[JBosley]

Hey!
So my HMPK, Fern, has a mysterious bump on his head :-? It's been there for about a week, maybe a bit less. He is acting completely normal!

Housing
What size is your tank? 15 gal divided, so 7.5 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 80F
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
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 One Pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2 times a day, fast for 1-2 days.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Every 2 months or so
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 30-50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Water conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? No

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? He has a bump on his head
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? It hasn't!
When did you start noticing the symptoms? I noticed it the end of last week
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? None
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Nope!
How old is your fish (approximately)? About a year

Pictures aren't great! He is hard to photograph due to his shiney. whiteness! :shock:

 

[cjconcepcion]

:/ i dont know about the lump, it looks to me like it could be some type of fungus but i could be wrong. does it look like its growing on him or under his skin/scales? as for the water, it should be changed more often than every two months. a 50% water change every two months is fine, but in addition to that, a 15-20% water change every one and a half to two weeks would help the water quality much more

 

[JBosley]

It looks like it is part of him... so under the scales.

Even with a filter + evaporation?

 

[cjconcepcion]

im sorry i dont really know much about the lump :/ pm oldfishlady.. she could probably help you

and yes. is your tank covered? even with the filter and the tank being cycled and everything... the water will never be completely free of harmful substances. when the water evaporates the concentration of it just gets higher and higher, which isnt good for the fish, especially bettas, their food just goes right through them, so toxins build up pretty fast. other than that, your bettas habitat is next to perfect but what is on the other side of the divided tank? is it another betta? because if your hmpk has some sort of fungal infection, you would want to separate him from your other fish if there is one

 

[JBosley]

Hmmm, alright. Usually when it evaporates I add more, clean water. Then do the change about every 2 months.... I will try and do more water changes.

There is another Betta on the other side. So far he is fine, I guess I shall remove him! :-? Maybe I will remove them both and try and figure out Fern's issue.

 

[cjconcepcion]

remove them both and put them in temporary homes... if you only have one heater then put it with Fern... i would do a 100% water change to get rid of any bad stuff that could have caused the bump. then you can put the other betta back, but keep Fern in the heated hospital tank until you figure out whats wrong. best of luck to you! i hope he gets better! keep me updated

 

[JBosley]

Thanks! I have 2 heaters
I guess this will be my job tomorrow haha good thing I have tomorrow off!

I messaged OldFishLady and asked for her help.

 

[Oldfishlady]

Its hard to tell by the pic...but my best guess would be either parasite or tumor....

 

[JBosley]

What should I do?

I put him in a 1-2 gallon critter keeper with some epsom salt. Anything else I can do? :-(

 

[Oldfishlady]

Since he is otherwise acting his normal self with the only sign/symptom being the lump on his head....I would observe for any changes in the site and/or behavior changes....keep the water clean and good nutrition.....

In 15gal filtered- divided with 2 Bettas-I would recommend water changes of- 50% weekly with vacuum in all places you can reach without moving anything to maintain water quality.
Filter media-needs a swish/rinse in the bucket of old tank water a couple of times a month to maintain good water flow.

If the tank has gone a year with the water change schedule you listed....without knowing the pH and nitrate....To be safe...I would start with small volume water changes....10% daily for 3 days and increase by 10% every 4 days until you reach 50%-Then make 50% for 2 days-Every 3 days vacuum a third of the tank substrate without moving anything-

Then get on a regular schedule of 50% weekly to maintain water quality.

If you over clean and/or change too much water on a neglected tank-especially without knowing pH and nitrate on both the tank and source water...you can shock the fish....and it may not end well.....

 

[JBosley]

I bought a gravel vacuum! But it won't work.... it might be because my tank is currently on my floor. I have decided to go with my small tanks and since I want to do a NPT, I am going to completely clean my 15 gallon and get a stand for it.

Thanks for the help! I hope Fern will be okay. He seems fine :-D