Betta with a weird white patch on it's side.

[Jarjarbinks20]

I noticed my Betta has a white patch on his side today, it wasn't there yesterday, it's a decent size for it to just appear out of nowhere. I'm worried it could be a tumor, but it appeared so fast I'm not sure if it's a tumor, or an abscess, or a bacterial infection. The water condition in the tank is fine, besides the ammonia levels being at .25, however I discovered yesterday my mystery snail died, and I have no idea how long he was dead for, because he usually just sits in one spot for a few days, and I just assumed that's what he was doing, however I went to go check on him and he had foul odor, so I knew then he was dead, so that contributed to the ammonia issue. I just want to know if anyone can tell me what this growth at the side of my betta fish is? Should I be worried my fish is a goner? Or is there something I can do at home for him?

 

[hansgruber7]

It's hard to tell as the picture is not great. 0.25 ammonia can cause damage in your betta, particularly if that's been the case for a while. Just make sure your ammonia is down to zero and keep an eye on it. If it grows, that's a problem. If not, it might be ok.

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Need some better pictures and maybe a short video to identify it properly.

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If it grew quickly (overnight or within a few days) it is not a cysts or tumour.

It looks like excess mucous, which the fish put over damaged areas. The fish might have scratched itself on something and the mucous is protecting the area while the wound heals.

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The first thing to do when a fish is not looking well is test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Then do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for at least a week, or until we work out what is wrong. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

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The following link has information on what to do if your fish get sick. It's long and boring but worth a read when you have time. I recommend printing it out and reading it in bed to help fall asleep.

What to do if your fish gets sick

If your fish ever looks sick or unwell, then the following steps might help. Test the Water and Clean the Tank. Test the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH and write the results down in numbers. Check it for general hardness (GH) and carbonate hardness (KH) too if you can, but...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Jarjarbinks20]

It's hard to tell as the picture is not great. 0.25 ammonia can cause damage in your betta, particularly if that's been the case for a while. Just make sure your ammonia is down to zero and keep an eye on it. If it grows, that's a problem. If not, it might be ok.

Thank you! I'll definitely keep an eye on it. I dose with Seachem Prime every 48 hours, and I have the API master freshwater test kit, and the ammonia levels still seem to stay the same even though Seachem Prime is supposed to neutralize ammonia and nitrites for 48 hours. I gave him a 25% water change to see if that would help, and so far it hasn't.
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[Jarjarbinks20]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Need some better pictures and maybe a short video to identify it properly.

-----------------
If it grew quickly (overnight or within a few days) it is not a cysts or tumour.

It looks like excess mucous, which the fish put over damaged areas. The fish might have scratched itself on something and the mucous is protecting the area while the wound heals.

-----------------
The first thing to do when a fish is not looking well is test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Then do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for at least a week, or until we work out what is wrong. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

-----------------
The following link has information on what to do if your fish get sick. It's long and boring but worth a read when you have time. I recommend printing it out and reading it in bed to help fall asleep.

What to do if your fish gets sick

If your fish ever looks sick or unwell, then the following steps might help. Test the Water and Clean the Tank. Test the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH and write the results down in numbers. Check it for general hardness (GH) and carbonate hardness (KH) too if you can, but...

www.fishforums.net

Thank you very much! I'll definitely look into it. It's good to know it doesn't seem life threatening. Thank you very much! I greatly appreciate the advice! I'm going to try what you advised, and hopefully I'll see improvements.

 

[hansgruber7]

Have you tested your tap water? Sometimes there is ammonia in your tap water. You need to figure out why your ammonia is high for a long term solution to address the cause. Maybe clean out your filters (in tank water) and your substrate as best you can. You could be overfeeding.

 

[Jarjarbinks20]

Have you tested your tap water? Sometimes there is ammonia in your tap water. You need to figure out why your ammonia is high for a long term solution to address the cause. Maybe clean out your filters (in tank water) and your substrate as best you can. You could be overfeeding.

I feed him the recommended amount a day, and he eats it as I put it in. I mean. The tap water could definitely be an issue, I haven't tested it because I was told the Seachem Prime would eliminate all ammonia for up to 48 hours, however I don't have the money to go out and buy countless jugs of water to fill the aquarium with, so unfortunately I'll have to stick with the tap water. I'll clean the substrate and see where that gets me, although I don't know how to just clean the substrate without taking out all the water first, and I don't want to take all the water out because I don't want to mess up the bacterial culture in the tank, considering I did a complete change 2 weeks ago.

 

[Jarjarbinks20]

Have you tested your tap water? Sometimes there is ammonia in your tap water. You need to figure out why your ammonia is high for a long term solution to address the cause. Maybe clean out your filters (in tank water) and your substrate as best you can. You could be overfeeding.

However I should note I have another tank with a Betta in it, and the ammonia in that tank is at 0. Same tap water, different result.

 

[hansgruber7]

So it must be something particular to that tank then. To clean the substrate, just swish over it and suck up any debris that comes up. No need to take all the water out or any of the substrate itself.

 

[Jarjarbinks20]

So it must be something particular to that tank then. To clean the substrate, just swish over it and suck up any debris that comes up. No need to take all the water out or any of the substrate itself.

Thank you very much!