Tumor?

[CaseyA]

Hi guys--

Pretty Boy started growing the lump about 3 months ago. I've tried every treatment imaginable--parasites, bacterial treatments, etc.--but it never shrinks, only grows. No seepage or drainage from the lump. He was acting normal until yesterday, when he started floating oddly and gasping a bit. I've moved him to a hospital tank and started epsom salts again.

Photo below. The lump emerges from between the scales, is not regular but generally round-shaped. No behavior changes until today.

Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5gal
What temperature is your tank? 75-78°
Does your tank have a filter? no
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Omega pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? once daily, 4-6 pellets

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? 100% once a week, have java moss in all tanks, it's great!
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? water conditioner + 1/8th tsp AQ salt

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? NA

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? lump growing on head
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? floating oddly, gasping a bit, eating sporadically
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 3 months ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Yes, see above
Does your fish have any history of being ill? no
How old is your fish (approximately)? 1-1.5 years


Ideas? Anyone? Photo below, I apologize for the quality.

[CaseyA]

Just went to try to get a better pic--failed--and saw that he somehow tore skin off the side of the lump. It's obviously tissue under the skin, with a blood vessel, so it has to be some kind of tumor. Anything I can do for him?

[Sakura8]

Hi CaseyA. If it is a tumor, then there's nothing that can be done to treat it. However, as long as it doesn't interfere with the quality of his life then there's no cause for concern. Bettas with noninvasive tumors can live for months or more and have a good quality of life.

The important thing now is to keep the water super clean so that open wound doesn't get infected. While the wound is still open and raw, I would recommend changing the water 100% twice a week and also adding a product such as Kordon Fish Protector which is great at healing open wounds.

However, since you said he was eating sporadically, I wonder if he may have developed a bit of an infection already or if the lump itself is a result of an injury. In addition to the epsom salts, you may want to treat him with API Furan 2, as this is a good medication for topical infections.

[CaseyA]

Originally Posted by Sakura8

Hi CaseyA. If it is a tumor, then there's nothing that can be done to treat it. However, as long as it doesn't interfere with the quality of his life then there's no cause for concern. Bettas with noninvasive tumors can live for months or more and have a good quality of life.

The important thing now is to keep the water super clean so that open wound doesn't get infected. While the wound is still open and raw, I would recommend changing the water 100% twice a week and also adding a product such as Kordon Fish Protector which is great at healing open wounds.

However, since you said he was eating sporadically, I wonder if he may have developed a bit of an infection already or if the lump itself is a result of an injury. In addition to the epsom salts, you may want to treat him with API Furan 2, as this is a good medication for topical infections.

Sounds good, thanks! He's still going, seems to be okay so we'll just watch him and see how he does.