# White opal betta has a growth/tumor/cyst?



## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Hi hi 

I have a recent thread I posted that has become very long due to all of the incredible help I’ve received (absolutely love this forum lol), so I thought I’d create a new one specifically for this lump to see if I can reach a wider audience to get some opinions!!

My white opal male (his name is Mr. Feesh😂😂) has been growing this brownish lump on top/in front of his dorsal fin. I will attach photos of it in the comments with the date they were taken on them to help anyone who sees this track its growth. It has become increasingly worrisome, as it keeps getting bigger and nastier looking quite quickly. He is acting perfectly fine, eating great and swimming around and always excited to see me (the reason I posted the other thread was because he was not eating and stayed in one spot all day, I was told he was not being fed enough so I fixed that and he’s doing much better now). But the lump is just very concerning. I’m going to ask my LFS and vets around me about fish vets to see if there are any near me. But yeah, I just want to get some opinions or if anyone has dealt with something that looks like this before I’d love to hear about it.

I received awesome advice in the other thread (thanks everyone❤) to get ready to set up a hospital tank (if needed, hoping not to need it!!), so I have a 3gal temporary tank, with a small amount of gravel to put on the bottom, a silk plant, a small decoration for him to hide in, a betta leaf hammock, his fave floating log, IAL, etc. ready to go if/when he needs it. And Seachem Kanaplex is what I have for treatment! I have aquarium salt but am not currently planning on using it if I need to put him in the hospital tank. I also have a small heater for it. I use Seachem Prime which I’ll put 2 drops into the hospital tank every day at the same time to help since it won’t have a filter. I’ll also add Vitachem to his water. That’s my plan so far, if anyone has any ideas or additions to that I’d appreciate it! Big thanks to @X skully X for all of this advice.

I want to be ready to treat whatever this is, whether it’s a cyst and it bursts or if it’s something else. I just think I will have a hard time knowing WHEN to start treating it. I’ll take any suggestions/advice/words that anyone has for me!!! And if anyone knows what this might be, I’d love to hear it.

p.s. I know he looks pretty rough, it breaks my heart🥺 He has always been a fin nipper plus he has black coloring due to age I believe. And the growth just makes him look even sadder😔


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

For reference!!

Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? 5.5
Does it have a filter? Yes
Does it have a heater? Yes
What temperature is your tank? Ranges from 77-80°F
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? No

Food:
What food brand do you feed? Ever since he was malnourished, I’ve been using frozen bloodworms, frozen tubifex worms, frozen spirulina brine shrimp, frozen mysis shrimp and Omega One Betta Pellets sometimes. I alternate between these
Do you feed flakes or pellets? Frozen & Pellets
Freeze-dried? Rarely, if so it’s either mysis or bloodworms
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? Recently, to get him plumped up and healthy again, it has been frozen bloodworms in the morning (around 5), and either spirulina brine shrimp, mysis or tubifex worms at night. Sometimes a couple Omega One Betta Pellets in the evening as well

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? Once a week
What percentage of water did you change? 50%
What is the source of your water? Tap
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? Vacuum as much as possible, difficult due to bottom of tank being heavily decorated so hard to reach empty gravel
What additives do you use other than conditioner? API stress coat, VitaChem, a tiny drop or two of pH Up just because of the tap water where we live
What brand of conditioner? Seachem Prime

Water Parameters:
What are your water parameters? Please give exact numbers. If tested by pet store please get exact numbers. "Fine" or "Safe" won't help us help you. Important: Test your water before the regular water change; not after one.

