Betta bloat, tumor, or something else?

[Jane]

I was gone 4 days and I thought everything was fine before I left. My mom fed my tanks 1 day in those 4 days. She has fed my fish before and I leave strict instructions. A day or so after returning, I noticed his belly was extended. I cut his food back. I also gave him more fasting days than normal. I fed him a blanched pea and saw him poop the following day. The swelling did not go down. He is still acting normal, flaring at me for no reason, etc. It has been 4 weeks since I first noticed it. It is bigger now than last week. I have another Betta that has a tumor at the base of his tail and this looks nothing like it. That tumor was slow growing and is 6 months old. This bulge grew faster. Also, when the subject Betta is under the light, you can see through the bulge like it is empty. It also seems to bulge out on his right side more than on the left. I don’t believe it is a tumor and we’ve never had bloat before. The first 2 pics are from August 11th. The final pic is from August 27th. I don’t know what to do for him. What can I do for my Raider?

[yannachka]

give him a salt dip to see if that helps. i wouldnt keep salt in the tank constantly as it can harm the labyrinth organ over time but a dip should be beneficial. i would also see if you can get your hands on some (preferably live but frozen will do) daphnia. it works similar to a laxative in my experience and may do a better job of flushing him out if he is just bloated. feed him only that for a few days. if you go with frozen defrost it in tank water with some garlic powder. it doesnt look like a tumor to me, from the info you provided it seems to be bloat that just never went away. your fish sitter may have severely overfed him regardless of any instructions you left. 

 

i personally use a pill organizer and portion out the food for each tank for the day so whoever is fish sitting only needs to open up that day’s compartment and pour it in. i dont trust written instructions or other’s judgement. 

 

i use something like this and have one for each tank. i think i paid like $1.50 at my local grocery store. let us know if this helps it go down a bit!

[Jane]

I only have locally Petco and Pet Supplies Plus. When I searched for daphnia, it came up empty or bug bites. Is bug bites daphnia, because I have that. If not, I don’t have access to daphnia.

[Brandy]

Daphnia is a tiny live or frozen crustacean. A "water flea" they are sometimes called. You can grow them yourself or sometimes buy them frozen in little blocks.

I have a very piggy betta that I got from the store looking about like that. I just didn't feed for a few days and kept a very close eye on him... Not that there was much more I could do at the time. Now that I know him better I suspect he was being overfed at the store. It resolved slowly over the course of about a week. I fed him VERY lightly to start, and now feed a few small meals a day. No matter how many pellets I put in the tank, he eats them ALL and still acts like he's starving. 

[Jane]

If I can ever find any daphnia, how much and how many days should I feed it?

[Brandy]

Pretend they are betta pellets. Just a little once or twice a day. They are nice and nutritionally dense.

[Jane]

Is it something that I can feed as his regular diet? At least until it's all used up?

[JessR]

I wonder if it is some sort of fluid build up, since it seems to be getting larger in size and you can see through it. Does he seem to have trouble swimming? When you look at him from the top, does it look like he's pineconing (like his scales are sticking out from his body)?

[Jane]

He does not have trouble swimming, at least not yet. Still active and flaring. He scales are normal. I know they look suspicious in the photo but that’s what they looked like over a year ago when we got him. Is there anything I can do for fluid buildup?

[BlackLabelCarling]

8 hours ago, Jane said:

He does not have trouble swimming, at least not yet. Still active and flaring. He scales are normal. I know they look suspicious in the photo but that’s what they looked like over a year ago when we got him. Is there anything I can do for fluid buildup?

Start by fasting him for 3 days and keep and eye out for poop. 

For bloat you can try an Epsom (plain, from the grocery store with no additives like lavender) salt bath. It draws fluids out of the body and can help your betta pass any blockage.

- 1tbsp in a gallon of clean, dechlorinated water at same (or very close) Leave him in for 10-15 minutes (no more than 15) Keep very close eye to make sure he doesn’t pass out. 

-have a second gallon prepared with 1/4 tbsp Epsom salt (you can eye ball it). Put your fish in this solution for another 10-15 before putting him back in his tank. 

You can do this once a day but you should avoid more than 6 days in a row. 

Bettas are such gutty fish they will just keep eating and they always act like they are hungry. Some people soak their pellet food before feeding to lessen the chance of the fish getting compacted. 

hope that helps! 

 

[Jane]

Thank you so much for the detailed response. I will try it! I haven’t changed his feeding in over a year and have never had problems. I guess that’s partially why I don’t understand what’s going on with him. Thanks again.

[JessR]

16 hours ago, BlackLabelCarling said:

Start by fasting him for 3 days and keep and eye out for poop. 

For bloat you can try an Epsom (plain, from the grocery store with no additives like lavender) salt bath. It draws fluids out of the body and can help your betta pass any blockage.

- 1tbsp in a gallon of clean, dechlorinated water at same (or very close) Leave him in for 10-15 minutes (no more than 15) Keep very close eye to make sure he doesn’t pass out. 

