Betta has growth on head

[JuiceBox52]

My betta has a growth on his head in between his eye and his gills. I just noticed it the other day. It doesn't appear to be cottony or have fungus.

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate5
Soft acidic water

I've been doing daily 75% water changes for another reason so he has super clean tank

 

[Colin_T]

It just looks like a lifted scale to me.

However, the fish looks like it has velvet (Oodinium) in 3 of the pictures. The fine gold sheen on the head and body could be velvet.

Raise the water temperature to 30C for 2 weeks. Add 2 heaped tablespoons of salt for every 20 litres of water and keep the salt in there for the 2 weeks while the temperature is up.

At the end of 2 weeks, take some more pictures using the camera flash and see if there is still a gold sheen. Do not reduce the temperature if there is still a gold sheen because velvet can take a while to get rid of even at 30C.

 

[JuiceBox52]

The growth has gotten bigger since the pics were taken.

He has always had that coloring but I will do as you said

 

[JuiceBox52]

It just looks like a lifted scale to me.

However, the fish looks like it has velvet (Oodinium) in 3 of the pictures. The fine gold sheen on the head and body could be velvet.

Raise the water temperature to 30C for 2 weeks. Add 2 heaped tablespoons of salt for every 20 litres of water and keep the salt in there for the 2 weeks while the temperature is up.

At the end of 2 weeks, take some more pictures using the camera flash and see if there is still a gold sheen. Do not reduce the temperature if there is still a gold sheen because velvet can take a while to get rid of even at 30C.

I looked more into velvet. Other than the coloring he is not showing any other symptoms

 

[JuiceBox52]

Ummm so it's gotten bigger. Definitely not a lifted scale. It's too big

 

[FishFinatic77]

Is he a dragon scale? That type can be prone to getting cancers, which is kind of what that looks like. Especially since it's growing to fast.

 

[JuiceBox52]

He wasn't sold as that but he might be. I forgot what he was sold as

 

[Colin_T]

I can't see much in the pictures, is it white or black?
If it's white, it could be a fungal infection under the scale. Black could be a bacterial infection or tumour. I wouldn't expect a tumour to grow in that spot because there isn't much there apart from bone and scale.

If it's fungal or bacterial, the salt should help.

Monitor it and post more pics in a couple of days.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Its scale colored with a slightly darker area. The dark is mostly shadow dosent look like fungus or anything

 

[Colin_T]

add salt and monitor it. until it shows up as something that can be identified, there's not much more you can do.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Hes been like spasming or something. I can not seen to get a video but it's definitely not normal

 

[Colin_T]

Do a big water change and add some more salt and see if that helps.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Still getting bigger. So weird

 

[FishFinatic77]

Since it's growing so quickly, I'm still going to have to go with some sort of cancer. And the spasms could be because the cancer is growing in his brain.

 

[JuiceBox52]

It just looks like a lifted scale to me.

However, the fish looks like it has velvet (Oodinium) in 3 of the pictures. The fine gold sheen on the head and body could be velvet.

Raise the water temperature to 30C for 2 weeks. Add 2 heaped tablespoons of salt for every 20 litres of water and keep the salt in there for the 2 weeks while the temperature is up.

At the end of 2 weeks, take some more pictures using the camera flash and see if there is still a gold sheen. Do not reduce the temperature if there is still a gold sheen because velvet can take a while to get rid of even at 30C.

My parents finally came around and decided they would buy a heater for him. I hope he hasn't been suffering too much in the time between being noticed and now