Help with Pork Chop the Betta

[gallopingmouse]

Hello! New poster here having some issues with my beta tank, hoping for some help...

Half Moon King Betta with a discolored (lighter than his scales in color but not white) blotch on his head. Just showed up this morning, otherwise has appetite & appears healthy. Doesn't look like the pictures of Ick, it's not actually white...Only fish + one nerite snail.

I've had some issues this week with water quality (I have another thread in invertebrates) but I tested this morning & everything appears normal for this tank. 0 ammonia or nitrite/nitrate, steady 78 temp. The pH in this tank is brackish, but it's been steady since I've started it & fish always seems happy.

It's a 5g set up for about 3 months with a charcoal cartridge filter

I've had to do 2 water changes this week and a vacuum due to nitrite/overfeeding issue. Typically, he gets a vacuum and water change once a week, about 30%

No new chemicals or decor

He gets betta pellets, and occasionally blood worms & brine shrimp. Fasted once a week, I'm careful not to overfeed him (the recent overfeeding incident was too many algae pellets for my snail)

 

[gallopingmouse]

Photos added. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[SaraB]

He could have just bumped into a decoration and knocked a few scales off.
Any reason he's in a brackish tank instead of a freshwater one?

 

[gallopingmouse]

Sara- hoping he just bumped his head! Should I just not worry about it unless he starts acting weird?

My pH is 8.2, out of the tap with water conditioner. I know it's high, but the fish has always seemed healthy & happy, so I'd rather not screw around with trying to modify it chemically. It doesn't spike, it stays steady. Unless you have any other suggestions?

 

[SaraB]

No you said he was in brackish water as in somewhat salty. The ph is fine, I imagine if you bought him locally that the ph is similar throughout town.
Just keep the water pristine and it should heal up. If it gets worse then it is something else.