I USE API 5 IN 1 TEST STRIPS AND TETRA EASY STRIPS FOR AMMONIA

Ammonia: looks like 0ppm
Nitrite: looks like 0ppm
Nitrate: looks like 0ppm
pH: Looks to be around 6.5-7.5
Hardness (GH): looks like around the 60-120ppm range
Alkalinity (KH): looks to be around the 50-90ppm

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? The lump was noticed about two weeks ago
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? He has been changing ever since we got him, getting more black coloring which I was told was due to age, he also has tattered fins due to what I was told is nipping. He has a brownish lump on top/in front of his dorsal finger that keeps getting bigger and looking nastier
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? Before I started feeding him more due to malnutrition, he was very lethargic and wouldn’t eat. Now that he’s gained some healthy weight, he is back to his normal self, swimming around happily, hanging out in his plants and his log, eating, excited when he sees me, etc. The tumor doesn’t seem to bother him as far as I can tell, hope it stays that way!
Is your Betta still eating? Yes, he is now after the malnutrition incident
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? Not necessarily, other than I recently started using 5 drops of VitaChem in his water every water change and he always has IAL in his tank so his water is nice and tea colored
Does your Betta have any history of being ill? No I don’t believe so
How long have you owned your Betta? Since September 2020
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? No I don’t believe so


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)




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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Here are some pics from the first couple months we had in back in Sep. 2020 for reference


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## KatieMR (Mar 31, 2021)

I can't comment about the lump, those are way outside of my fishkeeping experience. I just wanted to say: Wow! He is looking so much better now that he is fattening up! Good job there!


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

KatieMR said:


> I can't comment about the lump, those are way outside of my fishkeeping experience. I just wanted to say: Wow! He is looking so much better now that he is fattening up! Good job there!


Aw thank you so so much  Yeah he definitely is!!! And it kinda looks like some of his back fins are growing back. He’s got his energy and spunk back too☺


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Wanted to post an update for anyone following here…

i went to my LFS and asked about any fish vets in my area, and the owner said there really isn’t any. His opinion on the lump was that it looks like an ulcer rather than a tumor, and suggested treating with Kanaplex with or without salt and see if it helps. If not, they have a lot of other antibiotics to try. So I might start giving him treatment in his hospital tank! Hoping that it’ll help shrink it.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Gosh it just keeps looking worse every day!!😢 I think I’ll take the LFS owner’s advice and start treating it, it looks awful


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## Eridanus (Jul 1, 2021)

Oh no, poor baby! 

I'm not entirely sure what it is, but it doesn't look like a normal tumour to me. 

If you've got Kanaplex and aquarium salt, I would try those. Maybe they'll help! 

Sorry I'm not of more help, crossing my fingers for you guys!


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Eridanus said:


> Oh no, poor baby!
> 
> I'm not entirely sure what it is, but it doesn't look like a normal tumour to me.
> 
> ...


Thank you so so much!! Yes that’s the plan, I’m putting him in his hospital tank today because it looks so bad. Kanaplex and aq salt it is! Seriously hoping it helps😔 My poor buddy


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

I am currently setting up his hospital tank! I am so stressed😂😂


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

@Eridanus @X skully X @betta4ever!

Question for y’all!! I have the aq salt and the meds in the tank, and I know the Kanaplex is dosed every 2 days for a total of 3 doses, but how about the salt? It’s a 3gal hospital tank and I put a little over 1/2tsp of salt…do I redose that when I redose the meds? Or just leave it? I’m also adding 2 drops of Prime every day at the same time.


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

No don’t add more salt. You only add salt if you do a water change and then it would only be as much salt to the new water as you took out with the water change so the percentage of salt in the water never changes. Need to be careful with this as it’s hard to judge how much you took out and how much to replace.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

X skully X said:


> No don’t add more salt. You only add salt if you do a water change and then it would only be as much salt to the new water as you took out with the water change so the percentage of salt in the water never changes. Need to be careful with this as it’s hard to judge how much you took out and how much to replace.


Okay good to know!! I won’t do that then since I’m not changing the water, I’ll just redose the Kanaplex.


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

Alrighty! Keeping you in my thoughts! 💜


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Well…he’s in quarantine!😅 I tried to make enough spaces for him to hide and be comfortable, and gave him his floating log that he loves so much to make him feel at home, but still keeping it a hospital tank. I ended up putting just a very small, light flowing air stone in the back, because he loves flowing water. He has IAL in there as well as the aq salt and the Kanaplex and of course Prime. He doesn’t seem too upset or stressed, and the water is staying around 77.5°F. Gonna feed him some bloodworms and turn his light off for the night, once he’s done exploring☺ Also I’m way too sensitive for this, I def cried taking him out of his tank because I felt so bad, even though I’m trying to help him😅😂😂

Keep Mr. Feesh in your thoughts for me!!!


