Enchantress
Aquarium Advice Activist
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2017
- Messages
- 165
Hi all,
My male betta (whom I've had for just over 7 months, but he was already an adult when I adopted him) seems to be missing half of his operculum (the 'beard'). When he flares, the right hand side opens up perfectly, but the left one just isn't there. The gill cover opens well enough, but the beard underneath is not visible. When his mouth is closed, the left hand side of his face/gills (the one with the missing operculum) seems just a little bit asymmetrical/droopy. He doesn't flare that often, and I don't make him do it that frequently, but from what I can remember he didn't use to have this problem before. Otherwise he's healthy - ravenous appetite, active, good colours, not under- or overweight. The only culprit I can think of is the fact that about a month ago I left home for about 2 weeks and the state of his tank deteriorated significantly (lots of gunk on the bottom), and he was in pretty bad shape - he didn't seem to eat that much, even though I'd left him some 'holiday food'. He lost weight and also developped mysterious small bumps on his body, but I remember he had one or two of those when I got him, so I'm not sure what the cause is. I'm quite sure, though, that my absence resulted in him losing some of his immunity, so this could also have contributed to some of the issues. Nonetheless, I'm at a loss as to what I should do - will the bumps disappear, and will the operculum grow back? Or have I messed up too bad? Since my return I have brought his tank (and the fish itself, to some extent) back to its original condition, but I'm still a bit concerned that my carelessness will cause him to suffer, so I'd appreaciate some input as to the prognosis for both the operculum and those bumps. They don't seem to be causing him any distress - like I said, he's eating very well and acting normal (he doesn't build bubble nests anymore or patrol the tank/flare at random snails, and he used to do it quite frequently, but maybe he's just had a change of heart?). I don't know. Anyway, thanks in advance for any input.
My male betta (whom I've had for just over 7 months, but he was already an adult when I adopted him) seems to be missing half of his operculum (the 'beard'). When he flares, the right hand side opens up perfectly, but the left one just isn't there. The gill cover opens well enough, but the beard underneath is not visible. When his mouth is closed, the left hand side of his face/gills (the one with the missing operculum) seems just a little bit asymmetrical/droopy. He doesn't flare that often, and I don't make him do it that frequently, but from what I can remember he didn't use to have this problem before. Otherwise he's healthy - ravenous appetite, active, good colours, not under- or overweight. The only culprit I can think of is the fact that about a month ago I left home for about 2 weeks and the state of his tank deteriorated significantly (lots of gunk on the bottom), and he was in pretty bad shape - he didn't seem to eat that much, even though I'd left him some 'holiday food'. He lost weight and also developped mysterious small bumps on his body, but I remember he had one or two of those when I got him, so I'm not sure what the cause is. I'm quite sure, though, that my absence resulted in him losing some of his immunity, so this could also have contributed to some of the issues. Nonetheless, I'm at a loss as to what I should do - will the bumps disappear, and will the operculum grow back? Or have I messed up too bad? Since my return I have brought his tank (and the fish itself, to some extent) back to its original condition, but I'm still a bit concerned that my carelessness will cause him to suffer, so I'd appreaciate some input as to the prognosis for both the operculum and those bumps. They don't seem to be causing him any distress - like I said, he's eating very well and acting normal (he doesn't build bubble nests anymore or patrol the tank/flare at random snails, and he used to do it quite frequently, but maybe he's just had a change of heart?). I don't know. Anyway, thanks in advance for any input.