly, so look for a 2.5 or larger tank for her and a heater to go in it. A lot of cover for her to hide in and regular water changes and she should perk right up.


Okay, I will be more observant about her fecal matter in the future.

Thank you for explaining that to me!

Thank you for telling abut the lamp. I just turned the lamp off. I have a thermostat, but it is really big for the fish tank, so I have not put it in yet. I was thinking of getting her a bigger glass bowl, but should I get a tank with a filter instead? I also had bigger decorations in my beta's tank earlier on, but things started growing on both of them, so I took them out. There is a new decoration in the tank now, but, it only grows green stuff on it now. Do you know how to clean the decorations properly so things will not start growing on them again?

I will look into getting a bigger tank though. I do not know how long it will be until I will be able to get one, but I will try to buy it and a heater as soon as I can.



xjenuhfur said:


> +1 to what's above but also you are using water conditioner, correct?


No, I am not using water conditioner. I do not know what that is.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Tap water contains chemicals that kill bacteria. Unfortunately they also kill fish. You need water conditioner to neutralize the chemicals. 

Ovipostiors are always visible. However, during spawning they become even more visible since the eggs are being released. Bettas do not get pregnant. They bubble nesting egg layers. Your female sounds ready to breed. She will continue to produce eggs. Often times this problem is easily solved when the female drops her eggs. You may find little white balls on the bottom one day. These are eggs. She will usually eat them. Some females tend the eggs in a nest before eating them. 

You need a tank, at least 2.5 gallons, with a small heater to keep the water at a constant 80F or so and weekly water changes.


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## MollyJean (Dec 29, 2009)

Conditioner is also called chlorinizer or de-chlorinizer. If you live in the states it's needed to neutralize the harmful things in the water. 

Tank or Bowl.. well with a tank you can properly attach a heater and a filter, where as with a bowl it's much harder to place a heater, plus the view is kind of warped with a bowl. Personally, I would go with a tank. If a tank is only 3 gallons, that's a nice house for a betta! But 5 gallons is a mansion!

And to clean the decorations in your tank, just hot water and a clean cloth. You don't want to put any chemicals in the water, so no soap, but a little vinegar is fine. The green stuff will grow back over time. Just take the decorations out and clean them once in a while.


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## Sunshine02 (May 5, 2012)

MrVampire181 said:


> Tap water contains chemicals that kill bacteria. Unfortunately they also kill fish. You need water conditioner to neutralize the chemicals.
> 
> Ovipostiors are always visible. However, during spawning they become even more visible since the eggs are being released. Bettas do not get pregnant. They bubble nesting egg layers. Your female sounds ready to breed. She will continue to produce eggs. Often times this problem is easily solved when the female drops her eggs. You may find little white balls on the bottom one day. These are eggs. She will usually eat them. Some females tend the eggs in a nest before eating them.
> 
> You need a tank, at least 2.5 gallons, with a small heater to keep the water at a constant 80F or so and weekly water changes.


Would I still need water conditioner if I left the tap water out for 24 hours? A Petco employee told me that would be okay, but, now I am not sure.

Okay, thank you for telling me!

I will look into getting a heater and a bigger tank for her.



MollyJean said:


> Conditioner is also called chlorinizer or de-chlorinizer. If you live in the states it's needed to neutralize the harmful things in the water.
> 
> Tank or Bowl.. well with a tank you can properly attach a heater and a filter, where as with a bowl it's much harder to place a heater, plus the view is kind of warped with a bowl. Personally, I would go with a tank. If a tank is only 3 gallons, that's a nice house for a betta! But 5 gallons is a mansion!
> 
> And to clean the decorations in your tank, just hot water and a clean cloth. You don't want to put any chemicals in the water, so no soap, but a little vinegar is fine. The green stuff will grow back over time. Just take the decorations out and clean them once in a while.


Okay, I will look into getting some as well. But if I add it in the water, will it affect how much I will have to change my beta's water each week?

Okay, I shall get a tank.

I was cleaning the decorations that way before minus the cloth, but thank you for telling me how to clean the decorations properly. 


Also, do any of you know how many pellets I should feed my female beta a day? I have been giving her two a day now and I might fast her tonight, but, I do not know if two pellets a day is enough. I also do not know how much to feed her a week.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

It's called dechlorinator.


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## MollyJean (Dec 29, 2009)

As long as you have a 1 gallon or smaller container for your betta, yes, you need to do changes as often as you can. 1 or 2 50% changes then a full change in one week. Ammonia will build up quickly in such a small container.

For food, I feed all mine 2-3 pellets twice a day, but if varies from person to person. 

I had forgotten, but you said you fed her freeze dried bloodworms? The pellets are best, but for a treat, go for frozen bloodworms. You can thaw them out and feed them to your betta. It's better for her, easier to eat and won't give her bloat, like freeze dried might.


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## Sunshine02 (May 5, 2012)

MollyJean said:


> As long as you have a 1 gallon or smaller container for your betta, yes, you need to do changes as often as you can. 1 or 2 50% changes then a full change in one week. Ammonia will build up quickly in such a small container.
> 
> For food, I feed all mine 2-3 pellets twice a day, but if varies from person to person.
> 
> I had forgotten, but you said you fed her freeze dried bloodworms? The pellets are best, but for a treat, go for frozen bloodworms. You can thaw them out and feed them to your betta. It's better for her, easier to eat and won't give her bloat, like freeze dried might.


Okay, I will do two 50% water changes and one full water change each week.

I have been feeding her one pellet every other day since I am afraid she might be bloated and still not going to the bathroom. Her stomach is sticking out and is big. Her stomach area is also lighter than the rest of her body (my beta is gray) and I do not know if that is normal or not. Her front two fins are also bent at the bottom tips just a little bit, the tips are white where they are bent, and I do not know if that is the starting of fin rot or if it is normal for the fins to look like this. 

I will try feeding her frozen blood worms in the future. But for now, I am going to stick with just feeding her pellets.


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