Is my betta sick?

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Biff and Fish

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Nov 21, 2018
Messages
15
Location
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Yesterday I noticed this spot above Charlie's eye. It's still there today. Maybe it's just me but I felt like he wasn't very excited about his food this morning and he seems to be less active than usual.

Does anyone know what this spot may be? Should I be worried? Should I treat it?

Please help Charlie !
 
What's it look like? Can you take/add a picture? What size aquarium is he in? How often do you change the water and how much water at a time?
 
Info

Charlie is in half of a 10-gallon tank with happy neocaridinas on the other side. He has a 25-30% water change (and gravel vac) every four or five days. The water tests 6.8 pH, 0 ppm Ammonia, 0 ppm Nitrite, and about 5.0 ppm Nitrate. He's fed twice a day what he can eat in 10 minutes.

Thanks for your help Sara.
 

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Looks like an injury but to be sure, are his fin clamped at all? Is he hanging around the heater? It could also be a fungal infection but it looks more like scales are missing.
Are there any sharp decorations or plants in there?
 
His fins aren't clamped and I haven't noticed him around the heater. I've been using a feeding ring for six months with him and he has bumped into it at times.

What do you suggest? And thank you !
 
He might have a bacterial infection that he is scratching causing the missuing scales.
If he was by the heater it could be a heater burn.
I suggest googling causes of scale loss in a betta or something like that. It might give you an idea of what is happening or what to watch out for.

Any sharp rocks or anything he could have bumped into? If he's sharing a tank with shrimp im hesitant to tell you to medicate for anything.
 
The only thing he may have bumped into is his feeding ring. He gets excited when I feed him sometimes and moves the ring a bit. Do you think something like Seachem Stress Guard would work? Or aquarium salt?
 
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If it begins to spread then your little guy is probably diseased. Check for other red flags such as clamped fins, tattered or deteriorating fins, bloating, bulging eyes, protrusions in the skin, or odd behavior.
 
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