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

I turned his light off about an hour and a half ago and he’s still swimming around and hasn’t really rested at all, I assume he’s probably just getting used to the new space and is a little stressed? He did eat his bloodworms though so that’s great


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

He is doing great this afternoon! He finally rested on top of his heater and his leaves last night  Just need to feed him now. He seems like he’s not too upset😂 Here he is today…


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Another stupid question lol😂 So when I redose the Kanaplex, I don’t need to remove any water right? The purpose is to add it to whatever is left in there from the first initial dose, to gradually ramp up the medication?

@X skully X


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

Yes indeed!!


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

X skully X said:


> Yes indeed!!


Okay perfect, thank youuuuu!! I very much appreciate your quick replies😂❤


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

You just happen to ask right when I get on the forum! It’s kinda funny 😆


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Question again😂
I just woke up and came to check on him, and his water is so cloudy!! The pic doesn’t do it justice, it’s really clouded up. His water parameters are in the perfect range, no ammonia or anything, do you know why this is happening/how I can fix it?
@X skully X
@Eridanus @RussellTheShihTzu @betta4ever!


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

It’s the meds, as long as the water Parameters are good no need to worry.

how is Feesh doing?


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

X skully X said:


> It’s the meds, as long as the water Parameters are good no need to worry.
> 
> how is Feesh doing?


Phew okay, I figured it was the salt or the meds or bacteria or something like that. I’ll keep checking the parameters and making sure they’re good!

He seems to be doing fine! He’s eating great and is active and always excited when I come over to this tank, and at night he rests on the leaves in there  I changed out the heater to the one that’s in his normal tank, since my other old one wasn’t keeping him warm enough so that’s working well. I can’t tell if there’s much change in his lump, but hopefully there will be soon. Thank you🥰🥰


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

@Eridanus @betta4ever! @X skully X 


Here he is tonight!! I just added another dose of Kanaplex and the Prime. It kinda seems like he’s working his gills a lot harder? Idk how to explain it lol, almost like he’s puffing them harder when they’re moving, and that they’re more…open? It’s hard to explain😅 Could the meds be making it harder for him to breathe? I can try to explain it better. Honestly I could just be overthinking and worried lol. Sorry, I’m a worrier😂 But other than that he’s eating good and is pretty active, and his water parameters and temperature are both good. I don’t notice much of a change in the lump yet but we’ll see!


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

It certainly could be the meds or the salt. He is kind of in a weakened state as is so the meds were always going to be a gamble. Not sure what you want to do here, if you do decide to stop treatment early I would do a 50% water change and then in 2-4 hours do another water change or put him back into his main tank. For the adjustment from salt to no salt.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

X skully X said:


> It certainly could be the meds or the salt. He is kind of in a weakened state as is so the meds were always going to be a gamble. Not sure what you want to do here, if you do decide to stop treatment early I would do a 50% water change and then in 2-4 hours do another water change or put him back into his main tank. For the adjustment from salt to no salt.


I’m not sure what I want to do either😅😭 Everything was going fine until I noticed his gills doing that..What do you think? @RussellTheShihTzu , as well, what about you? I need opinions lol. I don’t want to keep him in there if it’s hurting him and his ability to breathe, and I definitely feel like his gills are working differently. Ughhhh this is so stressful


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

My gut is telling me to do the 50% change and then after a couple hours put him back into his main tank…I don’t want to stop the treatment if it’s going to help him, but I haven’t noticed much change in his lump, even though it’s only been a couple days, and now I’m noticing the gill issue…


