An Update On Fish - Still Wanting Opinions From Experts

[ReMz]

what type of food do u feed him...........look to tell u the truth if he is swiming around eating and looks happy there is nothing to worry about i can guarantee u it is bloat and yes u can get rid of it but some beta's take longer and some will neva get rid of it its very common in them wich is nothing to be concerned about alot of the betas ive had from fry have gotten bloat and have been living a normal and happy life and they are almost 3yrs old

Personally I feel its much more likely its a tumor or a cyst and therefore it wont decrease in size, it is most definitely not dropsey perhaps it is bloat but bloat/constipation for this long seems unusual to me.

ditto... and that includes NOT dropsey by any means.

In my time spent in the betta section, I have not come across anything like this due to 'bloat'.

You are a very conscientious fish keeper Spishkey..... I actually disagree with skittz entirely on this one..... no disrepect intended, but simply my opinion. This is an odd case... I'd like to hear from other betta experts on this one.

 

[Spishkey]

all of the fish are part of our family; (thats a lot of fishy members!) and we do try our best for them and when one of them does not look/seem right, my god we try our hardest to find out whats wrong.

am just uploading todays pics of 'the mass' yes it is still growing and i now believe it may be starting to affect his swimming. seems to be pushing on the two fins either side of his body which gives him a slightly abnormal swim. it is much larger on the right side than on the left and the right side has lots of purple like marks under the skin.
does anyone know of any betta only forums i could try asking on?
if the lump stayed the same i wouldnt worry too much but as its still growing albeit slowly, well i am concerened

right side

left side

 

[wilsonnw8]

I dont think there's much you can do Spishkey, the discolouration that is now occurring points to a cyst in my mind benign growths tend to be opaque or colourless but as your betta is pale itself perhaps thats the reason you can see the colour of the growth itself.

I would put my money on it being a cyst in which case I'm afraid Im not aware of anything you can do for the little guy. Others may know of something

 

[Spishkey]

 

[Spishkey]

still wondering if anyone knows of anywhere else i can ask for advice?

 

[wilsonnw8]

still wondering if anyone knows of anywhere else i can ask for advice?

sorry Spishkey I dont know of anywhere else having seen dropsy swim bladder and done a fair amount of reading on it etc I think you can only treat with melifix and anti bac treatments a cyst like that is a big burden on a little dude. perhaps pm modaz or netty

 

[newfishy]

the purple looks like bruising from what is growing inside of him so quickly. if he was eating regular betta food, then was fasted and fed peas I don't think bloat is likely. it looks even more so like a fast growing tumor or cyst to me.

 

[modaz]

Due to the swelling being uneven on either side I would say that is it an obstruction of some kind, It could be a tumour that is or not organ related or it could be severe constipation. Constipation can be cleared with the lack of food and pea feeding as already said but if the blockage is so set it place it will not budge regardless of the peas but what will happen is what is called "Overflow". Overflow is when the passing of the waste has no choice but to go pass the blockage so will push the lining of the bowel to its full extend in order to pass by the blockage.

1) Is he passing any waste?
2) What colour is it if he is?
3) Can we have a birds eye view of him please?

What ever the problem, it seems to be pushing the organs to the back end of him, giving the purple patches as you can see. This will in time stop any waste passing through. The outcome of this could result in major organ failure and severe dropsy, or a very bad case of swim bladder.

If i was in this position I would keep his water extra clean, I would tub him up and do water changes at 100% daily, 100% will not harm him if he has no filter in the tub and keep the water level to about 3 inches. I would also feed brineshrimp that contains garlic, this comes in frozen form and a good LFS will stock it or can get it easily. Do not use fresh garlic as the measure of the garlic in the frozen food has been measured to the perfect requirements. The garlic will boost his immune system very fast and will help a lot, the brine shrimp tends to be able to help any blockages soften and in some cases works better than peas. I condition females with brineshrimp and garlic only. Due to the over feeding needed this food is less likely to cause constipation during this period and keeps the female regular so to speak and the immune system boost helps her to recover from a bad spawning much faster.
If this does not help immediately (2 days or so) then i would persist with this food for atleast 2 weeks as if it is acute constipation it will need time to soften and pass. If this doesnt help then the problem will be a cyst or so far advanced constipation that its beyond help and then you can only make him comfortable until the end nears. If you choose to cull then thats your decision on the matter.

Good luck!!! and try to get the birds eye view please

 

[Spishkey]

birdseye views as requested, tried to get a few but Fish doesnt keep still for long

in regards to waste, since ive had him ive never seen him poo, but theres always plenty on the tank floor when i do gravel vacs, normally a dark or orangy colour depending on what he's eaten

 

[tibby25731]

aw poor little thing. I hope someone can give a definite diagnosis now Spish

 

[ReMz]

very dropsey-ish now that you have provided a top view.....

Modaz's advice is spot on.... I'm sorry to say that the next few days result in something you do not want to happen.

If it comes to that, cull in a humane manner if he does not interact with you.

 

[Spishkey]

i thought dropsy involved pineconing? looking at him theres not scales sticking out? but today he is very 'out of it' if he's not sitting on top of the corys he's sitting on top of the filter. i poked him before and he didnt make too much of a fuss. he did go crazy at breakfast time though, sure hasnt lost his appetite.

o wait he's stalking the apple snail now, seems he's woke up a bit.



*sigh* my poor little Fish


edit - taking a look back at the pics i see what looks like scales sticking out slightly, i guess this is the beginning of the end? but those pics are days old now surely they would have got worse?