[WiggleSwim]

1st thing: my little dragon scale betta, Charlie, that I have had for about 6 months now, has a weird white growth area on him. At first I thought it was fungus but realized it didn't look fuzzy, but rather hard. It's like the scales doubled up on themselves or something. It started off as a small speck and has been slowly spreading on his right side. He doesn't show any change in activity, still his usual active little self. I know I read somewhere that it is possible for dragon scales to get tumors. I seriously hope that is not the case!

2nd thing: I also read that they can develop a kind of coloring on their eyes. His left eye is partially covered by the same silvery coloring as the rest of his body. However, just today I noticed that the same eye seems a little larger than the other. Could it be pop-eye? Again, I hope not!





Here are some pics. It was hard for me to get one since he always seems to move when I try to capture it.

Anybody have any ideas on what this is and how I can treat it? I want Charlie to live a long happy life. so far, he has still been making his bubbles and looks a little agitated when I change his water and pretty much destroy them and he has to start over :/ aww.

 

[Sena Hansler]

He could have scaling over his eye, beginning. It's common for dragonscales I find. As for the "tumor" possibility, any betta can get tumors. Just watch it... There'sno fuzz, so it isn't fungal. If it IS a tumor there are a good number of people on here who have had tumor bettas, including me here is a picture of my guy. The dark blue bubbled area was his tumor.

Does it look kinda like that? with the "raised" or uneven scaling, bubbled or "swollen"?

 

[WiggleSwim]

About the eye: when I look at him from the top, the assumed affected eye looks a little more bulgy. from the front, it also looks a little more round than the other. I'm not sure of that could exactly be scaling making it bubbly looking. Thinking I should get some medicine for it tomorrow.

What I think is a tumor does look raised and uneven looking. It's a brighter white compared the silvery coloring of the rest of his body. It's like a lumpy, fused scale looking blob. Almost as if the scales kept growing over themselves and thickening.

 

[Sena Hansler]

That's about right for the tumor...

What size of tank and how often is it cleaned, how much is it cleaned, and is it cycled...?

 

[Luimeril]

with a tumor, more often than not, you can't get rid of it. i HAVE heard of people getting rid of them with medication, but i can't for the life of me remember HOW....

 

[WiggleSwim]

That's about right for the tumor...

What size of tank and how often is it cleaned, how much is it cleaned, and is it cycled...?

size of tank: 2.5 G
at least 50% water change once a week
I dont think a tank my size can even be cycled :/

 

[Sena Hansler]

Hmm okay, just checking and nope it "could" be cycled, but it would be terribly unstable.

 

[WiggleSwim]

with a tumor, more often than not, you can't get rid of it. i HAVE heard of people getting rid of them with medication, but i can't for the life of me remember HOW....

what did they give them, chemo?

 

[WiggleSwim]

any particular medicine(s) recommended for pop-eye?

 

[Sena Hansler]

maracyn 2 works well, I've used it...


or, a non-med like method is with epsom salt. pre-dissolve 1-3 teaspoons, clean the water every day, and re-add the salt you removed

 

[WiggleSwim]

Additionally, his white tumor coloring is taking over his fin on that side. Instead of being clear looking, the fin is thick white. Hopefully it won't affect his swimming. Right now he's ok with it.

 

[WiggleSwim]

OK, I got Maracyn 2 and gave the required dose over 5 days for the pop-eye. the last dose was yesterday. to be frank, I really don't see that much of a difference between his eye before and after the medication. it may be slightly smaller, but not that much to tell. IDK what else to do right now. He's still eating and swimming pretty normally, although his fins looked kinda clamped a few minutes ago.

 

[Sena Hansler]

Hmmm, so we can rule out popeye if there is no difference. There should've been some difference... the "popeye" look diminishing, or "deflating"

 

[WiggleSwim]

IDK what it could be then. The clamped must have been him just resting because I am looking at him now and he's doing his normal activity. well, the fins alternate between clamped and flaring. he's lying at the bottom of the tank, though...thank goodness.
please forgive me if I did this wrong, but am I supposed to also do partial water changes while he us taking the medication? I did not do that. could that have something to do the effectiveness of the medication?

 

[Sena Hansler]

I usually follow directions on the packaging. For example, double whammy for my new angels (previously owned) They got ich, so I have a med that says every day water change, and then they got hit by columnaris and THAT med says 48 hours dose, and then 48 hours later water change x.x So I follow the more serious one's directions (columnaris), then the least bad.

So, it is over one eye? Usually for one-eye popeye or cloudiness, it would be from an impact... But, since it may not be popeye considering it does usually go down on it's own a little too (I've dealt with it )

Can you post a new picture of both sides? I'm thinking it probably is a tumor, and as for the eye, it could be the build up of scales dragonscales seem to get commonly. I don't want you to fret about it though, there's many of us who have dealt with both!

 

[WiggleSwim]

The medicine said there was no need to change the water as long as the water stayed within the desired parameters. I don;t have a water test kit so I can't say for sure what the exact measurements of the water is. :/

The pop-eye is only in one eye, yes. Here is more recent pictures. I don't see much of a difference. Not sure if I should start a new round of medication or just keep doing 25% water changes and see what that does instead.

I usually follow directions on the packaging. For example, double whammy for my new angels (previously owned) They got ich, so I have a med that says every day water change, and then they got hit by columnaris and THAT med says 48 hours dose, and then 48 hours later water change x.x So I follow the more serious one's directions (columnaris), then the least bad.

So, it is over one eye? Usually for one-eye popeye or cloudiness, it would be from an impact... But, since it may not be popeye considering it does usually go down on it's own a little too (I've dealt with it )

Can you post a new picture of both sides? I'm thinking it probably is a tumor, and as for the eye, it could be the build up of scales dragonscales seem to get commonly. I don't want you to fret about it though, there's many of us who have dealt with both!

 

[Sena Hansler]

Hmmm it really does look like popeye... Have you tried epsom salt?

Anyways, for popeye I recommend daily water changes mainly because it keeps away infection which can make the popeye worse.

 

[WiggleSwim]

No, I haven't tried epsom salt. I pondered about aquarium salt, but wasn't sure if it would be appropriate for the condition.

 

[Sena Hansler]

Aquarium salt would irritate more than help.

 

[WiggleSwim]

OK. So the epsom salt would help bring out the fluid? And the water changes would just keep it from getting worse? I know some people have said that water changes have sometimes seemed like a miracle cure, but I'm not sure in this case.