Betta Has A White Spot :( Too Many Water Changes?

[GuppyGoddess]

I've had him for exactly two weeks and he's been super happy and building a bubble nest, etc. The first week, I didn't do any water changes (he's in a 1-gallon) and then this week, I've done three (as I was told to change his water more frequently). Is changing his water more often the possible cause of this? Is it stressing him?

I have a bottle of Quick Cure to use tonight. Hopefully that works.

He's so beautiful with a great personality.

 

[Sean W.]

what the percentage of each water change?

does the tank have a filter?

What are the water parameters?

is it eating alright?

can you pot a pic of the tank?

 

[GuppyGoddess]

what the percentage of each water change?

does the tank have a filter?

What are the water parameters?

is it eating alright?

can you pot a pic of the tank?

For the general changes, about 50%
No filter yet. It's a drum-style fish bowl. I'm planning to get him a filtered tank. (waiting until my kids are back in school on wed., then I'm going to get him properly set up.)
Not sure of current water parameters. When last checking, there wan't any ammonia or nitrites. I haven't purchased a PH test kit yet. (will also do that next week.)
He's eating fine. In fact, I hand fed him everything this morning. (I wet my finger, stick a pettet to it, and then keep my finger about 1/4" of an inch above the water and he jumps and "catches" the pellet.

Nothing has changed this morning. The spot is still there. I gave him another dose of Quick cure.

He still has his normal "attitude," except didn't make a new bubble nest after I cleaned out his bowl yesterday. I think he's made at me!



I don't have a picture of the bowl. Will post later. Here is a close up shot of him. . .

 

[WILDER]

I would buy him a least a 3 gal tank.
1 gallon is to small and not very forgiving with water quality.
Do you have a heater.

The white spot on the betta how big is it. Is it bigger than a grain of salt.
Any redness to the spot on the outside or centre.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing, excess mucas, darting, laboured breathing or gasping.

 

[GuppyGoddess]

I would buy him a least a 3 gal tank.
1 gallon is to small and not very forgiving with water quality.
Do you have a heater.

The white spot on the betta how big is it. Is it bigger than a grain of salt.
Any redness to the spot on the outside or centre.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing, excess mucas, darting, laboured breathing or gasping.

Today I went to Petco and looked at the mini-bows in the 2.5 gallon size. The sales guy said that the 1-gallon is fine, so I plan to venture to an exclusively fish dedicated store next week and get recommendations from them b/c I had called that other store and they spoke of getting a heater. Even though the sales guy said the current bowl is okay, I can tell by the way my Betta moves, he wants more space.

In the small bowl I didn't want to put a heater in w/out having a filter to move the water around (another reason to upgrade his bowl). I stuck one of those sticker type thermometers on his bowl today to keep an eye on him until he is moved.

The spot is about a grain of salt. It's not white. The Beta's head (picture may look different) is a wine color and the spot is light pink.

No rubbing, flicking, gasping, etc. He does dart but I swear it's his personality! I'll watch for the other signs.

Adding to post: Is there *any* fish that can work in the 1-gallon? Would a gold fish be okay? It seems such a waste to not use it, you know? Maybe keep underwater plants in it?

 

[WILDER]

Ask in the betta section about tank size, will get alot of help over there.

If its a pink spot is sounds bacterial to me.

 

[loraxchick]

what color is your betta? sounds suspiciously like a scale that is at a funny angle and reflecting light differently to the other scales causing it to look a different color. does that seem correct? if it is of similar size and general color to other scales, i would presume that is what it is...just a wonky scale and nothing to worry about. just keep an eye out for behavioral changes (not eating, hiding, etc) and keep doing water changes in the tank (as it is a smaller tank will need them everyday idealy). it is not stressing him out as much as the buildup of toxins would if you DIDNT do waterchanges.
best of luck!

 

[Assaye]

It *could* be a deformed/pale/missing scale, but they tend to be larger than a grain of salt. A photo would really help. If this is the case, just keep his water clean and it should be fine, but keep an eye on him!

He really does need 3 UK gallons - that's 4.5 litres per gallon. Smaller tanks are sold for bettas as a result of misconceptions and habit. He also needs a tank that keeps a stable tropical temperature.

As for the 1 gallon - keep it for emergencies. Maybe his tank will break, maybe he'll need to be moved. You could also use it to age water for water changes to remove chlorine. Your plant idea is a good one. You could use it to grow clippings. Small bowls and jars are super useful and don't need to be constantly in use to have a function. 1 gallon is far too small for a goldfish. They need masses of space as they are really messy fish and grow to be really huge.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi GuppyGoddess

If you're willing to commit to doing enough water changes to keep the ammonia level down, a small bowl is OK. A small tank that can be filtered is much easier to keep up though. It's easier to keep the water temperature stable in a regular tank too, and for bettas this is important.

Your gallon bowl would make a good home for an African Dwarf Frog if it can be covered. They are more tolerant of unfiltered conditions and a lot of fun to watch. If you get a male he will sing to you.

 

[GuppyGoddess]

Hi GuppyGoddess

If you're willing to commit to doing enough water changes to keep the ammonia level down, a small bowl is OK. A small tank that can be filtered is much easier to keep up though. It's easier to keep the water temperature stable in a regular tank too, and for bettas this is important.

Your gallon bowl would make a good home for an African Dwarf Frog if it can be covered. They are more tolerant of unfiltered conditions and a lot of fun to watch. If you get a male he will sing to you.

Yeah, I am going to get him a tank. I checked the mini-bow but it was given a few bad reviews on Amazon for having too strong of an air pump. The temperature in the bowl is too low (around 70 degrees) today and he's quit making bubble nests, so he needs more warmth.

Hopefully I can have a new set up for him by the end of the week so his mood is improved. I tried getting help at the pet store on Friday, but the guy kept saying a small bowl is okay for the betta, so I'll have to drive a bit out of the way to find a decent fish store!