Asked on the Betta Forum by cthrume5 on 4/4/03, 6:16 pm
Q: Betta Tumor??
I have had this betta for about a month now. I have already sent it back to the breeder once because it got a bad fungus that I did not have the resources to treat. I finally got him back about a week ago and was watching vigilantly for any signs he was getting sick again. I had cleaned out the tank with apple cider vinegar and rinsed that with distilled water like the breeder had said to to kill any remaining fungus in the bowl. He was doing fine in his little one gallon bowl until a few days ago. I noticed he has a lump on his side near his tail that is only visible from the top, or if you are looking at him from the back. Also, he looks like he.... I dunno, has some sort of coating on him. I'm so paranoid he is getting sick again. I know a one gal bowl isn't the best thing, but it is all I can afford right now. Also, do they make heaters for one gal bowls? I know his water is cold for him (below 70 I think) but the only way I have to warm it up now is to stick him in fromt of my heat vent and I'm not so sure that would be good for him. Plus the temp fluctuations when the heat goes off would probably mess him up more, right? Any help would really really be appreciated. I already lost one betta to a fungus, I don't need to lose another one to something. Oh, and I feed him HBH betta food, the pellets, once a day. Also I just put a little BettaFix in there in case it is a fungus on him. Maybe it will help?
Answered by berner on 4/4/03, 7:01 pm
A: Betta Tumor??
> I have had this betta for about a month now. I have already
> sent it back to the breeder once because it got a bad fungus
> that I did not have the resources to treat. I finally got
> him back about a week ago and was watching vigilantly for
> any signs he was getting sick again. I had cleaned out the
> tank with apple cider vinegar and rinsed that with distilled
> water like the breeder had said to to kill any remaining
> fungus in the bowl. He was doing fine in his little one
> gallon bowl until a few days ago. I noticed he has a lump on
> his side near his tail that is only visible from the top, or
> if you are looking at him from the back. Also, he looks like
> he.... I dunno, has some sort of coating on him. I'm so
> paranoid he is getting sick again. I know a one gal bowl
> isn't the best thing, but it is all I can afford right now.
> Also, do they make heaters for one gal bowls? I know his
> water is cold for him (below 70 I think) but the only way I
> have to warm it up now is to stick him in fromt of my heat
> vent and I'm not so sure that would be good for him. Plus
> the temp fluctuations when the heat goes off would probably
> mess him up more, right? Any help would really really be
> appreciated. I already lost one betta to a fungus, I don't
> need to lose another one to something. Oh, and I feed him
> HBH betta food, the pellets, once a day. Also I just put a
> little BettaFix in there in case it is a fungus on him.
> Maybe it will help?
>
He's not only sick...at this rate he will probably die...like your last one. I know money does not grow on trees BUT if you cannot afford to take care of something. Donot buy it and especially a second time!! ALL 17 of my bettas come from breeders. They have all arrived healthy. It is expensive to ship overnight. $25-$38 that I pay. I have never known a breeder to take back a fish...especially a sick one. The back and forth along probably stressed him to no end. Bettas donot live long in bowls with cold water!! Do you at least dechlorinate the water? How often do you change the water? Do you check for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates...ph?? This betta could have a tumor, a cyst...several things. He more than likely has a fungus...but again there are several types. He should be eating TWICE a day and a varied diet. Feeding once a day has only weakened his immune system more. I would at this point get some bettamax and follow instructions on box. I usually use 1 capsul and delute it in an empty (sanitized) gal. milk jug. with water. Then use this is your bowl. It is not a cure all but it might help your poor fish. I don't mean to be so harsh...but we are dealing with a living thing that relies on us for his world. Good luck.
Kathy
Answered by berner on 4/4/03, 7:05 pm
A: Betta Tumor??
> > I have had this betta for about a month now. I have
> already
> > sent it back to the breeder once because it got a bad
> fungus
> > that I did not have the resources to treat. I finally got
> > him back about a week ago and was watching vigilantly for
> > any signs he was getting sick again. I had cleaned out
> the
> > tank with apple cider vinegar and rinsed that with
> distilled
> > water like the breeder had said to to kill any remaining
> > fungus in the bowl. He was doing fine in his little one
> > gallon bowl until a few days ago. I noticed he has a lump
> on
> > his side near his tail that is only visible from the top,
> or
> > if you are looking at him from the back. Also, he looks
> like
> > he.... I dunno, has some sort of coating on him. I'm so
> > paranoid he is getting sick again. I know a one gal bowl
> > isn't the best thing, but it is all I can afford right
> now.
> > Also, do they make heaters for one gal bowls? I know his
> > water is cold for him (below 70 I think) but the only way
> I
> > have to warm it up now is to stick him in fromt of my
> heat
> > vent and I'm not so sure that would be good for him. Plus
> > the temp fluctuations when the heat goes off would
> probably
> > mess him up more, right? Any help would really really be
> > appreciated. I already lost one betta to a fungus, I
> don't
> > need to lose another one to something. Oh, and I feed him
> > HBH betta food, the pellets, once a day. Also I just put
> a
> > little BettaFix in there in case it is a fungus on him.
> > Maybe it will help?
> >
I forgot...to my knowledge there are no heaters for bowls. I am going to paste on two of my answers to others on betta housing and diet...just so you know how they should be treated.
