Possible Disease! Need Help!

[BettaShelly]

I had a betta that was fine except after I had him for 2-3 months I noticed a white spot on his head. Didn't look like ich, but ran a course of Rid Ich just in case. Didn't go away. Got a magnifying glass. It looked more like an absence of pigment than any type or growth or parasite. Damned if he didn't die a month or so later and he was probably less than a year old. Thinking it was congenital, I went ahead and bought another pretty little guy who was about 6 months old. Three weeks later, same thing. Loss of pigment spot on his head. I am running a 5-day course of Maracyn Two but am scared same thing will happen. He is in a 5.5 gallon tank. The only odd thing I have introduced were silk plants that had been bleached and dried out for quite a while before I put them in. Could they have had some bacteria on them? I have a small LED aquarium light clipped on that is very bright. Could it somehow damage fish skin? The dead betta had only been in new tank with new light shortly before he died. I don't know what to think? Any info or guess is appreciated!!!

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Pictures of the fish showing the problem?
Check pictures on a computer and make they are in focus.

Did you wash the filter and tank out between fish?

What is the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH of the tank water?
What sort of filter is on the tank?
How often and how do you clean the filter?

How often do you do water changes and how much do you change?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?
Do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the tank?

 

[BettaShelly]

Water quality perfect. Squeeze out sponge filter with each water change weekly.
Always vacuum gravel with weekly water change of 25%.
Been keeping fish since 1996, so am pretty good with basic care, and identifying diseases. That’s why I’m stumped with this. Just wondered if anyone else had seen.
Running a Maracyn Two treatment now and will see if helps.