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

@X skully X @RussellTheShihTzu 
Okay I’m making my decision😅 I’m gonna go ahead and do a 50% change and then move him back to his tank after about 2-3 hours, since I’ll have to go to bed once it hits 4 hours. His gills and what they’re doing is just making me super worried, and he is staying at the surface of the water and blowing bubbles constantly. I’ve never seen his gills do what they’re doing so I’m gonna end the treatment just in case


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

I think I will likely just watch over the ulcer (is what the LFS owner told me it looks like) and just treat it again if I feel it’s affecting him more or is getting a lot worse. I wonder if maybe it was too much for him, the salt and the meds at the same time.
Maybe adding a little salt to his main tank could be fine? Idk, I’ll skip that for now and just put him back to recover and rest.
Oh I wanted to ask, do y’all have any experience with Methylene Blue? I just heard it can be used for some betta issues so was wondering about it since I don’t know too much about it.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Well I’ve never put him in a fish net before, usually I scoop him up in the cup we bought him in, but I didn’t wasn’t to transfer the medicine to his main tank…..aaaaand he was NOT a fan of that net😅 He is now hiding from me in his main tank. Poor lil guy.

Hopefully he’s glad to be back home in his comfort tank though. I wish I could have finished the treatment but I was way too worried about his breathing


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## betta4ever! (Oct 5, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> Here he is tonight!! I just added another dose of Kanaplex and the Prime. It kinda seems like he’s working his gills a lot harder? Idk how to explain it lol, almost like he’s puffing them harder when they’re moving, and that they’re more…open? It’s hard to explain😅 Could the meds be making it harder for him to breathe? I can try to explain it better. Honestly I could just be overthinking and worried lol. Sorry, I’m a worrier😂 But other than that he’s eating good and is pretty active, and his water parameters and temperature are both good. I don’t notice much of a change in the lump yet but we’ll see!


IME, its the salt. It won't harm him, so i'd just let him be. At least, thats my experience....


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

betta4ever! said:


> IME, its the salt. It won't harm him, so i'd just let him be. At least, thats my experience....


I guess that’s good to know, I already moved him back though😔 This is so hard, I don’t know what’s best for him and all I want to do is help but he started breathing so weird I just couldn’t keep him in there..I put him back last night and he’s been hiding from me ever since. I only got a couple bloodworms in him this morning because he won’t come to the front and is staying at the bottom of the tank. I hope he starts getting back to normal, because even with the ulcer he’s been eating and acting fine ever since I started treating the malnutrition. This is so frustrating, confusing and heartbreaking🙁


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

@X skully X @betta4ever! 
Update:
When I came home tonight, I was SO happy to see that he came up to the front to see me AND he ate 4 pellets🥺 I think he was very upset about the net situation😅 He’s still hanging around the bottom a lot but he actually comes up to me unlike he did last night and this morning.
His ulcer looks….rough. I’m just not sure what to do here. I ended up putting a teaspoon of salt into his main tank, I know it’s not much at all but I figured I’d just do that. I’m not sure if Methylene Blue would help, or if a different medication, or what. I wanted that Kanaplex to work but he was acting SO weird, and I really didn’t want to keep him in it. Maybe if I used a small dose of it in his main tank? Im just not sure. I guess I need more advice😅
What I do love though, is that I think I am spotting some new fin growth in the back, if that’s what the kinda transparent fins mean?


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## betta4ever! (Oct 5, 2021)

clerbird321 said:


> Update:
> When I came home tonight, I was SO happy to see that he came up to the front to see me AND he ate 4 pellets🥺 I think he was very upset about the net situation😅 He’s still hanging around the bottom a lot but he actually comes up to me unlike he did last night and this morning.
> His ulcer looks….rough. I’m just not sure what to do here. I ended up putting a teaspoon of salt into his main tank, I know it’s not much at all but I figured I’d just do that. I’m not sure if Methylene Blue would help, or if a different medication, or what. I wanted that Kanaplex to work but he was acting SO weird, and I really didn’t want to keep him in it. Maybe if I used a small dose of it in his main tank? Im just not sure. I guess I need more advice😅
> What I do love though, is that I think I am spotting some new fin growth in the back, if that’s what the kinda transparent fins mean?


