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I have a Betta in a 5.5 gallon, filtered tank. About 3 weeks ago I added a heater to the tank and over the space of a few days brought the temp up to 79*F / 26*C. The Betta loves the heater, only a little too much. I found him wrapped around it on occasion and then noticed discoloration on this anal fin. A small patch in the middle that has gone white, gray instead of its normal blue. I assumed this was caused by the heater and bought a cover for it. For the next 4 to 5 days the fish seemed fine and his fin looked like it was starting to heal. Then 2 days ago he stopped eating and being active like normal. Hes been sitting in the bottom corner of the tank, behind a plant, only moving to surface for air.

He went in the tank straight from the pet store 2 months ago and is the only fish in there. I feed him Betta flakes with bloodworms once and awhile. Now that the tank is cycled Im doing 10-20% water changes on it weekly. All my water tests seem ok.

Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 10ppm
PH - 7.5

Any ideas on whats wrong with him would be great.

Here is a link for you.http://www.fishpalace.org/Disease.html#External

It doesnt look like any of the pictures on that page but thanks anyway. I book marked it for future reference. It doesnt appear to be spreading at all. In fact over the last few days it looks better. I really think he burned him self on the heater. I started him on the recommended dosage of melafix yesterday and today he is active and seems his normal self. Im not sure if hell eat yet as Im going to wait till his normal feeding time tonight. Aquarium pharmaceuticals recommend adding 1 tsp. of melafix for every 10 gallons of water once a day for a week. Then do a 25% water change and continue treatment as necessary. Im wondering how long I should treat for. Should I stop once he starts eating again? Should I stop once I notice the damage on his fin start to heal? Should I continue until the fin is completely healed?

Thanks for all the help,
Plan.

I would treat till it has completely healed, nice to hear he's on the mend.

I would agree with continuing the melafix treatment until he is completely healed. Melafix is a mild antiseptic that won't do your betta buddy any harm to continue until he's looking fresh as a daisy again. If in fact he was burned by the heater, it will prevent secondary infections while he's on the mend, something bettas are notorious for. Bettas will also stave off food quite frequently when they're injured or sick, which can be really scary and nerve wracking to the keeper.

If he continues to refuse food, don't worry about it too much for the next few days as long as he's showing other signs of improvement. Remove any uneaten food from his tank and keep an eye out for signs of infection. Good to hear he's doing better, let's hope he gets better soon.

I agree with treating it, and I would recommend doing 100% water changes. When I started doing only 25-50% water changes with my first betta, he got finrot and popeye,and then he died. Now I change 100% of the water every 4-5 days, and my two bettas are very healthy.