Black Spots on Betta Fin

[NewBettaBuddy]

Hi everyone!

I'm very new to the aquarium life; this is my first tank. I've had my male betta, Toddy, since Feb 4th.

Today I noticed some small black dots on his top fin (picture attached). I checked a photo I took when I first got him and can see two or three of them, but he now has several rows of about 6. They seem to be in a rather consistent pattern, and look like some new coloring that has developed, but I figured better safe than sorry. Is this anything I should be worried about, and if so, what can I do to help him?

He's in a 5 gallon planted aquaponics tank (clay substrate up top, one mint and one thyme plant, it's a TopFin brand), heated and filtered, in-tank substrate is fluorite black (purchased off Amazon). The tank is cycled, current water parameters (tested with the API master test kit) are 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrites, 5ppm nitr8s. pH is 7.6, and the water is treated with Seachem Prime. No plant fertilizer yet, although I have some Seachem Flourish Excel on the way.

He's in there with one nerite snail, and apart from seeing Toddy flare at him once this morning, they've mostly ignored each other (they actually sleep in the cave together).

He's very active, always has a bubble nest going, swims up to watch anyone in the room, will eat off my finger, always super excited to eat (he's on betta pellets).

Sorry you can't see more of his fin in the photo, he's not big on holding still for pictures haha.

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[Delapool]

Welcome! Looks ok to me.

Chemical burns I’ve seen look more patchy - that does seem natural. They can take a few days to show though after whatever did the damage eg cleaned ornaments and not washed cleaner off properly.

 

[coralbandit]

Spots look like normal coloring IMO.

 

[Jacobwt]

I have 2 females in my community with these marks I'm pretty sure it's natural unless it's on other parts of the body, I've just lost a male betta (he had his own tank) I'm not sure what got him it looked like dropsy but he had actual bubbles forming on his fins :/ not sure what that is. I hope your betta is happy and healthy!

 

[Delapool]

I’d suspect a bacterial disease with the bubbles. Can’t remember the name but one class of gram-negative bacteria will do it. Gas bubble ‘disease’ possible but quite rare.

 

[NewBettaBuddy]

Thank you everyone!! I'm relieved it's probably nothing; I already love this little guy so much, he's got so much personality. I'll keep an extra close eye on him in the next few days just to be sure. Thank you again!