My Red Betta Has Scale Loss?

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Jeknightica

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Oct 21, 2016
Messages
34
IMG_1477276389.851074.jpg
Hey, guys! This is Maru. I haven't had him very long, only a couple of weeks. He's in a hexagonal tank about a gallon and a half-ish big, and the water isn't really dirty. I was going to give him a good water change tomorrow anyway to keep it clean. Over a span of only a couple of hours, he's lost basically all of the scales on the top of his head, and many along his back. He doesn't seem to be unhealthy though. He hangs around the surface a lot, but I guessed that was because he doesn't have a heater but a heat bulb instead. He doesn't stay there all the time, he swims around with his find out and even flares his gill flaps if you put your finger to the tank. Sooo, my question is, what's up here? This is only the second Betta that I've raised, so I could use lots of advice. Thanks!
 
I have no idea, but this is a small child size cup if this helps you any.IMG_1477278493.460420.jpg
 
Okay.

I have to tell you that I came to online fish forums for help very clueless in the beginning, and so I can empathize that this process isn't fun.

Your betta isn't healthy. It's extremely unlikely that the water quality is good because there's nowhere for his waste to go.

Undergravel filters can be wonderful, but they really are meant to be supplemental. It's highly unlikely that your tank has had time to build up beneficial bacteria, and so all of his excrement is polluting the water. Imagine how gross your house would be if you couldn't flush the toilet or take out the trash.

The tank is also very small. I know that those kits are sold all over the place, but so are cigarettes and we all know those are a bad idea. Maru doesn't have enough room to move the way he needs.

Imagine that you not only can not flush the toilet or take out the trash, but also that you can't leave the bathroom. That's his world right now.

If you would like to get him healthy, you need to get him a bigger tank with a better filter (and a heater) and make sure the water parameters are good.

The best test kit is the API master test kit. I know it's $30, which is not $0. It has hundreds of tests, tough. Strips are $7 for four, so those tests get expensive quickly.

Ammonia and nitrites need to be 0. If they are higher than 0, they are hurting Maru.
 
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