I dont think that a small dose of kanaplex will do something, but you can try. IME, salt causes the slow breathing, so i'd try a normal dose of kanaplex, but no salt. The transparent fins are fin regrouth, which is great!


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## KatieMR (Mar 31, 2021)

I'm glad he's behaving more normally! I would be careful about adding partial doses of meds like kanaplex. Maybe someone more experienced with fish medicine will have better advice, but since it is an antibiotic, using a partial dose could cause more harm then good. It won't be strong enough to treat whatever it is supposed to be treating. It might kill off some of the bad bacteria, but whatever is left is going to end up being more resistant to that particular antiboitic than what you had before, making whatever you are trying to treat more difficult, Also, I would think it will kill off your beneficial bacteria so you end up having to do a whole new cycle.

Like I said, I am definitely not experienced with fish medicine, so maybe someone more experienced can chime in. I do know those are all the reasons why human doctors have to be so careful with dispensing antibiotics to their patients now, though.


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## betta4ever! (Oct 5, 2021)

KatieMR said:


> I would be careful about adding partial doses of meds like kanaplex. Maybe someone more experienced with fish medicine will have better advice, but since it is an antibiotic, using a partial dose could cause more harm then good. It won't be strong enough to treat whatever it is supposed to be treating. It might kill off some of the bad bacteria, but whatever is left is going to end up being more resistant to that particular antiboitic than what you had before, making whatever you are trying to treat more difficult, Also, I would think it will kill off your beneficial bacteria so you end up having to do a whole new cycle.


That makes sence! Thanks for correcting me on this, @KatieMR!! I'm always so amazed by your experience!


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## KatieMR (Mar 31, 2021)

You're welcome! I really don't have a lot of experience with bettas, since I've only been keeping one tank for a year. I have done a lot of researching and reading up on them since I started keeping them, though. I also worked in a doctor's office for a while and have a lot of relatives in the medical profession. Fish are different from humans and treating fish are different from humans, but the medicines work on the same principles. What I mostly do is ask questions: I figure if I ask enough questions, someone with more experience than me can come along and give the right advice! I try not to give advice unless I know for sure that what I'm giving is correct.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

@KatieMR @betta4ever! 
Thanks so much to both of you☺ I’m going to monitor it closely and if it starts to really affect him or is breaking apart or bursts, then I’ll do the Kanaplex again. He just doesn’t seem to be too affected right now so I don’t want to stress him again. I do have that hospital tank, but do you guys know if adding Kanaplex to his main tank would do any harm? To the live plants (Java fern and Anubias) and his moss balls? Would I need to take the filter cartridge out and just keep it running without it?
I’ll prob still use the hospital tank if/when I treat him again, just wondering ☺


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

An ulcer is an open wound. Does it look like it is? It is a lot more red as time goes on but is it actually an open wound? Other than his dorsal fin the rest of his body looks better. He seems to be gaining weight and the rest of his fins look better to me.


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

Btw I love that whole tank picture after you netted him lol, it’s like he is saying “what r u doin now hoomen, I’ve got my eye on you!” 😂 feesh really is adorable 💜


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

X skully X said:


> An ulcer is an open wound. Does it look like it is? It is a lot more red as time goes on but is it actually an open wound? Other than his dorsal fin the rest of his body looks better. He seems to be gaining weight and the rest of his fins look better to me.


Hmm, I wouldn’t say it’s open no. Today some of it is kind of sloughing off it looks like? There’s a little piece of white that’s hanging off of it, I’ll attach pics thatI jus took. Yes he is gaining weight and his fins are growing back, it makes me so happy!! I hope he doesn’t remember his fins are there and start eating them again🤦‍♀️😂


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

X skully X said:


> Btw I love that whole tank picture after you netted him lol, it’s like he is saying “what r u doin now hoomen, I’ve got my eye on you!” 😂 feesh really is adorable 💜


Oh my gosh I know😂 I SWEAR this little dude knows how much control he has over my emotions😂 He hid for almost a whole day after I netted him🤦‍♀️
Thank you🥺 I think so too🥰


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Here he is today!!


