My Betta is swollen with lumps on his sides, Whats wrong with him?

Question

I have had my Betta for 3 years, he has done well untill now. He is in a 10 gallon filtered and heated tank. I don't know if he is constipated or has some sort of disease. I have contacted the vet and I have medicated him with melaluca. I have also added a salt treatment to his tank. Does any one know what might be wrong with him? I feel it is intestinal.

Answer 1

It could be any one of several things. Please give more details about the lumps. Do they look like they are under the skin? On the scales or maybe more like a pimple on the fish? Where exactly on the fish are the lumps and about how big are they? With a few more details we can work to figure out what's wrong and how to treat it.

MM

Answer 2

Your Betta may have one of a few different maladies:

*Swim bladder swelling (although not likely from your description)

*Intestinal bacterial infection, often caused by aeromonas bacterial infections. Soaking ALL dry foods for 5 minutes prior to feeding will help in prevention. A treatment of Kanamycin/Nitrofurazone is often effective for this.
This article has more information about aeromonas:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Vibrio_Aeromonas.html

* Dropsy; this is a catch all symptom rather than a specific disease. Generally this refers to infections of the kidneys and occasionally the liver that cause bloating and a pinecone effect.
This is very difficult to treat (if not impossible) in later stages. HOWEVER, contrary to popular opinion, early stages can be treated. This article gives a thorough treatment explanation and description:
http://aquarium-answers.blogspot.com/2006/11/betta-with-dropsy.html

Answer 3

I was going to suggest aquarium salt for constipation, but since you already did this...I really dont know. Maybe your over feeding, but surely you woulda had this problem before now. Your only suppose to feed them 1-2 times a day. Alot of people think 3 thats not right. I know they also get this way before they are about to pass away but if healthy they should live longer.

Answer 4

Might be parasites. Little bumps on scales is fish lice, and could be treated with melaluca, but every time I used the medicine on my fish, they always died. It's very stressful for them.

Answer 5

His "swim bladder" might be injured, common in betta's, especially when u feed them meaty, high protein foods like bloodworm's, they can't digest it properly. Try feeding a vegetable based food. There r medication's that will help as long as u know what is causing it

Answer 6

Does he act differently? Is he still eating? I have did a search on Betta Disease's and I came up with this...
DISEASE: DROPSY
GENERAL INFO:

This is a most common and most fatal betta disease. oftentimes linked to the feeding of live foods, especially black worms. Very little is know about it, but what causes the raised scales is fluid building up under the skin, inside the betta's tissue. Usually what causes fluid to build up is simple kidney failure. And as you know, once the kidneys fail, the body dies. I think that is why we have had so little luck (mmmmm... Let me rephrase, NO LUCK AT ALL) in treating successfully bettas with dropsy. Although dropsy (the symptom) itself is not contagious, BACTERIA THAT CAUSE THE KIDNEY FAILURE in the first place usually are very very contagious.

SYMPTOMS:
It is easy to diagnose a betta with Dropsy: Look for two signs: an abnormally big (bloated) belly and if you look at betta from the top, raised scales. Scales will look like an open pine cone. If you see this, you are out of luck, and so is Betta. He will soon go to betta heaven :((…

TREATMENT:
No known cure. Keep water clean, keep him AWAY from any other bettas etc… On occasion, in the case of a very mild raised scales, I have seen bettas recover on their own. But I suspect that this is because those cases are NOT real dropsy. Real dropsy always kill. So I guess you have to wait and see what happens. Treating is pretty useless. It may take up to 15 days for betta to die, though usually about 5 days. Any betta with dropsy should be immediately ISOLATED!!!! Prayer may not hurt.

DISEASE: SWIM BLADDER DISORDER
GENERAL INFO:

This is also a common betta problem. It is not contagious. It comes from overfeeding. It is especially common in very young bettas (30 to 60 days old) and can affect some Double Tail bettas when overfed or stressed..

SYMPTOMS:
Bettas with a swim bladder disorder will have difficulty swimming, because their swim bladder (located alongside the spine between the belly and the tail) is either too short (causing them to not be able to swim horizontally) or it is swollen (causing them to float on one side). Double Tail bettas, because they have a shorter body, are especially prone to the “floaters” problem. In the case of a short swim bladder, the bettas will not be able to maneuver and swimming becomes so difficult, they prefer to just lay at the bottom, sliding on their bellies, which is why they are called “belly sliders”. And they do look like a pathetic bunch, at that point. :)

TREATMENT:
Bettas may recover on their own, but since overfeeding induces swimbladder disorders in most cases, the first thing to do is feed a lot less. Brine shrimp and too much of it is the biggest culprit, so if your bettas are bellysliding, stop the brine shrimp for a while and thereafter learn to have a more balanced diet, alternating brine shrimp with microworms or worms (depending on how old your bettas are). Do not kill a betta with a swimbladder disorder. It may recover on its own at any time, and is not suffering. Further more, the ailment is NOT contagious. To help the fish if it cannot eat, lower the water level.

Constipation
Composed by: Crystal, Healthy Betta. Modified by: Rachel, Healthy Betta (2004).

Constipation can strike your betta just like it can you. It is unpleasant but can eventually kill your betta if not treated.

CAUSES:

One of the main reasons a betta becomes constipated is because their main diet is too rich. If you are feeding blood worms or brine shrimp on a daily basis, you can give your betta constipation. Another common cause of constipation is lack of variety in a betta's diet. An easy solution for this is alternating between food types for meals, such as a few pellets in the morning and flakes at night, brine shrimp the next day, etc. A third cause of constipation may be overfeeding at meal times.

PREVENTION:

Some betta owners fast (do not feed) their betta for one day per week to cleanse the betta's system. This is a useful method to prevent constipation, especially if live or frozen foods are fed on a regular basis. Another feeding option thought to prevent constipation is splitting a betta's feeding up into two small meals per day, rather than one larger meal. This reduces the amount of food intake at one time and allows the betta's system to process it easier. Always remember a betta's stomach is about the size of his eyeball, so a little food goes a long way. Variety in a betta's diet is important both to prevent constipation, and insure they are receiving the necessary nutrients to stay healthy.

DIAGNOSIS:

A constipated betta will have an unusually swollen abdomen but in all other rights appear and act normally.

TREATMENT:

Treatment for constipation is rather simple and can be cured very quickly. As mentioned above try to feed your betta a more varied diet and possibly smaller portion sizes.

To rid yourself of the constipation problem, fast your betta for 24-48 hours. Next, take a cooked pea and peel it. Feed a small portion of it to your betta on the end of a flat toothpick. Within the next day or so you should see the swelling go down and a few little deposits at the bottom of the tank. Watch to make sure your betta is going to the bathroom, as this will mean the constipation is subsiding.

NOTE: if your betta continues to swell after treatment of constipation and you are noticing that he is having bowel movements, something else could be the problem like Dropsy, Bloat, Swim Bladder Disorder, or a tumor.

Additional procedures:

Clean water is always important for a betta, but is especially beneficial for any betta facing an illness.

Always keeping your betta warm, between 76-82 degrees, will also help them to feel more comfortable and raise their immune system.

Below are some web pages that have a few pictures to help you figure it out. Good Luck!

http://bettas.fishjunkies.com/Disorders/sbd.php

http://www.bettacentral.com/disease.htm

Answer 7

well is it a male or female? if female then its probely eggs, or a disease. male beta, probely a disease. clean the water IMMEDIATELY.

Answer 8

it sounds like if the fish is dying...slowly but surely...there is nothing really you can do..Bettas are very delicate ...i heard that they only live for two years..so, 3yrs is a winner...