Betta Scratching In Willow Moss

I noticed today that my betta seems to be constantly diving into the willow moss I recently added to her tank and scratching in it. I also noticed she is missing some scales on her head. She did get herself stuck between the glass and a piece of driftwood the other day, so I thought perhaps she lost the scales in the battle. But today I am noticing that I am having trouble finding her (she is usually very visible in the tank) and she is down in the moss scratching. When she sees me, she comes right up and swims around normal...also she comes right up for food when I tap on the lid (that's how I let her know its feeding time). She is eating normally, but the scratching is new. I am worried I introduced a parasite when I added the willow moss recently. I tested the water...Am- .25 (It always reads .25, my tap water has 1.0ppm of ammonia in it so I am guessing .25 is as low as my reading ever gets (or the color is off on my chart)..0 nitrites and 10-20 nitrates (cant tell between the colors). PH 7.0. I have been examing her through my magnifying glass (she is so active, it is hard to get a decent look) but I am not finding any white spots at all..just the few missing scales on top of her head. Could this be some sort of external parasite? Best way to treat? Any advice would be appreciated..thanx in advance.

 

Do you have a picture?

 

This is the best I could get, she moves too fast...she doesn't seem to be scratching so far today though, so I don't know if she was playing or if there is actually a problem.

 

Can you take one with the lights in your room off and flash on your camera? This lights up the scales so it’s easier to see if there’s external parasites like velvet.

 

I hope this is better...I do think I am noticing a white spot on her back and one on her tail, I don't think those were there last night

 

Is she always gold-ish like that, or is that new?

The 2 white spots near her tail kinda look like ich, and the gold... of it’s not her normal could be velvet

 

That looks like normal coloration so velvet is out. I’m not sure what it could be. The gills definitely do look inflamed. Possibly gill flukes? That would explain scratching as well, especially around the head/gill area. PraziPro is a good medication for that but I’m not 100% sure that’s your issue. Either way PrazI is gentle and won’t harm your fish or your cycle if the issue happens to be something else, it’s used as a preventative medication so there would be no harm in trying it. You would only need a really small bottle since the tank size isn’t huge.

I would get your hands on some Seachem Prime water conditioner to try and get that small amount of ammonia down for the time being. It will detoxify ammonia for 24-48 hours, but it’s still present in the water.

 

The ammonia always reads that...it has never been zero..I just think it's how my test reads...the tank is cycled.

 

Ok folks, so I started ich treatment...wish me luck.

 

I'd say gill flukes from the photos

 

I'd say gill flukes from the photos

Will ich treatment help that?

 

Will ich treatment help that?

API General Cure is a broad spectrum treatment for parasite like Ich and Gill Flukes. Just beware if you ave shrimp or snails since both are extremely sensitive to copper and can definitely kill them

 

Yes I took my assassin snail out before I started the ich med

 

Okay then you should be good to go. Hope all goes well