Betta with HITH, how to go about treating it?

This is my first betta and I got him two days ago. When he was put in the tank, I noticed there were small pinhole-like holes in his head. His color is also pale along the body, and he spends a but of time resting at the surface or on the floor. His fins are quite large though (might be dumbo ear delta?) and I think that may contribute to the resting. I noticed a small (sewing needle point size?) chunk of his head, or another white thing, loosening from his head.

He is eating fine and is active enough to chase the straw I feed him with. I did a water change today and will probably be doing water changes every two days or every day until he is better. He has a heater but the filter is not cycled as I thought it was. I used it as a supplementary filter for my goldfish for a month or so and I thought that it would be cycled, but now it very obviously isn't.

I have not yet seen his feces since I got him. He does not seem bloated, so I think that he is pooping, but in areas that I can't see.

I cannot provide good pictures of his head at the moment.

Does anyone have recommendations of treatment?

 

HI welcome to fishlore! I have not had any experience with this particular disease, but after some research, I can suggest getting some Aquarium salt (not table salt) and trying that. water changes every other day is a good idea. online it says that normally it's caused by parasites, so you can look into that, Flowingfins? sorry to keep tagging you, but you know it's cause you're awesome.

 

Thanks mg
I don't have any experience with HITH, it's more common in cichlids. I think Rivieraneo has dealt with it before.
I don't recommend using AQ salt, it can cause liver and kidney failure, it might be the only option for HITH though. Like I said, I've never dealt with it.

 

Thank you both for your replies! I really appreciate it.

This saturday, I'm looking into getting metroplex at my lfs since most sources say that it kills the parasite that depletes the nutrients in the fish. I don't know the cause of my betta's case though, and from what I've seen there can be around three possible causes. I think a likely one might be water quality because his cup was looking a bit icky when I got him, but I wonder if stress from bad water quality could have lead to him being vulnerable to parasites and so on.

I'm not sure which cause to treat for or if I should treat for all causes without knowing which is the problem. I've never had to treat a sick fish before, so if there is any definite no-nos while medicating, I'd be happy to hear them!

I guess that is all I have to say for now. Thank you for your time, everyone.

 

Welcome to the forum. I have a little experience with HITH. Can you please post a picture, because what your describing doesn't sound like HITH , but a picture is worth a thousand words.