Betta help diagnosing Stumped with what he has

I have raised this betta from a baby and at an early age developed this whitish mark on his back . 7 months now. I always watch it closely and it always is the same. I think the cause is from his crazy dance he does right before I fed him. But lt has gotten worse. I have read alot of information on betta disease but this one has really stumped me. Acts normal swimming around his tank eats fine. His tank mate has fin rot right now so presently I have them in separate tanks and treating them both with aquarium salt and microbe-lift Artemis. I have a bunch of tanks this one is a 6 gallon tank and I regularly clean tank. weekly vacuums as well as a quick vacuum mid week, yes cycled, water tests are all good.


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Columnaris? Fish Diseases

 

Looks like an ulcer or something like it to me. When did you first notice the spot? Is it raised or is it a growing hole? How fast did it get to this size?
I would do 50% WC every couple of days, if it doesn't clear up or gets worse a good broad-spectrum antibiotic.

I have experienced Columnaris and I don't think this is it.

 

He has had this mark for a long time maybe 5 months. It has gotten worse the past month. I got him as a baby at petco when you could not tell if he was a girl or boy. I have 15 boys Bettas and 9 girls and non of them have this so that rules out it being contagious. I have him in his own tank and doing daily water changes with salt and microbe-lift Artemis.It has been 5 days now and no improvement. I have never had to use an antibiotic and have no clue what to buy any suggestions?

 

I have no experience using microbe-lift Artemiss and haven't found a lot of information on its ingredients.
Ulcers are typically caused by gram negative bacteria, so something like Furan-2 (contains Nitrofurazone) should help clear it up. That being said, I would keep doing the frequent water changes for a few more days before turning to antibiotics. You said he has had it for a few months, so the infection seems to be progressing rather slowly.
Have you tried IAL?

Should you decide to go with Furan-2 you will need to keep in mind that it will impact your biological filter since it also kills beneficial bacteria. So you will have to make sure to watch out for any changes in water parameters.

Hope your little guy gets better. Keep us posted and let us know if you have further questions.

 

It doesn't look like Columnaris to me but identifying the bacteria isn't that important since all are Gram negative aerobes. Columnaris is pretty susceptible to antibiotics. If it's Aeromonas then you need to bring out the big guns.

Nitrofuran is believed to not be absorbed from water so it should be fed. In theory, it could be put in the water for an external infection such as Columnaris but I've never heard of it working. The dosage is probably way too low as seems to be the case with most aquarium antibiotics.