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Also I am loving his weight gain☺ He still has some room to grow but he looks so much better already!!!! I feel like it’s pretty noticeable at least!😂 Top pic is from January 25th, bottom pic is from today, February 15th🥰


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

@X skully X @betta4ever! @RussellTheShihTzu @Eridanus 

Update!
So he’s still In his main tank, still eating great and swimming around most of the day. I’m still just monitoring the lump. It almost looks smaller but looks like it’s spreading? Hard to tell. But his dorsal fin is still shrinking because of it. Here’s some pics..sorry they’re not great! He would NOT hold still, too excited😂


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

@Eridanus @RussellTheShihTzu @OxalisClover @X skully X @KatieMR @betta4ever
Update on his lump…

So I’m still just keeping an eye on it, it seems like it changes every day. Right now it looks more like an ulcer/open wound kinda thing. It seems like it sheds skin every couple days, like some transparent/whiteish fluffy tissue comes off of it. Idk if that’s good or bad. But, it still doesn’t seem to bug him and he’s eating great and interacting just fine. His fins are BEAUTIFUL!! I’m so glad he’s taking a break from eating them🤦‍♀️😂 Sorry for the crappy pics, I have to screenshot from videos lol. Any new ideas or thoughts on this lump?


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

Well that sucks cle. Looks like he is gonna lose his dorsal fin completely. Doubtful it will grow back with that amount of tissue damage. It doesn’t look infected. The white is stuff coming off is probably a combination of slime coat and tissue dieing. I would personally do another round of kanaplex and hope it slows down whatever is happening here with the lump. Not sure how you feel about that since the last time he acted like his breathing was labored. It could have been the salt that he was reacting to though. You could try the kanaplex without the added salt this time around?


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

X skully X said:


> Well that sucks cle. Looks like he is gonna lose his dorsal fin completely. Doubtful it will grow back with that amount of tissue damage. It doesn’t look infected. The white is stuff coming off is probably a combination of slime coat and tissue dieing. I would personally do another round of kanaplex and hope it slows down whatever is happening here with the lump. Not sure how you feel about that since the last time he acted like his breathing was labored. It could have been the salt that he was reacting to though. You could try the kanaplex without the added salt this time around?


Oh no😭 Okay maybe I’ll try that. Do you think I should just do it in his main tank and then do like a 80 or 90% water change at the end? Would I just take out his carbon filter and put it in a ziploc bag of tank water and just keep his filter running without a cartridge in it?


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Ugh it’s so stressful using medicine on him, but if it’ll help him then I definitely want to try..I feel so bad for the little guy. I wish I could just _poof_ make it disappear😅


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

Without water flow the bacteria in the filter will die off eventually. Not sure if a week in a bag will be too long. On the bright side the carbon in the filters will get rid of the medication in the water so 50% water change and then another 50% change a few days later would be better unless you have major hard water and no worry of PH fluctuations then 90% would be no problem. PH shock is the main reason those kind of big water changes are not recommended.


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

@Veloran do you have any recommendations for treatment?


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

@X skully X 
Oh okay gotcha. Hmmm idk. I kind of want to treat him in the hospital tank again, just because I do have it available and I won’t possibly risk anything in his main tank, or risk the bacteria dying off :/ He didn’t seem to mind the hospital tank last time, he ate fine and interacted with us and everything, and this time I can just use Kanaplex w/o salt. 🤔🤔
@betta4ever @Veloran @OxalisClover


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

For sure, a hospital tank is always a better bet especially if you have a well seasoned tank. I wouldn’t want to mess with the cycle either. Whatever you feel most comfortable with 💜


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

X skully X said:


> For sure, a hospital tank is always a better bet especially if you have a well seasoned tank. I wouldn’t want to mess with the cycle either. Whatever you feel most comfortable with 💜


Thank you❤ Especially if something goes bad with the meds or he’s reacting weird, I can have his home ready for him to move back. I’ll probably start getting that ready today, but I’d love to hear if anyone else has suggestions!!


