HELP! new fish has a bulge

[ALS1104]

help! i bought another betta the other day 3 or 4 days ago, and hes got a bulge down his side (vertically) a little behind his pectorals... looks like its under the skin. he doesnt have any trouble swimming or staying up right... he seems to act normal, although he does hide constantly. but he could still be adjusting...

i bought him because of his bulge and i knew no one would buy him because of it, and even if they did they wouldnt try to treat it... anyway. ive bought some more betta revive and also bought some coppersafe, thinking it might be some type of parasite. i guess it could be scarring from a injury but i would think if he was injured that badly he would have died... it could also be a deformity or toumor?... but i dont know.

does anyone have any idea what it could be? i know without a picture its hard but like i said he hides constantly and ive tried to get a picture of it, but he wont have it.... and my phone camera wont focus anyway...








Housing
What size is your tank?
- 3 gallons
What temperature is your tank?
- 80 degrees
Does your tank have a filter?
- yes, tetra whisper 3i
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?
- tetra bettamin
How often do you feed your betta fish?
- 2x a day, a few flakes

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?
- 1/2 change once a week, full change every other week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
- 1/2 change once a week, full change every other week
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?
- aquasafe

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

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate:0
pH:between 7.0 and 7.5
Hardness:between 25 and 75 ppm
Alkalinity: between 120 and 180 ppm

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
- from when i got him, no, has bulge under skin vertically down body behind pectorals
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
- from when i got him, no, he hides alot...
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
- just bought him a few days ago...
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
- yes, betta revive for about 3 days
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
- just got him
How old is your fish (approximately)?
- i would guess 6mo

[ALS1104]

oh, i forgot to add that hes not eating much if any...

[ALS1104]

oh, and also... theres no discoloration or any fungus or stringy parasites visible...

[Pataflafla]

Can you try getting an overhead shot of him for a comparison?

He might just be a little thin, and you could just be seeing the bulge of where all his organs are located.

From the picture, he looks to be healthy. Don't worry too much about him not eating since he's probably still settling in. Keep things dark and quiet for hima nd he should perk up.

[Myates]

I don't see a bulge either in that picture..

A side note: if those are live plants, you don't want/need to be doing full (100%) water changes in that tank- 30-50% per week, with siphoning once or twice a month is all that is needed- the plants will use the waste from the fish and food as nourishment, and will actually keep the water cleaner then non-planted tanks.

[ALS1104]

you cant see the bulge in that picture... that ones just to show him off lol the bulge is on the other side... despite his horrible conditions in his petsmart cup, hes not skinny... i wish i could get a picture of it... its defiantly not from his organs or anything like that... its a big bulge vertically down his body and looks like its under his scales. im going to try to get a picture of it...

ive been doing 100% changes every other week in that tank to try to get rid of a snail infestation... they appeared in droves out of nowhere... ugh!!!

[Myates]

Ick.. infestation of snails are a pain.. probably came with the plants if you didn't add two in there yourself. You can also toss in a lettuce leaf here and there before you go to bed at night and turn off the tank light- by morning you will most likely see a lot of snails on the leafs and you can then just pick it up and remove the snails with it. That way you aren't risking messing up your cycle and the plant's health- nor stressing out your betta unnecessarily. A lot of people with too many snails in the NPTs use the lettuce leaf trick since it's safe and easy to do. Just do it nightly until the numbers dwindle down to nothing- also remove any eggs you might see if the betta doesn't eat them first.