[AARRGGHHH]

My betta has 2 lumps on his tail fin, one on each side. One is about the size of a bb, the other one slightly smaller. He's having some trouble getting larger bloodworms in his mouth, but is doing well with smaller bloodworms, that's his only symptom, and it could be completely unrelated. What could these lumps be, and what treatment is appropriate?

Thank you

 

[beautiful Betta]

Hi, if you can, can you post a picture.

Also can you fill in this info sheet as best as you can as it will help members to advise the best treatment.

Housing
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

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

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?

 

[AARRGGHHH]

Housing: 1 gallon tank with aeration, 100% water change once a week.
Food: Frozen Bloodworms
Chemicals: Water tests normal.

 

[AARRGGHHH]

A piece of the larger lump has broken off. What's rest of the lump was originally white, but now has a somewhat muddy color, maybe from blood. I've begun treating with Erythromycin, in case it's an infection.

Any insight on lumps would be deeply appreciated.

 

[beautiful Betta]

without a picture it is difficult to say it could be a tumour if its on both sides. Could be a fungus infection.

However your tank is on the small side and for that size tank you need to be doing more water changes than you are. I would say about 50% every other day, and one 100%

I am assuming this is unfiltered and you would not be getting normal healthy tank readings in that size tank with only one water change a week. I am guessing you either used strips to test or a store tested and used strips?

The strips are inaccurate and ideally your water needs to be tested with API liquid test kits. Ammonia would be the one I would recommend you get.

I would recommend clean warm water, a heater set at a minimum of 76F closer to 80F is better. Assuming you haven't got one, didn't fill the sheet in so have no idea.

And I would recommend getting Seachems Prime water conditioner as that will help your fish with any Ammonia and nitrite issues. And that can be added daily.

With no other real information or pictures it is almost impossible to advise on your treatment.

Good luck with him.

 

[AARRGGHHH]

None of this has anything to do with lumps. I appreciate your concern, but this is not a water quality issue.

 

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Are they truly on the fin itself? Or are they actually on the body? Is it a single lump, extending his entire width? Or.... well, I have lots of questions.

Can you post some photos? This could help people see where the lumps are located (which is important), their size, etc.

If possible, post at least one photo from each side, and one overhead view (standing over the tank and looking down at him).

 

[beautiful Betta]

Actually water condition can play a big part in a fish's condition, poor water quality ultimately stresses the fish out which then lowers the fishes immune system opening the doors for all kinds of infections.

But like LBF said some pictures would be useful to help us understand see what we are dealing with.

If you don't how to post pictures it is fairly easy, the way I do it, take pictures with a camera, then download to pc, resize them to medium then upload the medium image to photobucket. (photobucket is a free site you will need to register on to open.) Once there you copy/upload your picture then you can click on the pictures IMG link which will copy the IMG link. then back on this site click on the picture image box which is at the top of the grey text box, the little yellow picture square with black mountains and sun. Another box will appear just delete the blue highlighted text and right click in text box then paste your link, and then click ok, it will appear in the main forum text box as a code but will appear as your picture when you post the thread.

Hope that helps.

 

[AARRGGHHH]

Are they truly on the fin itself? Or are they actually on the body? Is it a single lump, extending his entire width? Or.... well, I have lots of questions.

Can you post some photos? This could help people see where the lumps are located (which is important), their size, etc.

If possible, post at least one photo from each side, and one overhead view (standing over the tank and looking down at him).

Yes, the lumps are on the fin itself. They were originally the same color as his fins. It's two lumps, one on each side of the fin. One is small, maybe three times the size of an eye. The other was originally bigger, but part of it broke off, the remainder of the lump is now white.

I have tried to take pictures, but he's a crown tail, other parts of his fins usually cover up the lumps, making it difficult to get a useful photo.

Thanks

 

[beautiful Betta]

Do the lumps look fluffy?

 

[LittleBlueFishlets]

If the lumps look fluffy or cottony, this would indicate Columnaris, which is a bacterial infection.

If the lumps are harder looking, it could be a cyst, a tumor, or a viral condition Lymphocystis.

Lymphocystis is a common viral disease which results in small, raised white spots. (Sometimes, they'll resemble a tiny cauliflower.) There is no treatment, since it's caused by a virus. Usually, the fish's immune system will fight it off within several weeks to months.

Below are two photos of fish with lymphocystis (where the cysts are fairly large though), followed by two links that contain good information.

Links:
- University of Florida - Lymphocystis Disease in Fish
- Pet MD - Viral Infection (Lymphocystis) in Fish

 

[AARRGGHHH]

That's kind of subjective, but if I understand what you're saying, the lumps do not look fluffy.

