Help! What’s wrong with my betta??

I woke up this morning to see that my betta, Gus, had some sort of coloration/mark on his head. It’s a shiny orange/white color. He’s acting normal but I’m worried. I use a filter and water conditioner in a 2.5 gallon tank. I got him a week ago. What could be wrong?? Here’s a picture

 

I woke up this morning to see that my betta, Gus, had some sort of coloration/mark on his head. It’s a shiny orange/white color. He’s acting normal but I’m worried. I use a filter and water conditioner in a 2.5 gallon tank. I got him a week ago. What could be wrong?? Here’s a picture

Hello, is it shiny white to you personally? From the photo it looks like it's eroded to me. Can you confirm?
Also, to clarify: you've had him for one week? Was the tank cycled? Does he have tankmates? What are your water parameters?

 

It’s a little shiny, and I don’t think it’s eroded much. I let the tank sit for 24 hours before I put him in. No tank mates. How do I find what my water parameters are? Thanks for the help

 

It’s a little shiny, and I don’t think it’s eroded much. I let the tank sit for 24 hours before I put him in. No tank mates. How do I find what my water parameters are? Thanks for the help

Oh. okay, first things first, do a 50% water change. I assume you're using a dechlorinator? After that, read up on the nitrogen cycle. This is very important. Once you do, you'll understand where to find your water parameters. Does he have a filter? A heater?

 

Ok, I use a water conditioner but I just ordered prime after reading up about it. He has a filter and a heater. (water fall filter)

 

Ok, I use a water conditioner but I just ordered prime after reading up about it. He has a filter and a heater. (water fall filter)

Is it a high flow filter? I have my female set up with a two stream dribble filter to avoid fin and fish damage. I'm wondering if he was stressed at a point and ran into a decor item and resulted in a bruise and soreness.

 

I use the filter that came with the aqueon 2.5 gallon tank. And that might be what happend. He likes to swim up to the waterfall and he gets thrown back. Should I add more water so the waterfall isn't as powerful? His spot showed up over night.

 

Adding more water is probably not a bad idea, but as mentioned, you should probably do a 50% water change anyway so you could just add more water when you do that. Here is a pretty good video that gives a brief explanation of the nitrogen cycle (the first 9 minutes):

For the water parameters, you need a test kit. The API master test kit is overall the best value because you get more tests out of it and it's more accurate than test strips. You can get an API kit from almost any pet store, like Petco or Petsmart. The API kit is around $30 usually, so it is a bigger cost upfront, but saves money over time. The test strips are about half the price, but you usually only get around twenty tests out of a pack.

A heater is also a good idea if you don't have one already. Bettas tend to like being around 78 degrees. If you don't have a heater (or the means to buy one at the moment) just try to keep him in a warm place, like near a heater or warm vent. You can pick up a thermometer if you don't have one for a couple bucks from the fish section at Walmart.

Any of these things could be stressing him out- being cold, ammonia in the water, too much water flow, among other things. I do agree that it's likely he rubbed too hard against something and stress will make that worse. So far, it sounds like you're doing a great job by being concerned and trying to learn how to help him. It's a lot to try and learn all at once, even people who have been keeping fish for years learn new things all the time! Good luck!

 

Thank you so much! Yes I am going to clean some of his water this weekend and add more in so he doesn't get thrown around by the filter. I have a heater as well so his temp is good. I also bought some "fish in cycle" conditioner called prime which this website recommended so I will see if that will help him. I also talked to my friend who had a betta and she said it looks like a bruise. He is still acting his normal active self a.k.a coming to the glass etc. So I think he will be ok! Thank you!!