Large, white growth by dorsal fin

[Bcaruso]

My betta Roger has had a growth on his back for a few months now. Originally I thought it to be ich but treatment with rid ich did nothing and he lacked the sandy coating. Assuming it was a fungal infection I have been treating with Pimafix but the growth has gotten bigger. I am not sure if his condition is treatable or if it is a sign of his age. I have had him for 4 years and he has been healthy up until now. He's also, still pretty energetic and swims all over the tank.





Sorry about the poor photo quality, I took the photos with my phone.

Also, I have been conditioning the water with stress coat and doing weekly water changes. It's only a 1 gallon tank, which is the largest tank I can fit in my meager apartment right now.

[Bcaruso]

Here is a slightly better quality photo.



It's important to note that the lump is not cottony (It looked cottony originally), but is just lumpy.

[Sakura8]

Ay yi yi yi, that's a big lump all right. Looks like lymphocystis to me. Does it look similar to this?

[Bcaruso]

I think it might be heading in that direction, but right now the lump looks more white than fleshy colored. If that makes any sense.

[Sakura8]

They do start out white. Lymphocystis is commonly called "cauliflower disease." Some of the lumps turn pink because there are blood vessels involved or if the lump got accidentally bumped or something like that. If it is lymphocystis, there's nothing you can do but let it run its course because it is a viral infection. There's a very good survival rate of this disease when the fish is kept in clean water and fed a good diet. So, that's my advice: keep the water as clean as possible and feed a high-protein diet. If you want a good second opinion, I'd definitely suggest PMing Oldfishlady, she seems to know a lot about lymphocystis and she may be able to tell you for certain if it is lymphocystis or a tumor. I hope Roger gets better soon, poor guy.