[lauren5cents]

My female betta just recently got a big lump by her throat and belly area!! i dont know what it is and the internet is not helping! what is it please help!!!:roll:

 

[djembekah]

hey, i dont know how much I can help you, but i can help you help the people who know more. can you fill out this form?


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:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

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)?

 

[Tikibirds]

Do you have a clear picture?
Also did you recently feed her? Their tummy's can get that lumpy look if they have recently been fed, especially if they ate too much and get a bit bloated

What do you feed and how much?

 

[lauren5cents]

i think 1 gallon, room temperature, filter, has a light on the bottom that blows bubbles, not heated, lives alone male is in different tank next to her, i feed her bettamix flakes, feed her once in the morning, i fill a 50 gallon tub of water and let it sit for a few days to get the chlorine out of it and then i pour it into the tank till its full, just got her like a few weeks ago so i have completely changed all the water since then, i dont add anything to the water, as far as appearance she looks the same but with a lump on her belly/throat area. she acts normal i noticed it yesterdat i dont know how to treat it becuase i dont know what wrong no history of being ill and i think shes about a year maybe idk purchased her a few weeks ago like i said before

 

[lauren5cents]

ill post a picture hold on

 

[lauren5cents]

 

[lauren5cents]

now that im watching her shes starting to spaz out a little im so scared

 

[iElBeau]

I can't tell by the picture... She just looks a little bloated to me.. Is the bump a different color? If so, it could be fungal :/ or, my friend thought something was wrong with her Betta, when there was a bump coming out from behind the gill plate, but it was just the gills, nothing seemed to be wrong though... Since that extends to the belly/chin area it might just be nothing ? :/ Do a full water change and add water conditioner and see if that makes a difference. Sorry I can't be of more help!
Actually. If there's a horizontal stripe across her that is a stress stripe (vertical is breeding ready) so that may also be an indicator that something is wrong or not... Whatever it is, I hope she gets better soon!

 

[djembekah]

i googled "eggy female bettas" and she looks like she could be eggy
but i'm new to this so i could be wrong

 

[iElBeau]

You could also purchase a general medication like BettaFix for fungal and bacterial infections and to help with fin growth and all that and see if there's any improvement over a week, but I usually wouldn't medicate without knowing whats wrong first...

 

[lauren5cents]

Some one else said it was just eggy too because i have a male in a tank literally RIGHT next to her! the lump is white but so is she. the vertical line is just the light reflecting on her

 

[iElBeau]

If she has vertical stripes or gets any, she's ready to breed... There's usually two or three depending on how big she is hopefully she's ok!

 

[djembekah]

i dont think you have to breed her though. i know if even if i get females as soon as I want them, I wont be breeding for a LONG time.

 

[lauren5cents]

no i dont want to breed at all!!!

 

[iElBeau]

Lol no you don't have to breed she'll be fine if she doesn't lol, sorry if I worried you!

 

[lauren5cents]

you didnt. my boyfriend is like THEY ARE JUST FISH!!!!! he doesnt understand theyre my babies!! shes my only female and i love her to death. shes marley and she sits right next to bob. so do i let them see eachother until shes not swollen anymore or do i hide them. what exactly do i do for her to get her eggys out lol

 

[iElBeau]

I don't think you have to do anything? She'll release them but they wont be fertilized and theyll probably break down i think?
And I know exactly what you mean! My poor guy had some kind of white growth for a while and although my boyfriend was kind, his friends ripped on me for like 20 mins saying it "should be flushed" D: it was awful!

 

[Tikibirds]

She just looks like she is eggy to me too - maybe a little bloated. Nothing to worry about. Once she is eggy and no male arrives, she either absorbs them back into her body or releases them.

It may help if she can't see the male.

 

[CarmanDirda]

It's hard to tell from the image, but she just looks bloated to me. Try feeding her a little less. I know they say a lot of times to feed as much as they'll eat in a certain amount of time, but some fish won't stop eating when they're full, just like people and other pets.

And yes, it is possible shes "eggy", but I would keep an eye on her behaviour and overall body condition aside from the bloating as well.

 

[mdlonigro]

Hey, how's your fish doing?

I noticed a couple husbandry practices that I think you could use to help your fish. Even if she seems to be okay now, I think in the future it will really benefit your fish.

First, you should have a heater because bettas are tropical fish and like to be kept around 78-80 degrees Farenheit.

Second, you should always add water conditioner. Aging water for 24 hours is great, and you should keep that up, but it doesn't necessarily take out all the nasties in tap water. I believe aging tap water gets rid of some chlorine, but not chloramine, but don't quote me on that. I do know that it's still a good idea to add a good water conditioner. I prefer Stress Coat+.

Finally, I've heard that flakes aren't necessarily the best food to feed your fish. I think they've been known to soak up a lot of water in the fish and cause bloat and swim bladder issues with bettas. I think that its possible that this is why your fish looks bloated to me. Most people recommend pellets like Omega One Betta Buffet or New Life Spectrum. Frozen foods like brine shrimp or bloodworms also make for a nice treat for them.

You can try fasting her for a day or two, and if she's bloated she'll eventually poop and problem solved! If she's eggy it'll also clear up on its own.

Good luck with your fish! You seem like a very caring fish mommy.