# White lump growing on the side of my Beta?? (pic attached)



## missnorcal (Jun 4, 2011)

My fish is 2 years old and starting to gradually grow this white lump on both sides of itself. The white lump is not stringy, its pretty hard and really stuck on to the fish. Not sure what it is and how to treat it. Anyone know what is wrong with my fish?! It will be greatly appreciated if you could help me out.


Sticky----
Housing 
What size is your tank? 2.5 gallon
What temperature is your tank? Not sure. 70s perhaps.
Does your tank have a filter? Used to til it broke.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? -
Is your tank heated? no.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? 0 

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Round Beta Bites.
How often do you feed your betta fish? twice a day.

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? once every 3 months.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? All of it.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? None.


Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Has brown dots on skin now and has two white lumps gradually growing on both sides of fish. Its hard and wont scrape off.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? No.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Months ago.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No. Dont know whats wrong with it.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? One time when it was acting really weak for a while a long time ago.
How old is your fish (approximately)? 2 tyears


----------



## Canuck Fins (Oct 5, 2010)

Well, I'm not sure what that is exactly, but there are a few things that could be affecting your fish. 

What concerns me most is that you've got a betta in only 2.5 gallons of water, but only change the water every 3 months. That's a lot of time for ammonia to build up. (I'm wondering if the brown spots are ammonia burns.) Generally in an unfiltered tank that size, water changes would be done at least twice a week (100% each). Are you using tap water for those changes? Without water conditioner, your fish is likely getting chlorine as well which isn't good for him. 

Hopefully someone else here will have a better idea of what to do for your fish, but for now, increase your water changes. Clean water is key for getting a fish healthy.


----------



## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I agree with Canuck Fins. In a 2.5g tank, you need to change the water at least once a week, preferably more. Not to be harsh, but if you really haven't changed the water in 3 months, it's amazing your betta's alive. Even with a filter, a 2.5g is too small to go that long. In fact, anything short of maybe a 100g tank with one small cichlid fish in it is too small to go for that long without a water change.

That said, I think your betta has either severe ammonia burns or the beginnings of a fungus. Most likely, though, I'm thinking it's severe ammonia burns. If that is indeed the case, the best thing you can do is to change the water and keep it as clean as possible. 

Fish excrete ammonia through their gills as part of their waste but unfortunately, that ammonia is highly toxic to them. So it's up to us, their owners, to remove that ammonia via water changes so they don't get burned. In the wild, this ammonia excretion isn't a problem because the water is always flowing but in a small tank it has nowhere to go and just builds up until it kills the fish.

Here are a few things that you can do to make your betta more comfortable and healthy.
1) Change water at least once a week
2) Get a heater. Bettas are tropical fish and need warm water that is 78-80 degrees farenheit (25-26 degrees celsius)
3) Use a water conditioner. I suggest Seachem Prime or API Stress Coat. The water conditoner detoxifies chlorine and chloramines which are toxic to your fish.

And welcome to the forum.


----------



## orphansparrow (Apr 30, 2011)

i'm sorry if i'm repeating anyone, i don't have time to read through what everyone has said.

i'm not sure what is wrong with your fish, but in a tank that is 2.5 gallons, you should at least be doing 2 water changes per week. one 100%, and one 50%. 

one REALLY important thing is that you add water conditioner to the new water you prepare for your tank! Prime is a good brand. it removes ammonia, chlorine, and other harmful stuff from your fish's water.

the two things above are the most important thing you can do for your fish, if nothing else. clean water is essential!! if you don't wish to do that many water changes, you need to get him into a filtered 5 gallon. 

finally, but also really important, is that you need a heater for your tank. bettas are tropical fish, and though they can survive in cold water, they cannot thrive. you need a small heater to heat the tank to apx. 78 degrees. lower water temperatures, or inconsistent water temperatures can significantly lower your betta;s immune system.

these extra things are not expensive, and will great increase the comfort of your fish. it may also help cure whatever it is that's going on with him.

good luck and keep us posted! =)


----------

