# Sick betta -- not sure what it has



## FONE (May 21, 2013)

Hey guys,

Need some help here. I have a betta that is sick. I keep him at work in a 5 gallon, and his only tankmate is a zebra snail.

He's got this thing growing on the side for a little while now, and I tried to treat it with API's Pimafix for fungus, but it doesn't seem to be effective.

He's still eating, but is a lot more edge-y that before the growth/injury.

Has anyone seen anything like this before? Please help. Thanks.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/87768429/sick_betta/IMG_20140814_165105.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/87768429/sick_betta/IMG_20140814_164447.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/87768429/sick_betta/IMG_20140814_164451.jpg


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

my guess is cancer or something


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## Magnum (Apr 6, 2013)

Yeah, that's a tumour. Whether or not it is benign or malignant is impossible to say. If it appears to be in pain or suffering I would euthanize it. When did it appear?


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## KeyLime (May 4, 2014)

I read a thread once and the fish had stuff with red balls on it - not the large green growth though - I thought it had to be cancer, but it turned out that antibiotics cured it. I think they used tetracycline. 
I'd see if it brushes off with a swab or I'd cut it off and use antibiotics.

Use gloves in that tank!


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

It's possible this is an abscess. If so, it should eventually break open and drain. You must be very careful about messing with it, as if you put any pressure on an abscess, it might be enough to rupture it, which might send the toxins and bacteria into the fish's bloodstream. That might result in fatal blood poisoning. This can occur in any abscess in any creature, so leaving it to break on it's own is best, unless a sterile lancing can be performed. 

If it were my fish, so long as it ate and behaved more or less as normal, I'd wait awhile to see what happens. If an abscess does break and drain, the biggest risk afterward would be the size and depth of the wound left behind is, as secondary infection may set in to any break in the skin or slime coat. Antibiotic treatment might be useful then.

Meantime, extremely clean water is essential. I'd do extra water changes for this betta.

Any antibiotic would have to be the right one to kill the causative organism if it's an abscess or other infection. Determining the cause would be nearly impossible. For an antibiotic to work on an abscess, it would also have to be consumed by the fish, in medicated food. Medicating the water would be unlikely to have much effect, as the organisms are contained inside the walls of the abscess until it breaks.

A benign tumour might grow quite a bit but unless it prevents a fish from eating or swimming, would not necessarily be a cause for euthanasia. If it's malignant, then I'd expect to see deterioration. The fish might eat less or stop eating, perhaps struggle when swimming. If anything like that happens I'd certainly consider euthanasia, to prevent further suffering.


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## KeyLime (May 4, 2014)

Some people use superglue to cover a wound.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Superglue can be used for incised wounds, in lieu of sutures. I'm not sure it would work well for a large cavity type of wound, which would not have reasonably clean edges that can be brought together as you would with sutures. It also doesn't stick to wet surfaces, so you'd have to have the fish out of water long enough to dry the area enough for the glue to stick and then dry. Probably require anesthetic for the fish. Superglue is also very stiff and brittle when it's dry, which doesn't sound like something a fish would be comfortable with.

It is being used instead of stitches for some wounds and some surgical closures, certainly.


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## FONE (May 21, 2013)

I've been watching it for a little while, and it appears to have gotten slightly bigger, and grown darker [like a deep blueberry colour].

Still, the betta is eating and swimming around, and lazying in its usual sitting spots during the day.

If I wanted to do a proper extraction of the thing, what would be a good reference on how that can be done? I'm worried about handling the fish, because I don't know how it will struggle and what I should do once I have it.

Thanks for all the info so far!


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I was thinking about trying some minor surgery on one of my bettas, to snip off a ragged bit of tail fin that's just hanging there. I asked for opinions on a couple of forums, and someone pointed out that if I used clove oil, it might have adverse effects on the betta's labyrinth organ, which is how bettas get most of their oxygen. I decided against trying.

To do any surgery, you need to have the fish anesthetized. The only anesthetic I know of that's available to the fish hobbyist is clove oil. It's usually fairly safe for most fish, but for labyrinth fish, I truly don't know how safe it might be. 

You'd probably have to consult a piscine vet. Much as you wish to help the fish, chances are not that good you would be successful. This is a very tiny animal, with even tinier organs you could easily damage, and unless you have an excellent understanding of the entire anatomy, you would likely do more harm than good. 

So long as he's eating and swimming normally, I'd leave it. A fish vet is going to cost a significant amount of money, but of course that's up to you, whether you wanted to spend it or not. 

Trimming off a bit of fin is vastly different than trying to remove a lump from the body. If you cut too deep, or the blade slips, you may, without meaning to of course, kill the fish.


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## housebatbetta (Sep 19, 2013)

Clove oil is the euthanasia method recommended by a lot of betta bloggers. I suspect it wouldn't be good for a betta to be exposed to it otherwise.

Pimafix isn't good for the labyrinth organ, either, by the way, since it's made with tea tree oil.

The risks of trying to DIY surgery plus the risks of secondary infection are way too high, plus all the stress and pain for the fish. ("Tail trimming" falls under this category - there are tiny bones in those fins! A ragged fin will heal eventually, it's good that you left it alone, Fishfur.) Plus others could grow.

I echo the need for very very clean water. And maybe finding a vet you can ask about which antibiotic/antibacterial to try.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Fortunately, when I asked for opinions, I was informed about the bones in the tail, which was part of the reason I opted to let it be. The fish I was considering has a big tag of tail that's attached by only the narrowest neck of live tissue, and it seems to bug him, which is why I was thinking it might be helpful to remove it. But clearly, it seemed the safer course to leave it be and let nature do her thing.

And while I don't know about clove oil's effects on the labyrinth organ, the fact Bettas get oxygen from air might mean you'd have to use a larger dose of anesthetic. Clove oil itself is a well known fish aesthetic, and like any anesthetic, sufficient of it in an overdose can be fatal.

I believe it is the kindest way to euthanize a fish, having had to do so 3 times for fish with dropsy. They just go to sleep, no struggling, no shock, they literally don't seem to notice the clove oil at all and eventually the gills stop moving. If you wish to be absolutely certain, you can add alcohol to the bath after the fish is asleep.

With most fish, the dose to anesthetize and the dose to euthanize are very different, though if the fish are really tiny, [ an inch or less] then it's a bit dicier, which is often the case with very small species or specimens. And with fish like bettas, where they can take oxygen from air, the space between a fatal dose and just going to sleep might be pretty narrow too.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Soda water has been used by guppy fanciers to immobilize fish for trimming of tails. The CO2 is the active ingredient.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Interesting, I hadn't heard of that. I'll have to look into how they do it. Probably be much safer than clove oil for labyrinth fish.


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