# Betta - black spot + funny looking scales



## BullDog

I'm having another issue with my bettas 

My veiltail started acting kind of funny yesterday, after I did a water change. First, he was having trouble swimming. I thought I may have added the water too fast - I've read that adding the water too fast can cause swim bladder issues. 
A couple weeks ago, a black spot showed up on one side of his "nose". I was a bit concerned, but decided to just keep an eye on it. Up until today he was acting normally. 
Now, he's pretty pathetic looking, sort of listing on the bottom of the tank.

I also noticed some strange looking scales on one side of his body. They sort of look like they've been scrunched up or something, not sure if that makes sense. I'm almost wondering if he's got some sort of fungus or something, since the "scrunched up" scales look like they've got a lighter colour too.

Black spot on nose: It might be slightly raised up, it's kind of hard to tell.









And the area of scales I'm concerned about (circled)









He wasn't co-operating to get great pics though...
He's still responsive, and was even following my finger back and forth.

Now, this may or may not be related to the swim bladder problems I've been having with 2 of my other bettas.
Whether it is or not, I'm concerned about my 2 bettas, who so far seem perfectly healthy.

So first, any ideas what's wrong with this guy, and is it contagious, and is there anything preventative I can do for my healthy bettas.

This guy is in a 2.5g mini bow, has a mini filter attached. I had unplugged the heater (since it's not adjustable, and was getting on the warm side), so the temp was down to about 74*. But I've plugged it back in now, and will keep an eye on the temp.


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## BettaGuy

Keep an eye on him for a few days. Fast him for 3-5 days and see if that does anything if in fact it is swim bladder disorder. Add epson salt if you would like. So far, it doesn't sound like he's particularly stressed. He's not palling in colour, hiding, ceased eating, or stopped interacting with you, so I wouldn't say he is sick just yet. 

How much water did you change? When you do large abrupt changes sometimes they have difficulty adjusting their buoyancy. It has happened to my friend's betta couple of times, but he was able to readjust within a couple of hours. 

I wouldn't personally be too concerned about the black scales on his head. The weird disfigured scales might point at something else though. In general, its common for a betta's colour to alter a bit throughout its lifetime. The body scales of your betta also show a bit of black in them! I think it's just an expression of the gene kicking in as he ages. My betta had his head turn from yellow to completely black. HIs body went from pale blue to deep blue. In a couple of months his face went orange and his body went back to the original colour. This is probably attributed to him having the marble gene in him. My red betta has a bit of black creeping on his body scales too as he's gotten older. You may also know that a lot of bettas have black heads, lacking "masks." Masks is a term used to describe a betta whose face colour is the same as the body. In the past, many bettas weren't bred to have masks and so their face colour is black. It's possible the expression for this gene is kicking in. Your betta is a veiltail and his genetic history is definitely a mystery since in this breed "anything goes". For all we know, his breeder intended him to be an extended red, but he may carry the red-wash gene or other genetic impurities that have lightened his colour with age and given rise to pigment spots. Pigment spots like yours are normal. It's particularly common in red bettas. 

Bettas are comfortable with water even up to 84F so don't worry about him overheating.


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## BullDog

I changed about 50% of his water, but that was yesterday, and it was today he started looking pretty pathetic.

I was kind of thinking the same about the black spot on his head, that it was just colour changing. But it seemed to pop up almost overnight. It was like, one day I didn't notice it, and the next day I did. Though it could be that I just didn't notice it as it "grew" though. 

I think he is an older fellow. I've only had him a couple of months, but he was already pretty big when I got him, so he's probably already a couple years old at least.


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