Betta With Scratches - Please Help!

HI everyone,

I'm really worried about my betta Troy... I can from work today to find him like he's been beaten up is the best way to describe it... he's got like scratches across his face and his back. Almost like he's had a big scratch and even the scales were pulled out! I also notice that his scales are suddenly looking more pronounced, darker... I've taken a couple of pics so you can see... not sure what's wrong with him! Is it a scratch? Could have the other fish attacked him? I've never seen anything like it. They've been together since November last year and always all living in harmony and peacefully... the others are neons, 6 of them. They are in a 60l tank which I upgraded a couple of months ago. Thanks for your help. The only thing I've added recently is flourish excel... but looks more like a scratch to me. Please help, don't know what to do...






Btw his tummy looks a bit bloated but I have just fed him so maybe that's the reason...

I should also add that he loves swimming through tight places and throw himself to the strem that the filter creates...

I should also mention I have 2 horned zebras and 5 little silver looking snails which I think came with one of the plants I brought in...

 

is there any decoration he could have gotten stuck in?

 

Could he be rubbing himself against anything in the tank?

 

Not really unless he got stuck on the back of the filter, he does like to perch himself there...

Would you treat him with something? I have Paraguard?

Could he be rubbing himself against anything in the tank?

I do have however a couple of rocks there but I can't see how he'd get stuck...

 

I do have however a couple of rocks there but I can't see how he'd get stuck...

I was thinking maybe something was irritating his skin/scales and he was seeking relief. Just trying to make some guesses here.

 

id focus on figuring out the cause. if he just scratched himself up, clean water should be all he needs. watch for fungus though, and treat that if it occurs.

 

I was thinking maybe something was irritating his skin/scales and he was seeking relief. Just trying to make some guesses here.

His scales do look a bit darker....

 

His scales do look a bit darker....

This is something I have available at home and you might not but still... if it were me I'd stick my webcam on him and record for 24 hours and see what might be going on.

 

What are the bumps and lumps halfway along his fins? The fin rays are not straight.
I am not up on my fancy form betta breeds, so I am not trying to make you worry. But the fin shape seems odd to me.

I would not use paraguard if I had no idea of the parasite, if any.

 

Are you sure that your neons haven't chewed on him, or tried agitating him at all?

 

If you have plastic and not silk plants those could be harming him

 

Is that a rock in there with him? Could he have rubbed on it, going past?

My betta also squeezes into tight places, and made a tattered mess of his fins. I eventually had to put him in a tank with all glass decore lol

I agree, it's possible that the neons might have bothered him. But I'd feel that decoration for roughness, because I've seen playful bettas do plenty of self-harm too

 

Is that a rock in there with him? Could he have rubbed on it, going past?

My betta also squeezes into tight places, and made a tattered mess of his fins. I eventually had to put him in a tank with all glass decore lol

I agree, it's possible that the neons might have bothered him. But I'd feel that decoration for roughness, because I've seen playful bettas do plenty of self-harm too

This is what I'm wondering... he does like to play and he's alway damaging his fins hence they look tattered... There are no plastic plants but there are 2 rocks there... he even throws himself to the current on purpose. I noticed rips in his fins ages ago which heal quickly. I used to think it may be fin rot but after a while I really think it's just him being an animal! What I'm worried the most is if his scales looking darker and more prominent. I've read about dropsy... :/

 

I kept neons with bettas for years, with never a problem. I also have rarely seen fins torn by decorations - they do tear under their own weight when a jarred fish finally gets to swim. We tend to blame the decor when it is commercial genetics at play - oversized fins tear when they can finally move.
I was wondering about the nodes in the fins because they follow lines, as does the skin problem. The genetics for scales and fins are connected, although I don't know if that could be the case here. I have seen real fancy Bettas lose head scales suddenly with age, I would guess as collateral damage from the fancy fin growth genetics.
I see no dropsy or evident disease. I would just watch him. He is worth watching - a pretty Betta.

 

I'm not too concerned with the fins, knowing how he plays

How old is he? Age can play a big part in odd little deteriorations

Some salt in his water can help him heal, and keep the tank nice and clean

 

I kept neons with bettas for years, with never a problem. I also have rarely seen fins torn by decorations - they do tear under their own weight when a jarred fish finally gets to swim. We tend to blame the decor when it is commercial genetics at play - oversized fins tear when they can finally move.
I was wondering about the nodes in the fins because they follow lines, as does the skin problem. The genetics for scales and fins are connected, although I don't know if that could be the case here. I have seen real fancy Bettas lose head scales suddenly with age, I would guess as collateral damage from the fancy fin growth genetics.
I see no dropsy or evident disease. I would just watch him. He is worth watching - a pretty Betta.

Thank you... I was worried about him for so long thinking maybe it was me not doing things right. But after a while I have just accepted that it's probably just the way it is... so thank you for your reassurance, this is something I wasn't aware of and it does make lots of sense. I was thinking if they were in natural habitat they would be around rocks , sharp edges, and god knows so surely my environment must be more than acceptable for him! I'll keep an eye on him, and make sure his water is clean.

 

I'm not too concerned with the fins, knowing how he plays

How old is he? Age can play a big part in odd little deteriorations

Some salt in his water can help him heal, and keep the tank nice and clean

I'm not sure how old hI is if honest... I only got him in November and I know the pet shop turn around of bettas is constant so I'd like to think he's young.

I have salt but stopped using it as I've had mixed advice on neons not agreeing with it very well?

 

It looks like an injury. My betta got himself stuck inside a coconut shell hole last week. And in the process tore some scales off. It looks exactly like what is going on with your guy.

I would increase the water changes to every other day for a week to prevent infections. The cleaner the water the quicker the healing.

If you really want to do a medicated bath you can. You would use 10 drops of methylene blue in a separate 1 gallon container full of tank water. Let him swim in it for 30-60 minutes once per day for 4-5 days. This is like putting neosporin on a cut. It will prevent the infection. I used a 0.5 gallon food safe container with 5 drops of MB for Ollie's bath.

Don't use the methylene blue in your main tank, it will kill off your nitrogen cycle. Plus it will dye everything blue. It will stain everything it comes into contact with. Including the food safe container you use for the bath. One small drop will stain your hands, counter, sink, everything so just be aware. You can pick up methylene blue at Walmart.

Just watch to be sure there are no signs of infections. Such as redness, swelling, fuzzy growth, black edges. Any kind of feeding or pooping issues you need to be aware of also. So just keep a close eye on him.