Is my Betta sick/burned?

[Bedtimehero]

I got a Betta today and put him in my already-cycled 10
Gallon tank (It does have a filter and a heater) and so far he has stayed against the side of the tank, swimming in place and just floating.
I'm mad at myself that I can't remember but I don't know if he was already like this when I got him, but the scales on his head have lost their shine (compared to the rest of his body) and some are turning kinda brown and spotty.
He stays very close to the top of the water and lets the water current pull him around.

I'm afraid I've already hurt him or made him sick.

Is he just scared of his new surroundings?
I kept him in the bag and let him float in the water for 10-15 minutes.

What can I do to help him?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Letting him float in the bag gets him use to the temp but not the water itself. Next time add little bits of water to the bag over 20-30 minutes to get him use to the pH, hardness, etc.
Do you think the filter is too strong for him? Bettas (especially ones with very long fins) find it hard to swim against too much current. It wears them out.
He could very well just be scared. Keep the light off to reduce his stress.
Can you post a picture if the marks?

 

[Darklight]

What are your water parameters? Could it be that your tamk water is of a different ph to the stores? If it was too big a difference maybe he's in shock. Did uou adf any of your tamk water to the bag ? To acclimatise? Also did you check your ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels before buying the fish?

 

[Bedtimehero]

Pictures of him.

I didn't add any tank water to his bag but the pH levels were the same when I put him in there. Before I added him the Ammonia level was at 0 but I checked it again this morning and it's .25-.50...

This morning the water was kinda cloudy.
Should I change the water?

Should I take him out?
The only thing I have to put him in would be the cup he came in.

But here are some pictures of him:

 

[LyndaB]

If you've got ammonia readings, you'll want to do a water change. I'm not a big fan of doing that with new fish, but you may have no choice.

As for his behavior, no fish acclimates immediately to a new environment. Some take hours, some take days, some take months.

Patience is the best thing to have in this hobby.

 

[Bedtimehero]

So I should leave him in there?
Honestly I was thinking about taking him back if all I'm doing is hurting him.
I'll change the water though.

 

[LyndaB]

It sounds like he's just getting used to the tank.

What test kit are you using? How did you cycle the tank?

On another note, I'm very concerned about your choice of decor in a betta tank. Just about everything in there, from the coral looking things to what appear to be plastic plants, can easily tear his fins. You might want to rethink that one.

 

[Bedtimehero]

I used bacteria supplement and fish food.
I'll look into different decorations.

Are the marks on his head burns?

 

[LyndaB]

From what I can see, they do not appear life threatening. They could be ammonia burns from him living in his little cup for however long.

Water changes and soaking his food in Garlic Guard or Vita-Chem will really help him bounce back, at the same time building his immune system.

What bacteria supplement did you use? Some actually kill off beneficial bacteria.

 

[Bedtimehero]

Top Fin I believe.

 

[Bedtimehero]

How much water should I change? 25% or 50%?

 

[LyndaB]

Whenever you have ammonia over .25, do a 50% water change and use a good dechlorinator.

Make sure you're no longer using that bacterial supplement and do not overfeed this guy. Let him rest for at least the first week with less lights on time and no hustle and bustle around his tank.