help with female betta's flaky scales

[talento]

Hi,

First time posting here, so if I'm in the wrong place, sorry about that.

I picked up a female betta from a pet store about a week and a half ago. She wasn't looking great, so I figured I'd try to help her out. She's got some scales around her face that are a different shade of white and slightly raised. Doesn't look fuzzy, so I don't think it's a fungal infection. The area around her gills also looks a bit pinkish, like the scales/skin is irritated. When I first got her, her spine seemed a little crooked sometimes, but it was so slight I thought maybe she was just swimming funny.

Her energy levels are good, though. She's always swimming around, curious about her new home. I added some bettafix and aquarium salt to the water, hoping that'd help with whatever's going on with her scales. No improvement, but she seemed fine otherwise. She's eating and moving around like normal.

But just a day ago, I thought she was dead. She was lying on her side behind the driftwood, not swimming. I reached in to touch her, and to my surprise, she was still alive. She was swimming in tight circles, though, and having trouble swimming straight. She was staying at the bottom of the tank, and even when she was resting, her back was really curved. I got some API's E.M. Erythromycin and treated the water. Honestly, I didn't think she was gonna make it, but luckily I was wrong.

This morning she's doing a lot better. Her back's still a bit crooked sometimes, but she can swim mostly normal. Her scales still don't look any better, but I didn't expect them to heal overnight. Does anyone know what this could be? I've seen some stuff online about TB because of her spine, but that's pretty rare in fish, and the antibiotics seem to be working, so I don't think that's it. I'm gonna keep treating her, but I'd really like to know what's going on.

I've posted some pictures below, but they're a bit blurry since she's always moving. She's currently in a gallon tank that I had set up, but wasn't using. It's fully cycled, with a heater and a filter (which is off right now so the medicine can work). I've got an air stone in there to keep the water moving. It's also a planted tank with Mopani driftwood. I know it's not ideal for a quarantine tank, but I had it set up from a previous betta, and I figured it was better than leaving her in a small cup.

Water parameters are:

pH = 7.8
Ammonia = 0 ppm
Nitrite = 0 ppm
Nitrate = 0 ppm

The pH's a bit higher than I'd like, but that's just the pH of my tap water. I've read it's better to just slowly acclimate new fish to the higher pH rather than trying to adjust it all the time.

[SeaBidder]

I've taken a closer look at your pictures and I have to agree, her spine does appear to be slightly bent, but I highly doubt it's tuberculosis. It's a relatively rare condition in bettas, and the fact that the antibiotics seem to be working suggests it's something else entirely. I'd definitely keep a close eye on her and monitor her progress. You mentioned the 1-gallon tank - is that just a temporary quarantine setup? Ideally, she should be in a tank that's at least 5 gallons to ensure her long-term health. I did notice that your nitrate levels are at 0 ppm, which is a bit unusual, but I'm guessing that's due to the plants in the tank. Fingers crossed she continues to recover well.

[talento]

I actually meant to say it's a 5 gallon tank, not 1. I just left out the 5 for some reason. I do plan on upgrading her eventually to the 20 gallon, and moving my male betta to a 10 gallon. I agree with you on the nitrates, it does seem a bit off. But I did have the tank cycled, and then I added all the plants, so that might be why they're at 0 ppm. I'm really hoping it's not TB, so it's good to hear that you doubt it's that.