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

His hospital tank is all set up again, just needs Kanaplex and Mr. Feesh now lol. Trying to decide if I want to put him in there tonight or tomorrow, probably tonight. There’s more tissue flaking off now, it’s all nasty and red and he’s been kinda lethargic the past few days. I feel so bad for him😢 Hoping and praying this helps him.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

He’s all set!


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## Veloran (Jun 28, 2014)

Hi, so I'm reading over this and it does look like a tumor or ulcer but one of those pictures it appeared to be multiple little growths that look like a cauliflower head.
If this is the case, it's very likely that he has something called Lymphocystis. This is a viral infection and unfortunately it is untreatable, he'll have to deal with it himself. It's usually not fatal unless it occurs near a vital organ.
If he's eating and active just keep an eye on it and if it becomes and open wound you will need to ensure the water is clean so it doesn't get infected and you can even add some aquarium salt to help sterilize the wound.
If you started Kanaplex already, just finish out the round. Always use the regular treatment, no partial treatments and no stopping halfway.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

@Veloran 
Thank you so much for your reply!! I really appreciate it!! That’s good to know. It is really difficult to tell what it is for sure, but it’s helpful to have a name for what it might be. Some days it looks like an open sore and others it doesn’t. It changes so often. I have been putting aq salt in his main tank every couple water changes and I always have plenty of IAL in there. I have him in a hospital tank with Kanaplex, and the last day of his treatment is Sunday so I’ll move him back to his home then. He seems to be tolerating it really really well, sleeping peacefully at night and swimmin around happily and eating great during the day. I mean even when he was in his main tank with the lump he acts totally fine. I honestly feel like the lump looks about the same, but I can’t 100% tell. I’ll post some pics of it that I took an hour ago for y’all, see what you think


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## betta4ever! (Oct 5, 2021)

I have no input, but this fish is a survivor . His fins, i think, have gotten better, depending on the first photos, and his colors look brighter too, which is great. I hope everything turns out well for you two.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

betta4ever! said:


> I have no input, but this fish is a survivor . His fins, i think, have gotten better, depending on the first photos, and his colors look brighter too, which is great. I hope everything turns out well for you two.


Thank you so much❤


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Look who’s back home and finished his Kanaplex treatment successfully🥰


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Here he is today! That lump is so nasty, I wish the Kanaplex had done more😢 I’m not sure what else to do other than watch it & let him live his lil life or maybe visit my LFS and see if they have any meds suggestions. But he’s still happy as ever and loves when it’s time to eat❤


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

Thanks for the update. Poor Feesh. Glad he is doing better other than the weird back lump. You’ve done great caring for him. Most people would have given up on him. I hope you keep sharing his progress here and I wish there was something we could do to help him out further. At this point I’d just keep his water really clean and keep him a happy Feesh.


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## Dr. Betta (10 mo ago)

I don't remember seeing anything like this before, but it seems like it could have been a bad columnaris infection. Specifically, the dorsal fin infection often called saddle back. The large mass is probably just dead skin. It looks like the kanaplex treated it successfully, but typically meds in the tetracycline family are prescribed for it such as API Fin & Body. I'm glad to see that he's on his way to recovery. The healthy pics of him looks like one of my fish.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Dr. Betta said:


> I don't remember seeing anything like this before, but it seems like it could have been a bad columnaris infection. Specifically, the dorsal fin infection often called saddle back. The large mass is probably just dead skin. It looks like the kanaplex treated it successfully, but typically meds in the tetracycline family are prescribed for it such as API Fin & Body. I'm glad to see that he's on his way to recovery. The healthy pics of him looks like one of my fish.