From my Betta FAQ:
I'm happy you came to this site for betta information:) I'm going to explain a little to you about bettas. O.K? People in pet stores have been told to tell people that bettas can live in bowls or vases...eat any old flake food and they will be fine. This is simply not true. Bettas are tropical fish, meaning they like warm water. They live in very warm waters in their homeland in HUGE ricepaddies...not mud puddles. They need a cycled, heated, filtered tank of at least 3-5 gal minimum. The tank heat should not be lower then 76 degrees and not more then 80 degrees. I personally prefer 78 degrees. They are not living in a bowl/vase...they are simply existing. A bowl needs 100%% water changes at least 2 or 3 times a week. It needs to be replaced with treated water that is already prepared so that it is the same temp. as his bowl water. Treated meaning drops made to take out chlorine and other bad chemicals that can kill him. You can use a empty washed out (good) gal. milk jug. When fish go to the bathroom they produce ammonia. If you don't keep his water clean, he can get sick, mayby not eat...and even die. This ammonia builds up and can burn his skin, and he is taking it in through his gills. It's kind of like swimming in his own toilet:( They are wonderful fish and deserve the best like any other pet. They are not ''just a fish.'' They are a living thing:) If you get a tank you will need to cycle it. Please let me know and I will give you information on that. I am going to paste below an answer I wrote someone else about their eating habits. I know this is a lot to take in but treated right and the awards from your little guy are well worth it:) I have 14 and I love them all. If you go to the websites ''see more pictures'' and then view fish, you will see 4 of my bettas, Boo, BlueBlocker, Cherry Garcia & Miss Cleo in their tanks and some other wonderful bettas in tanks:) Remember, VASES & BOWLS are for PLANTS & FRUITS. FISHTANKS are for FISH! Anyway here is some info on feeding.
Bettas like a variety of foods. If you want your Betta to grow strong, healthy and show good coloration, you will need to provide a proper diet. A good betta food is Hikari's Betta Bio- Gold pellets. These can be purchased at any pet store. Commercial Betta food provides the majority of nutients that your Betta will require for good health. I supplement my own with live foods twice a week. Live foods are harder to come by so I am certain your local pet store will have frozen. I would suggest frozen brine shrimp or mosquito larvae. Mosquito larvae is a big part of their diet in the wild. You can also get frozen bloodworms. I know our local Petco sells live wingless fruitflies. I will feed each 3 or 4 at a time. Mine love these. Some feed their bettas cooked, chopped up beef heart. Personally, I find this to messy. You can also offer him some lettuce or spinach. Mine will pick at this. Once a week you can try a frozen, cooked, shelled pea smushed up. This will help constipation which my 14 are prone too. Your betta should be fed twice a day. Mine each recieve 3 to 4 pellets at each feeding depending on size of fish. I feed each one...one pellet at a time, so I can watch to make sure they eat. Their live or frozen food I give twice a week. The pea once a week. The 3 of mine that will not eat a pea, I fast them every Sunday to help clean their digestive system. Remember, they need a balance of a total diet to get all of their required nutrients. Hope this was of some help:)
Answered by cthrume5 on 4/4/03, 7:38 pm
Q: Betta Tumor??
Ok, I tried replying before but it did not go for some reason... And I feel bad enough already that he is sick, so what you said didn't make me feel any worse. First to clear things up: the first betta I had died because he was sick when I got him, which I did not know. I got hime from a pet store, and the medication I bought to treat him did not work and he died. The Betta I have now was a gift from a breeder that I know, who lives about a half hour away from me and was kind enough to take him back when he got sick. So it cost me nothing but time to get him there. I did treat the water with water conditioner before I put him in there. I have also had the water tested at a local pet store and they said all levels were ok. I feed him once a day because that is what the food container said, "once a day, 6- 8 pellets". I make sure he eats them one at a time so they don't get the water yucky if they just sit there. I do a partial water change every day for him, even I am not so stupid/cruel to leave him sit in his own toilet, he's got enough to deal with right now. I did have enough money to get him a nice filtered tank but bills came up and I could not use that money on him anymore. I will get him one as soon as I can. For now, I will get the bettamax and hope that helps him. Also, how do I sanatize a milk jug? Like I cleaned the bowl with the distilled water and cider vinegar? I saw what else I can feed him and will try and see if he likes any of that. Thank you for your suggestions and help.
Answered by berner on 4/4/03, 8:35 pm
A: Betta Tumor??
> Ok, I tried replying before but it did not go for some
> reason... And I feel bad enough already that he is sick, so
> what you said didn't make me feel any worse. First to clear
> things up: the first betta I had died because he was sick
> when I got him, which I did not know. I got hime from a pet
> store, and the medication I bought to treat him did not work
> and he died. The Betta I have now was a gift from a breeder
> that I know, who lives about a half hour away from me and
> was kind enough to take him back when he got sick. So it
> cost me nothing but time to get him there. I did treat the
> water with water conditioner before I put him in there. I
> have also had the water tested at a local pet store and they
> said all levels were ok. I feed him once a day because that
> is what the food container said, ''once a day, 6- 8
> pellets''. I make sure he eats them one at a time so they
> don't get the water yucky if they just sit there. I do a
> partial water change every day for him, even I am not so
> stupid/cruel to leave him sit in his own toilet, he's got
> enough to deal with right now. I did have enough money to
> get him a nice filtered tank but bills came up and I could
> not use that money on him anymore. I will get him one as
> soon as I can. For now, I will get the bettamax and hope
> that helps him. Also, how do I sanatize a milk jug? Like I
> cleaned the bowl with the distilled water and cider vinegar?
> I saw what else I can feed him and will try and see if he
> likes any of that. Thank you for your suggestions and help.
>
Just wash jug with extremely hot water and rinse. I mentioned sanitize because someone else I suggested this to..left some milk in the jug...sigh...so I never know. It is better and healthier for your betta to eat twice a day. 3 or 4 pellets at a time. I'm sure the breeder would agree. As I said before..I didnot mean to be so harsh. I answer many questions. Bettas are so mistreated and sometimes it really gets to me. I am glad you are trying to take proper care of him. I hope he makes it. At night you can cover his bowl with a light towel. This will help keep the warmth in. Good luck.
