Infection or scab on female betta?

Rescued a female betta yesterday that was a bad bite wound on her back. Was an open wound last night and today it has a cap of white on it. I've never had a fish with such a bad injury before, so I'm not sure if this is the start of infection or a scab. So far she's had one dose of paraguard. She's in a 5 gallon hospital tank with a filter and heater. A water change was done on it yesterday before she was placed in it and treated with prime. The first 3 photots are from today and the last photo is from yesterday.

 

There's definitely missing scales...was she with other fish before you rescued her?

 

Fish don't scab, but to me it almost looks like some fungus has started to grow in the wound. Is she alone in the hospital tank? Is it cycled?

You'll have to remove your live plants but I recommend treating it with aquarium salt, around 1 tbsp per 2 gallons for a week or so until you see improvement. Just be sure not to treat with salt for longer than 2 weeks. This will not only kill the fungus but it will also help promote healing of the wound. I also recommend keeping up with WCs every 2-3 days, and add salt proportionate to the amount of water you're changing to keep the concentration the same. Salt doesn't evaporate out so you'll have to do a couple of WCs at the end of treatment to fully remove it all from the tank.

 

She was with 2 other female bettas in a meditank being sold as a tank kit. I started a topic earlier for help on all 3 of them, then decided to make her own topic since she's in the worst condition and needs more specific help
Help with bloated ill female bettas | Freshwater Fish Disease and Fish Health Forum | 499152

Fish don't scab, but to me it almost looks like some fungus has started to grow in the wound. Is she alone in the hospital tank? Is it cycled?

You'll have to remove your live plants but I recommend treating it with aquarium salt, around 1 tbsp per 2 gallons for a week or so until you see improvement. Just be sure not to treat with salt for longer than 2 weeks. This will not only kill the fungus but it will also help promote healing of the wound. I also recommend keeping up with WCs every 2-3 days, and add salt proportionate to the amount of water you're changing to keep the concentration the same. Salt doesn't evaporate out so you'll have to do a couple of WCs at the end of treatment to fully remove it all from the tank.

Yes, she's by herself. The tank is cycled and has a heater and filter. I'll try the salt, thanks!

 

Looks like the salt helped, the white cap is now gone

 

Looks like the salt helped, the white cap is now gone

That's awesome! I would keep up with the treatment until you see the wound start to heal because the fungus could come back if it's stopped too early. She's lucky that you rescued her!

 

Her wound is doing great and looks much smaller today

 

WOW look at how much she's colored up and her stress stripes are gone. She's going to be gorgeous!

 

Thought I'd give a final update. Here she is in her new 11 gallon home