Hello everyone,
(Sorry about low quality pics, my boyfriend isn’t the best fish photographer)
I went away for a week and tasked my boyfriend with looking after my beloved fish Princess Guillermo LaFonza. He was sending me pictures when I noticed this bump on her left side.
At first I thought it may just be bloating. My boyfriend was given strict feeding instructions that he followed to a tee (2 pellets twice a day, 12 hours apart). To combat the bloating, I told him to fast her to see if it would go down, she was fasted for two days, but then he said he felt bad for her so he gave her 1 pellet. She was then fasted another 3 days until I returned home last night, where I fed her frozen brine shrimp.
The bump was first noticed November 10th, so she’s had it for about a week now. Before she looked perfectly normal so either I wasn’t observing her close enough or the bump popped up overnight.
The bump hasn’t gone down at all, but she doesn’t seem to be in any pain that I can tell. She’s swimming actively and has a big appetite still.
I’m really not sure what to do, I’ve tried doing my own research but I’m worried I’ll treat her for the wrong thing. Is it a tumour? Is it a cyst? Is it the beginning of dropsy? She isn’t pine-coning at all, and has no trouble swimming to the top or bottom of the tank.
I love my fish so much, I want her to live her best and happiest life. I’m at a loss here and would really appreciate someone with more knowledge to inform me of the next steps I can take. I will do anything to make sure she’s okay.
Thank you so much in advance!
Tank Info:
• Tank size: 5 gallons
• Heater and filter? Yes
• Tank temperature: 80°
• Parameters in numbers: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrates, 0 nitrites
• How long have you had the tank? 4 months
How long have you had your fish?: 2 months
• How often are water changes? Once every 1-2 weeks 25% water change
• Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each: 2 stowaway bladder snails
• What do you feed and how much: variety of pellets (Aqeon nutrinsect, nutria fin max floating pellets, fluval bug bites) 2 pellets twice a day. One day of fasting per week. 1x frozen brine shrimp a week
• Decorations and plants in the tank: live plants (Java fern, Amazon sword valensnaria, floating water lettuce) mopani wood, and leaf litter for tannins (fritz brand)
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1p0depe
Posted by Prestigious-Ice-378
2 Comments
Someone else might have more insight to offer, but I don’t think it’s dropsy or anything food related. Her swimming and activity would be affected if it was dropsy or a swim bladder issue, and bettas stomachs are closer to their head so it doesn’t look like bloating. If it was bacterial or fungal you’d see white fuzz growing there too.
Honestly my best guess is that it’s a tumor I’m sorry to say. How old is she? Where did you get her from? Corporate pet store bettas are known to have poor genetics due to in-breeding, and fish that are relatively young can develop cancer and other issues even with proper care.
You could try a salt bath once a day with aquarium salt. You can add it right to the tank if you don’t mind the snails dying- just make sure it’s dissolved first. If you want the snails to survive, bathe the betta in a separate container. I’ve done this in the past by heating conditioned water to 78 degrees in a Pyrex container, then adding the appropriate proportion of aquarium salt to it and letting it dissolve. Put the betta in for 15min before returning her to the tank. Worth a shot.
Otherwise, if it is cancer, I’d encourage you to keep her comfortable and give her lots of treats as she declines. People feel differently about euthanasia, but I don’t hesitate to give a fish a quick death if they are suffering from something terminal that can’t be treated. I took my last betta out to my patio and quickly chopped his head off when he could no longer swim to the surface. It’s not pleasant, but I personally feel it was the right thing to do.
I’m sorry you’re in this situation, best of luck!
Sorry I can’t help 🙁 My fish has had a bump in the same exact spot since at least June, and unfortunately, nothing I’ve done has helped. It just keeps growing. I tried fasting, more frequent water changes, Indian almond leaves, epsom salt and aquarium salt baths, methylene blue, antibiotics, parasite meds, anti fungals I think and some stuff a fish store gave me that I don’t even know what it is. Mine is still swimming and eating and everything as usual, so I haven’t euthanized her. You could try some of those things, but if it’s what mine has, I don’t know if anything will help 🙁
https://preview.redd.it/lu5t4dzbi12g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b09880c3034e2bb130c5e39c52c08b7c2155bb0