# Betta has bulge on right side.



## sd24801 (Jun 5, 2020)

Hello all, see below and thanks for the help!

--Shawn

Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? 10
Does it have a filter? Yes
Does it have a heater? Yes
What temperature is your tank? 79
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? 2 tetras

Food:
What food brand do you use? Aqueon Betta Food and TeraMin Plus
Do you feed flakes or pellets? Pellets and Flakes respectively
Freeze-dried? No
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? 2x per day. 3-4 pellets and then a pinch of flakes for the other fish which the Betta usually eats a few of

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? I have always performed a water change almost every week.
What percentage of water did you change? 30%
What is the source of your water? Tap from Lake Michigan
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? Vacuum the substrate with the python system.
What additives do you use? 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.

Ammonia: Between 0 and .25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: Between 0 and 5. (We recently moved and I put about 3.5 gallons of the old water (which had the filter materials in it) back into the tank.)
pH: 7.4
Hardness (GH): NA
Alkalinity (KH): NA

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? A month ago
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? A month or so ago I noticed a slight bulge on his right side just hehind the gills. That bump is now much larger and is white.
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? He is about two years old and over the last several months has been spending a lot of time sitting on top of the heater. Once I took the heater out for a few minutes, and he laid on the gravel. He can swim but doesn't do it often anymore.
Is your Betta still eating? Yes, but not as much.
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? I put a few pinches of aquarium salt in the tank two times. I bought some Bettafix but haven't given it to him yet. I'm not sure if he has a sore or a tumor. It doesn't seem like he has dropsy since his stomach isn't bulging and he doesn't lose orientation when swimming.
Does your Betta have any history of being ill? He has had fin rot in the past and had a fungus once which I got rid of with the Jungle Fungus medicine a few years back.
How long have you owned your Betta? 2 years
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? No.


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## Rose of sharon (May 23, 2020)

Hi,

I think that I would feed him once a day either in the morning or evening. Adult bettas don't have to be fed as much as younger bettas. You may be over-feeding him.

From the pictures it doesn't look like dropsy. With dropsy, you will see the betta's scales start to stick out, like a pine cone. You can google it to look at some pictures of bettas with dropsy. Also, the betta will begin to have serious trouble breathing. Dropsy is a secondary condition, often caused by an underlying infection or illness that causes the kidneys to shut down, and fluid to build up. 

It looks like it could be a tumor, or maybe an obstruction of some sort. If he is eating, and still able to use the bathroom, then he isn't constipated. I know that it sounds gross, but knowing if the betta is able to defecate like normal is important in trying to figure out what may be wrong. 

There is really nothing that can be done for a tumor. If it is a blockage, it will affect his bathroom habits.

If it is fluid build up, you can try giving him an epsom salt bath. Use 1 tablespoon of pure epsom salt per 1 gallon of water (nothing scented or anything with additives - just pure epsom salt). You can scoop out some tank water, or use 1 gallon of clean water, but make sure that the bath water is the same temp as the tank water. Dissolve the epsom salt completely in the bath water before you put the fish into the bath. You shouldn't leave the fish in any longer than 15 minutes. If he shows signs of distress, or if he defecates, remove him from the bath right away. Epsom salt baths leach out some of the fluid that is built up in the betta's body.

Keep him warm, and if you can, add an Indian almond leaf to the tank water. It will release tannins that help with healing and provide a calming effect. 

I wish you good luck. I hope he gets well!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I agree with everything said above except for one thing.

As your boy does not appear to be too heavy or bloated, keep up your feeding schedule. It is better to feed fish two or more small meals per day (as you are doing) than one big meal. This helps prevent bloat and/or constipation. This is especially true of fish prone to SBD/bloat/constipation like Goldfish and Betta.

When you run out of the Aqueon, it would be a good idea to get NorthFin Betta Bits, New Life Spectrum, Omega One. Supplement with Fluval Bug Bites for medium to large fish.


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## sd24801 (Jun 5, 2020)

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it! I give him a round of maracyn II and the bulge got a little smaller but now there is an almost hard looking white thing coming off of the back of it. I can't tell if it is an abscess, a tumor, or just some little thing that might have gotten stuck in him. He is having a hard time swimming and I sure would like to make him feel better. I also, just got him one of those leafs and put it in the tank. He doesn't seem to have any bathroom issues.


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