Who Gives A Fish Forums

Mine took forever to grow until I added CO2. Not saying you need it, but if you're up for experimenting, even a low dose can help. Just watch the betta doesn't get stressed.

I think the first is actually a Convict Cichlid, not one of the ones I was looking at - I'm guessing the store just had a mix of different types of cichlids, not just African cichlids.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it, it seems pretty harmless to me. Let nature take its course, it'll either die off on its own or your fish will probably just peck at it.