Betta with sudden protrusion and color change

[jessicafennen]

I have a male plakat Betta I purchased on June 26, 2014. He is in a 5.5 gallon tank all by himself. The temperature is usually around 78. He swims, eats, and flares at his reflection normally.

Less than a week into having him I noticed his fins were starting to turn red and his white body was turning grey. I consulted the internet but it said bettas change color and I should be patient. I've also over treated fish before so I was hesitant. Still, his body and fins became gradually more red. I wasn't concerned until tonight when I saw a bump protruding from his body. I will post pictures. What is it? He hasn't been acting oddly. He doesn't rub his body against anything so I don't think he has an irritating itch, and he's great when it comes to feeding. He receives flakes or frozen bloodworms daily. The water levels in my tank are great minus the Ph which is high in all of my tanks (a little above 8) and hasn't been a problem. I have melafix and aquarium salt at the ready, I just don't know what's wrong with him.

The dark area beneath his gills used to be mainly white. That's where he has change colors the most.

 

[Delapool]

Is the bump his belly?

 

[jessicafennen]

No. He looks bloated in those pics because he had just eaten. The bump is a little bit behind his gill

 

[jessicafennen]

It looks like a bubble protruding from between his scales

 

[Delapool]

Some ideas as a bit stumped. I'm assuming water specs are all fine.

All I can think of is to try varying the blood worms with brine shrimp and peas to give him a bit more roughage.

Next I'd hold fire on the melafix for the moment. If you do use it then pre-mix in some water first so he doesn't get a chemical cloud dose when it goes in.

Salt is worth a try. I think I can see the bump but I'm not sure what that could be. The salt is a good tonic along with some pwc's to remove organic material I find and is not too harsh on the fish.

 

[Scottyhorse]

Sounds kinda like Septicemia to me...

Septicemia | Betta Info
Septicemia (Infection) | Betta Fish Care
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=73332 (scroll down to post #2)

Hope this helps.

 

[jessicafennen]

I haven't treated with anything yet. Also, his behavior is still great and he is very accepting of food. He hasn't had any sudden temperature drops, but I will try salt.

 

[Delapool]

The scepticemia I thought possible as well with the red marks but I wasn't sure how that could tie in with the colour change and bump.

Do you think the colour change is natural? It does sound odd to me to change colour that quickly for my two cents.

Should ask as well to close out. Would you have the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate readings? Is tank filtered and getting pwc's? And tank water not smelly (more so than normal)?

 

[morena]

Garlic, Salt & Water Level

If he is still eating, that's great. He's still getting nutrients to help him fight this off, and once you can narrow it down you can even provide medicine & soaking the food if needed internally.

You may want to wait for the confirmation from others here, but maybe try giving a tiny piece of fresh garlic, soaking a pellet in garlic juice, or even sprinkle a couple granules of garlic powder. It's highly debated on the net but it may help clear up any internal parasites if that is the case, and help his digestive system. I completely agree with the other response up top about feeding pea, that will help in case it is a severe case of constipation causing the bump (try fasting for 1-2 days first if it is indeed constipation, then pea).

A salt dip, try googling for instructions, is beneficial for exterior parasites or fungus type issues. An epsom salt dip, or soaking a pellet in epsom salt for a bit, is supposed to aid in reducing swelling and assisting with internal issues. As you said, I would try to pinpoint the issue first before attempting in case it causes more harm than good.

Keep in mind, if you're betta starts displaying any swimming issues, or seems like they're struggling to move around I would remove it & place it in a small cup so it can reach the top if necessary. Or lower the water level in the tank to an inch or so above him. I lost a betta this way, not able to reach the surface in weakness & seemed to drown himself :'( heartwrenching

 

[jessicafennen]

I gave him some pea this morning but I had to leave for a week long trip. He's in good hands but I won't be able to keep an eye on him I am worried, and will update in a week. Also, I noticed when I shined a light on him the grey area reflected greenish. Is he just changing colors like bettas sometimes do and I shouldn't attribute that to one of his symptoms?

 

[morena]

Color change & parasite note

Having the fins turn slightly more pink or red, sounds almost like a good thing as if he is regaining color in his fins. My flame tetras also did this, they were mostly silver and when they were introduced to the 20gal tank, the pink deepened a lot to where I can see why they go by that name. The gray spot worries me though on yours. I never had an issue of this type, and wish I could help more.

If the bump looks like a sac or a swelling, this sounds like a fish parasite disease I read about. They said the bump will expand & eventually "pop" & release juvenile parasites, eggs, or spores depending on the species. Some parasites only use the fish as a middle step to reach other marine wildlife in an attempt to spread. Try searching this site or google with symptoms.

Also for further use, here is a link of common fish diseases (I didn't see yours). However you can have the caretaker monitor for these things if secondary infections show up:
Freshwater Fish Disease Symptoms and Treatment

 

[jessicafennen]

Yes it did look like a small clear bubble one night and then slightly smaller and even deflated the next. Parasite was my first guess. He's all by himself in a 5.5 thankfully he can't contaminate my other tanks. I'm out of town and will update next week when I'm home

 

[jessicafennen]

I did add salt to his water upon my return home. His bump looked bigger but not much. He's still been behaving normally. Yesterday when I was changing his tank water I took out a pagoda that was a decoration in his tank to wash it. The red paint was chipping away! So I tossed it. This morning, I noticed his bump had ruptured. It's faintly red but considerably smaller. Instead of being one bump the area is jagged, like from being torn open. He's still behaving normally, flaring at his reflection and eating all that I give him.

 

[Delapool]

Any chance of a pic?

 

[jessicafennen]

Sure I'll grab one in a second. He moves a lot so it most likely won't be clear

 

[jessicafennen]

 

[Delapool]

Thanks for the pics. Doesn't seem so good although I see he still looks alert. I did some more looking and body flukes or some external parasite could explain the lot (including the red fins and grey skin). I would try a med for external parasites plus antibiotics.

 

[jessicafennen]

Yeah that's what I'm going to go with. Should I do a total clean of his tank?

 

[Delapool]

How would you do it with the cleaning? Gravel vacs, water changes make sense imo but I tend to leave the filter undisturbed as I figure the meds may kill off some good bacteria anyway.

 

[jessicafennen]

What medicine should I look into?