White Growth Erupted

[Jackss]

Hello, a while ago I noticed a small white growth on my betta. I treated it with a few things including salt and other things and it didn’t seem to go away and only got bigger over time. I came home the other day and noticed it looked like it was shedding. Today it seems to have burst and is red and I’m not sure what to do. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Fishfur]

Hello, a while ago I noticed a small white growth on my betta. I treated it with a few things including salt and other things and it didn’t seem to go away and only got bigger over time. I came home the other day and noticed it looked like it was shedding. Today it seems to have burst and is red and I’m not sure what to do. Any help would be appreciated.

Is that on the operculum or behind the gills? Does it protrude very much? It may be a tumour, it sure looks nasty but in the pics the fish does not appear to be unduly distressed, no clamped fins for example.

I would apply methylene blue to that, full strength just as it comes from the bottle. It’s something I learned from a vet a long long time ago. It’s not to treat it, it’s more to see if there’s any slime coat on that growth.

MB will only stain fish tissue that isn’t protected by their slime coat. So if it stains that growth blue, it means there is no slime coat on it, which is something like having our skin missing for us and the fact there is now what appears to be a raw wound in it is not a good thing.

Unfortunately, bettas are rather prone to developing tumours and if that’s what this is, there is nothing to be done for it unless you can get to a fish vet. It’s sometimes possible to remove a tumour surgically but it’s costly and fish vets are not easy to find.

Does the fish still eat and behave as usual?

 

[Jackss]

I will move him to a smaller tank that I can fully treat with MB, he still eats and swims around. He has been laying at the bottom or on objects a lot lately, but he gets up and moves around and he did this before the growth he just does it more now. He doesn’t have clamped fins and doesn’t seem to be distressed, just in discomfort. It seems to be located right behind the gills. It protrudes quite a bit.