Disease?

Question
Hi Chris,
I have emailed you a few times about my Betta fish.  I have had him since Christmas and he has a little one gallon tank with a lid, light, and bubble tube.  I clean the tank once a week and use a conditioner and algae killer to treat the water.  About a month ago I noticed one little white dot on my fish's right fin.  I have been keeping an eye on him and then last week 2 more dots showed up on his fin.  In total there are only 3 little white dots on one fin.  The dots are no where else on him that I can tell.  I thought maybe it was Ich, but doesn't that spread a lot faster and all over the fish?  Any ideas of what my little guy might have?
Thanks!

Answer
Hi Nicole;

Ich would normally have progressed by now. A month is a long time. I have seen white dots on fishes' fins when the rays get damaged or bent. Rays are the ribbed parts that extend from where the fins attach to the body and out to the ends. They give the fins support and and help the fish to move them. If they get bumped and/or bent they will form a little tiny dot. Kind of like how a broken bone sometimes heals. The broken spot forms a little "knot" or ball as the rib heals. Sometimes it goes away, sometimes not (like a scar).

Maybe there is a place he likes to sleep or rest at night or maybe he is brushing up against something in the tank to cause stress in that one fin? As long as it doesn't get worse and he doesn't show other symptoms I wouldn't worry. Just keep his water clean like you have been so he has a good opportunity to fight off whatever it could be.

Another possibility is a viral infection called lymphocystis. It causes whitish tumors to appear on the fish, usually on the fins. I have not seen a case in bettas before though. Usually it's seen in brackish and marine fish. There is no cure for it either, just keep the water clean and the fish healthy so the immune system can fight it and keep the symptoms (tumors) minimal. It is not transmitted to people so there is no danger to you. Here are links to photos of infected fish;

http://tinyurl.com/8fefb
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/viraldislymph.htm

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins