Do we still think this is Ick?

[autumnang]

Hi everyone, I posted here about a month ago about the strange growth where Scotty's tail meets his body. I was advised it looked like Ick and there wasn't much I could do unless it 'popped'...It has been getting steadily, slowly, larger over the past month - but doesnt seem to be affecting Scotty's quality of life - other than worrying his mommy!! the growth is visible and protrudes sligtly from both sides of his body. Its easier to see how 'bulbous' it has become in the first pic vs. the second.

Just wanted to post updated pics and see if the consensus is still the same or if you think this might be some kind of infection or other treatable disease. Thanks for taking the time to look!

----Required info----
Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5 Gal
What temperature is your tank? 76-78
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? Hikari betta bio-gold pellets (4-6 twice daily); Top Fin freeze dried bloodworms (occasional/weekly snack)
How often do you feed your betta fish? twice daily

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? twice a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50-60% and 100% with gravel cleaning every month
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? API tap water conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? not recently

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? growth where tail meets body
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? has not changed
When did you start noticing the symptoms? over a month ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? only monitoring the growth and regular water changes
Does your fish have any history of being ill? no
How old is your fish (approximately)? I've had him for 5 months from petsmart

[Oldfishlady]

That looks like Lymphocystis...no treatment and usually not fatal unless it impedes on daily living...like swimming, eating...ect.....sometimes it will resolve on its own....

Lovely Betta....

[autumnang]

...maybe THAT is what they called it the last time...in any respect, great to hear it may clear up, and even better to hear it is non-fatal! Thank so much for the reply!

[callistra]

Beautiful boy!

You are seriously feeding 8 - 12 pellets a day? Is he pooping daily? Does he get a fast day? That is a -ton- and his swim bladder is very distended. I would suggest cutting back to 6 a day and see how that goes.

You really need to clean the gravel weekly.

I agree with diagnosis but you need to sterilize the tank and treat in qt at least until tank is sterilized. This is a viral condition and the only way your fish gets sick is if it is introduced to the tank. So the tank needs to be cleaned from this condition and most fish will clear it out of their system on their own and this is why it is not usually fatal. To boost immune system if you so choose, you can soak pellets in garlic guard (pure garlic juice extract) and use vita chem once a week. This may help him fight it off faster.

Good luck!

[Oldfishlady]

The raised area on the lower part of his body is the caudal peduncle and a normal part of the anatomy-it is more noticeable on some Betta than others.

The usually way fish get this a virus is through breaks in the tissue/wounds, gill or by eating shed cells-he most likely had it already when you got him- it has to run it course and usually the fish will develop antibodies and usually will not be re-infected-you do have to watch for secondary infection and treat as needed-but generally in a tank with just one fish-once it runs it course all should be fine...

On 2.5gal unfiltered tank without live plants-water changes of twice weekly are what I recommend...1-50% and 1-100% to maintain water quality

[autumnang]

wow thanks for all the feedback! Callistra I will ttry limiting his diet (I seem to spoil all my pets with food and its a terrible habit). he is an office fish, so two fasting days (saturday/sunday) Also glad to hear there is something I can do to be proactive (sanitizing tank)...

OFL, I do have live plants in the tank, do you still recommend the same water change regimen?

Again. I am so thankful that this forum exists and all of you are so very responsive every time I post here...thanks!

[Oldfishlady]

What kind of live plants....with live plants water change can be different....