 

[AARRGGHHH]

If the lumps look fluffy or cottony, this would indicate Columnaris, which is a bacterial infection.

If the lumps are harder looking, it could be a cyst, a tumor, or a viral condition Lymphocystis.

Lymphocystis is a common viral disease which results in small, raised white spots. (Sometimes, they'll resemble a tiny cauliflower.) There is no treatment, since it's caused by a virus. Usually, the fish's immune system will fight it off within several weeks to months.

Below are two photos of fish with lymphocystis (where the cysts are fairly large though), followed by two links that contain good information.

LittleBlueFishlets, thank you very much for the information, pictures, and links.

It's a bit difficult to decide whether it looks like Columnaris or Lymphocystis. They look a bit like the lump on the yellow fish's picture. Do you have any pictures of Columnaris? Is Columnaris treated with Erythromycin, and if so, for how long?

Many thanks

 

[myexplodingcat]

Beautiful Betta wasn't scolding you. Water quality can play a huge part in diagnosis. We do need to know about your tank conditions in order to find out what the problem might be, including temperature and chemical parameters. Different diseases thrive in different conditions.

Since you didn't seem to like the big question sheet, here's a smaller one.


Do you use water conditioner?

Is the tank heated?

What is the water temperature? (Certain parasites and infections thrive at different temperatures.)

Does the tank get a lot of light? (Same reason.)

Is the tank filtered, or just aerated?

When did the symptoms show up?

Does it look like this? http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=382090


Next, you'll need a picture. This is crucial. Here are two methods in getting one.

Hold a mirror or a picture of another betta up to the tank so your betta flares. Then take your picture. It is preferable not to use flash, because that can make things harder to see when photographing fish.

If you can't get a picture that way, you may need to take your betta out of the water, lay him on a paper towel so we can see the lumps, and photograph him (again, no flash if possible). If you have to do it this way, be quick about it. You don't want your fish to suffocate or become too stressed.

We really need pictures if you want help.

One more thing, and don't take this too personally. Can you maybe be a little more polite to the people who've responded? I can see you're worried, but acting exasperated or criticizing the questions that are asked isn't going to do you any good.

Most of these forum members are pretty knowledgeable, and the ones who frequent this section are especially so. Collectively, they've saved dozens, if not hundreds, of fish over the years this forum has been around. Their methods might seem roundabout, but if you want help, you'll just have to trust that they're concerned for your fish just like you are and have experience answering questions about illnesses.

Bottom line: None of us want your fish to be sick, and providing us with a little more information, even if it's information you don't think we need, will cost you nothing. But it might save your fish.

 

[LittleBlueFishlets]

The majority of aquatic bacterial illnesses, including Columnaris, are caused by species of gram-negative bacteria.

However, Erythromycin only treats gram-positive infections. So if he does have Columnaris, this wouldn't be effective. Likewise, antibiotics won't treat viral conditions, so if he has Lymphocystis, it won't work on that either.

Columnaris is opportunistic, meaning that the bacteria that causes it is common in aquariums. If the fish's immune system is healthy, it can often fight off infection. But if something happens to weaken the immune system, the Columnaris can gain a foothold. When this happens, it can be pretty aggressive. In other words, if the white region is spreading, and look like bits of cotton, then it's likely to be Columnaris.

Below is a photo of a fish with severe Columnaris.

If it's not Columnaris, it could be a viral condition such as lymphocystis (as mentioned), or a cyst, or a tumor, or even an external parasite.

However, cysts and tumors generally only affect ONE side of the body. So you'd see a lump or bump on the right side. Or the left side. But usually not both sides. (Unless the cyst/tumor was large enough that it had spread the width of the body.)

Since it sounds like he has two separate lumps, one of which broke off, then to me, it sounds more like lymphocystis. Another thing to consider is an external parasite. There are some that cause small white lumps or bumps. But the affected region sounded larger fairly large (the size of a BB is pretty big).

Is he eating ok now? You'd said that he was having trouble with the larger bloodworms. Is this something new? And if so, has it gotten better?

Lymphocystis can cause pimple-like growths on the body. If they occur on the fins, it's unsightly, but not a health-risk. However, if they occur in vital areas, such as the gills or mouth, it can make eating or breathing difficult. There's no treatment for viral conditions, such as lympho. About all you can do is support the immune system, provide good nutrition, optimize water and environmental conditions, reduce stress, etc. If that's done, then often the fish's immune system can fight off the infection, but it still takes some time.

If you can't get photos, another option is to go an internet search for that condition and view images. You might be able to find something that resembles what he has.....