 @Eridanus @X skully X @betta4ever! @Veloran @OxalisClover @RussellTheShihTzu

Thank you so much for your reply @Dr. Betta , I appreciate it a lot☺ That is really good to know! And very interesting. Sorry I saw this so late. Should I try treating it again with the API Fin & Body? I felt like the Kanaplex didn’t do much but I don’t know much or anything about fish diseases so I’m gonna take your educated word for it😂

Here are some updated pics of him, taken last night. The lump looks so bad unfortunately, but he doesn’t seem to be any different, other than just not swimming around as much but he’s been like that for a couple months now, just slowing down and resting more. But he always comes up to eat and interacts with me and others really well. Sorry for some of the picture quality, I screeenshotted from videos because he’s too wiggly😂


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

@Dr. Betta 
It just looks so bad, I’m scared to just let it keep going, but I’m not sure what to do☹


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

Did you look up Lymphocystis? I didn’t delve into researching that after Veloran posted….
If it was columnaris wouldn’t eat through his body fairly quickly… instead of this months long transformation?


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

X skully X said:


> Did you look up Lymphocystis? I didn’t delve into researching that after Veloran posted….
> If it was columnaris wouldn’t eat through his body fairly quickly… instead of this months long transformation?


I did some research on that yeah, and I looked at columnaris more deeply last night and also saw that it would have killed him pretty quick, so I’m not sure about that. I obviously don’t want to say @Dr. Betta is wrong though lol! I will definitely look into lymphocystisis more later today. There’s just nothing I’ve seen that really matches what this looks like🤔


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Here’s the worst I’ve seen that weird skin shedding, just now. After I took the pics it almost seemed like he could feel it and it was bugging him do he swam erratically and it sloughed off, I grabbed it and got it out of his tank. Then I got one pic after he shook it off. It looks so bad


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## Veloran (Jun 28, 2014)

Keep an eye out for open wounds with him. You want to make sure it does not get infected.
Is the shedding gone or does it still look like there's fuzziness on him?


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Veloran said:


> Keep an eye out for open wounds with him. You want to make sure it does not get infected.
> Is the shedding gone or does it still look like there's fuzziness on him?


How do I tell if it’s open? Just more red and sore than it is now?
The shedding/fuzziness is gone for now but it usually comes back about once a week and he seems to shake it off and I suck it out of the tank if I see him do it


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## Veloran (Jun 28, 2014)

It will be bright red if it's an open wound.
Sliminess is him shedding his slime coat which is a sign of irritation, fuzziness could be fungus growing on necrotic tissue. You want to make sure his water is really clean to avoid infection. You can even add some aquarium salt at 1 tsp per gallon for up to 10 days if he has open sores, it will help sterilize the wound.

He seems to be doing a good job so far of fighting whatever that is.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

Veloran said:


> It will be bright red if it's an open wound.
> Sliminess is him shedding his slime coat which is a sign of irritation, fuzziness could be fungus growing on necrotic tissue. You want to make sure his water is really clean to avoid infection. You can even add some aquarium salt at 1 tsp per gallon for up to 10 days if he has open sores, it will help sterilize the wound.
> 
> He seems to be doing a good job so far of fighting whatever that is.


Okay that’s good to know. I always keep his water very very clean, and keep it stocked with IAL. I change his water every Sunday, 50%. I’ve been adding aq salt to his tank, but not that much. He’s in a 5.5gal and I’ve been adding just a bit over a tsp every couple water changes. Don’t wanna kill his plants lol. I added it last water change, just did another one and added a bit more aq salt.

Here he is today. I feel like it looks like an open wound and there’s pieces of his dorsal fin hanging off😭 It looks much more bright red in person, camera isn’t doing it justice.


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## clerbird321 (Nov 16, 2020)

His dorsal fin is basically completely gone now, just a tiny sliver left. I’m not sure if I should try and treat this thing again with something else. It’s just breaking my heart. He’s still eating and interacts really well with me, chases his food down and swims around, albeit he rests more but like I said, that’s been going on for a few months now. I feel like it looks like a raw, open wound in the center part of it, with that other brown part closer to his face. Any ideas?

@Dr. Betta @Veloran @X skully X @Eridanus @RussellTheShihTzu

I have an Imgur link this time since I always take multiple pics haha



http://imgur.com/a/30EnWtS


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## betta4ever! (Oct 5, 2021)

How's your boy doing?
Edit- just saw your new thread


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