what happened to my female betta?

[danny]

Tank Size: 1.5 gallon
Age of the tank: 6 months
pH:
Ammonia:
NitrAtes:
nitrites:
GH/KH:
Temperature:
Fish:

betta

Symptoms:

i saw her suddenly like this...i think it it an undigested pellet.what can be done fr her?

[Carl]

This does not look like an undigested pellet.

It looks more like a sore or cyst (or maybe even a parasite)

I would start with a medicated bath, with direct application of Methylene Blue or Potassium Permangante on the area of enlargement.

In tank treatment with with Kanamycin and Metronidazole may also be a good idea.

And finally (& important) make sure all your water parameters are at the correct levels as this over-wise could make all the treatments in the world be useless. Adding salt (1 tablespoon per 5 gallons) or maybe even 1 teaspoon per gallon) to your aquarium may also be helpful.
Lowering water temps to under 24 C may also be helpful.

Carl

[goldenpuon]

I discovered I have exactly the same thing going on with a pretty old male guppy. He is alone in his own tank and is acting healthy. But he has this HUGE lump at one side of his belly. As soon a my birthday party is over today, I am swabbing the lump with MB. Would you recommend Metronidizole and Kanaplex together as an in-tank treatment or just one?

Thanks.

EDIT: I removed the filter carbon and put Kanaplex in the tank before my party. Just now, I swabbed the fish's lump (which was slightly red) with MB. He seems pretty stressed right now but I think he will recover shortly. The lump is a blueish color right now from the Methyline Blue but I know that is normal. I used a Q-tip to put the MB on him. How often should I swab the lump with MB until it is gone?

Thanks again.

[Carl]

How often should I swab the lump with MB until it is gone?

Twice per day is best, but once per day is OK (especially if the area stays stained blue for most of the day).

Carl

[goldenpuon]

I just treated the fish with Medronidizole when I treated it with Kanaplex for the second time. I swabbed the wound again today. I'm not seeing any real signs of improvement yet but it doesn't seem to be getting worse. I hope the treatment is working.

[babygeige]

Oh no! Poor betta (and Renee's guppy)! I hope that both of you are able to help your fish! That looks uncomfortable!

[fishfever]

I am doing twice a day swabs with MB before the MB/salt bath and it (along with a small amount of Erythromycin in the bath and normal dosage in the tank) are helping my tetras with the mouth fungus. One thing you have to be careful with when you swab is to make sure the fish doesn't flop out of the net and if he does have something to catch it (preferrably flopping back into the bath or tank). Thir morning while I was swabbing his mouth one of my tetras flopped almost a foot out of the net onto the table (covered with protective rags), then flopped again onto the floor (covered with absorbent padding). I was able to get him back into the net by lifting the padding and rolling him into the net and he is fine. But with the possibility of flopping and MB spills it is always a good idea to have lots of soft protective covering all around the tank and floor when doing baths/swabbing.

[goldenpuon]

Thanks for the advice Fishfever. That is very helpful. I always have a large towel around for that purpose.

On another note, my guppy is doing no better that I can tell. I think I will use an eyedropper to put MB on the wound instead of the swab. It will probably be easier on the fish since I won't have to touch the wound with the swab. I can imagine that would be very painful for the fish.

[danny]

thank you for the advice,i'll do that right away....that female betta seems unaffected.in fact i have spawned her thrice.latest was yesterday.she produces a lot of eggs!...anyways,i'll treat her for now.

[Suzie Q (Lori)]

Hope your sick fishies get better...

I don't have anything to add except that I have a dwarf flame gourmie(?) that developed a "pimple" on his/her head. I took a 5g tank and added about 5 drops of Meth Blue to the tank (was a seasoned tank but oh well )...anyway the next day it was not as blue so I added another 5 drops to it...that was almost a week ago...adding 5 drops every other day and changed 25% of the water during this time...anyway...the pimple is gone and the wound is healing nicely. He/she will go back into the 55g tomorrow (Friday). Not sure if you want to try THIS method or not...

Lori

[goldenpuon]

Thanks for the additional advice Suzie. It is VERY helpful. My male guppy seems to be doing better. The lump on him is much smaller and it is not as black (seems like it is going back to normal coloration). I've been using an eyedropper every day for him and yesterday I think a slight bit of MB got it. Combined the other meds in there and me adding MB to his injury, perhaps the bit of MB added is why he is better.

[danny]

hope your guppy recovers...and mine too.haha!

[goldenpuon]

Thanks you. He seems to have been getting better since yesterday. How is your female betta doing?