-have a second gallon prepared with 1/4 tbsp Epsom salt (you can eye ball it). Put your fish in this solution for another 10-15 before putting him back in his tank. 

You can do this once a day but you should avoid more than 6 days in a row. 

Bettas are such gutty fish they will just keep eating and they always act like they are hungry. Some people soak their pellet food before feeding to lessen the chance of the fish getting compacted. 

hope that helps! 

 

 

On 8/28/2020 at 8:49 PM, Jane said:

He does not have trouble swimming, at least not yet. Still active and flaring. He scales are normal. I know they look suspicious in the photo but that’s what they looked like over a year ago when we got him. Is there anything I can do for fluid buildup?

Thanks for the answers, I just wanted to rule out Swim Bladder Disease (SBD) and Dropsy. SBD can be caused by consipation or infection, and it will affect their ability to swim properly. Dropsy is fluid build up in the body and typically fish that have it will experience pineconing (their scales will stick out from their body. It can be caused by organ failure from cancer, infection, or something else. Both can be treated with antibiotics, but it doesn't sound like he currently has these issues so you don't need to worry about these things.

I agree with @BlackLabelCarling to fast him again and try Epsom salt baths. It will help with constipation and fluid build up. I hope it helps! Good luck!

[Jane]

I did my first attempt at a salt bath Saturday. Except for probably stressing him out trying to catch him in his own tank, I think it went ok. I know they said don’t do 6 or more days in a row. Do you think a salt bath every other day would work, or should I do every day for 5 days and reassess the situation? Also, checked every pet store in the area and no one has frozen daphnia. Petco had a spot for it, but they were out. They were they only ones that even carry it.

Edited August 30, 2020 by Jane
Additional thought

[JessR]

On 8/30/2020 at 9:37 AM, Jane said:

I did my first attempt at a salt bath Saturday. Except for probably stressing him out trying to catch him in his own tank, I think it went ok. I know they said don’t do 6 or more days in a row. Do you think a salt bath every other day would work, or should I do every day for 5 days and reassess the situation? Also, checked every pet store in the area and no one has frozen daphnia. Petco had a spot for it, but they were out. They were they only ones that even carry it.

I think I would do it everyday for 5 days, unless it seems to really stress him out.

[Brandy]

On 8/28/2020 at 2:42 PM, Jane said:

Is it something that I can feed as his regular diet? At least until it's all used up?

Sorry, I missed this, you could feed it as part of his regular diet, sure. 

[Jane]

Update: I fasted him for 3 days. Drove 90 minute round trip to buy daphnia, as my 3 fish stores don’t carry it. Even after starving for 3 days, he took one bite of it, gave me a dirty look, and went and sulked in the corner. I will continue the salt baths.

[Jane]

On 8/29/2020 at 5:49 AM, BlackLabelCarling said:

Start by fasting him for 3 days and keep and eye out for poop. 

For bloat you can try an Epsom (plain, from the grocery store with no additives like lavender) salt bath. It draws fluids out of the body and can help your betta pass any blockage.

- 1tbsp in a gallon of clean, dechlorinated water at same (or very close) Leave him in for 10-15 minutes (no more than 15) Keep very close eye to make sure he doesn’t pass out. 

-have a second gallon prepared with 1/4 tbsp Epsom salt (you can eye ball it). Put your fish in this solution for another 10-15 before putting him back in his tank. 

You can do this once a day but you should avoid more than 6 days in a row. 

Bettas are such gutty fish they will just keep eating and they always act like they are hungry. Some people soak their pellet food before feeding to lessen the chance of the fish getting compacted. 

hope that helps! 

 

 So, I fasted him 3 days, gave him a salt bath for 5 days in a row, tried to feed him daphnia but he doesn’t like it. I don’t know if the salt baths are doing anything. I know he doesn’t look any worse. Saturday is his normal fasting day. What do I do now? If the salt baths were helping to expel liquid, would it be gone by now?

My second betta’s tumor burst thru his scales the other day and will probably be dead by morning. I don’t want to loose this one too. I just don’t know what it is or how to help him.

[Brandy]

Is it always asymmetrical like that, or is that just the angle of the picture?

 

Sadly, I think you are doing all you can. Sometimes we are not able to save them all.

[Jane]

it’s a little bit the angle but it is definitely larger on his right side. So do I take a couple days off and go back to the salt baths or am I done with that?

[Brandy]

Well, if it is a tumor, I don't think that is fixable. Asymmetry doesn't usually point to bloat. I think you can keep him comfortable and if he stops being comfortable it might be time to find some clove oil. If the salt baths aren't having any effect I wouldn't put him thru them. I'm so sorry, I don't have any better ideas. 

[Jane]

Thank you, Brandy. He’s still active and flaring at his snail, so I believe he still has some time. It just doesn’t look like the one tumor I have experience with. Thanks again for your time. At least I learned how to do salt baths.😁