# White Spot on Betta Face



## RazzleDazzle30

Ok, my male Betta is doing just fine in his 2.5gal but I did try swapping out his plastic plant for a real one a few months ago. I thought that he would prefer a live plant - that was not necessarily the case. He loves his plastic plant, it provides more support for his fins compared to the real one. 

I did end up removing the live plant since I noticed a raised, white bump on my Betta's face (near mouth). Could this be from the live plant? He did fine with the plastic one I just believe that this bump was caused by the real plant. The plant was only in his tank for about a month. Any thoughts?


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## CyberBob

RazzleDazzle30 said:


> Ok, my male Betta is doing just fine in his 2.5gal but I did try swapping out his plastic plant for a real one a few months ago. I thought that he would prefer a live plant - that was not necessarily the case. He loves his plastic plant, it provides more support for his fins compared to the real one.
> 
> I did end up removing the live plant since I noticed a raised, white bump on my Betta's face (near mouth). Could this be from the live plant? He did fine with the plastic one I just believe that this bump was caused by the real plant. The plant was only in his tank for about a month. Any thoughts?


Watch his behavior for a while. Does he often attack hid reflection? This is actually pretty common among Betta. He could just have rubbed it raw and has a slight infection. I would recommend melafix to help with the healing and any standard antibiotic. I prefer maracyn.
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4833

Most likely has nothing to do with the plant. It's usually a tumor or cyst. Yes, it could even be cancer. Keep a close eye around his mouth. This tumor is often accompanied by a fungus. It will look like fuzzy stuff around the mouth. This however can be treated with your standard anti-fungus meds.

Fungus can usually only attack an unhealthy fish and is most likely not the root of the problem. The large white spot is mostly likely a tumor, for which there is rarely a treatment. Look carefully at the bump ...
Is it a bump like acne would be or more of a generally swollen area?
If it's general swelling, it's below the skin and the bump is under the skin.
If it's on the skin (acne) I would treat with a general paracide as it's most likely a parasite. If it's below the skin it's more likely to be impaction or an internal infection, both of which are quite hard to diagnose or to treat.

I usually use Tetra Lifeguard for fungi and Tetra Parasite Guard for parasites. Mostly because these are usually safe for most scaless fish.
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4615+20402&pcatid=20402
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4615+22162&pcatid=22162

If he stops eating for more then 3 days and starts acting depressed (always in a corner), please do the humane thing and put him in some water, then stick him in the freezer for a few hours. He will go to sleep. Try different foods 1st of course  Mine love frozen bloodworms. Even when they are sick, they can't resist.

If it is a tumor, all you can really do is monitor his condition. Unless you know someone nearby that can do fish surgery. No, I'm not joking. You can buy scalpels at most big fish chains.
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=22560

Hope that helps and keep me posted on his bump


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## RazzleDazzle30

My betta's white bump has become larger than when I first noticed it. It's more of a cluster of 2-3 large white bumps on his face more so on the top & side around his mouth. I'm really worried but I did as you said, added Melafix to his water & all I'm going to do is wait a few days to see if it gets worse over time. The Melafix can only help him. Do you think this is a fungus? I'm not sure if I could rid him from these white lumps entirely even with treatment.


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## CyberBob

RazzleDazzle30 said:


> My betta's white bump has become larger than when I first noticed it. It's more of a cluster of 2-3 large white bumps on his face more so on the top & side around his mouth. I'm really worried but I did as you said, added Melafix to his water & all I'm going to do is wait a few days to see if it gets worse over time. The Melafix can only help him. Do you think this is a fungus? I'm not sure if I could rid him from these white lumps entirely even with treatment.


It's really hard to guess without seeing apicture of the spots. It could even just be an irritation from the glass when he attacks his reflection. It could be a tumor, but those don't usually spread. It sounds more like a parasite to me. There is a chance it's a fungus also.
I recommend Tetra Lifeguard and Tetra Parasite Guard.
Lifeguard is made for 5g tanks, so only 1\2 dose.
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=20402
Parasite Guard is made for 10g tanks, so only 1\4 dose.
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=22162
Melafix is good, but they also make Bettafix.
Many folks think Melafix is harmful for Betta, but it's actually the same as Bettafix, just stronger.
I should have told you to dilute it more then the directions on the bottle.
Here is some important reading on melafix vs bettafix:
http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/57172-melafix-vs-bettafix/

Here are a few pictures and ways to identify and fix the problem:









http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Columnaris.html
This is gonna be a lot of reading, but it's pretty accurate info.























http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/BettaHlthF27.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/betdisf17.htm
Again, lots of reading, but lots of good info also.

Hope that helps. If you need to do more research, try googleling for "betta white bump" and then look at the images. When you find one that looks close, just click on it and chances are it will tell you a bit about it and how to treat it. Please keep me posted 
Here's a shortcut for ya 
http://www.google.com/search?&tbm=isch&q=betta+white+bump

Again, please watch his behavior. As long as he is eating, there is always a chance. But, if he starts sulking all day and stops eating for 3 days or more... You might need to consider putting him down before it causes too much pain. Aquarium Water in a cup, place in freezer for about 6 hours. He will fall asleep and be at rest. I've had to euthanize a few fish over the years


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## Betta man

Could be ick? do daily 50-100 percent water changes.


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## RazzleDazzle30

Here is a pic of a betta that has a bump very similar to my betta's except mine has a white head. The bump on my betta is in the exact same location as the one in the pic. 

Today the bump itself looks better.. its only one large bump at this point. I did dilute the Melafix before adding to the water. He is eating well & will begin changing his water daily until this mystery bump improves. I think its more of an external problem rather than an internal one (ex - tumor, cancer) but I'm no expert. He has been somewhat less active than he was a month or two ago, thats understandable.


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## CyberBob

RazzleDazzle30 said:


> Here is a pic of a betta that has a bump very similar to my betta's except mine has a white head. The bump on my betta is in the exact same location as the one in the pic.
> 
> Today the bump itself looks better.. its only one large bump at this point. I did dilute the Melafix before adding to the water. He is eating well & will begin changing his water daily until this mystery bump improves. I think its more of an external problem rather than an internal one (ex - tumor, cancer) but I'm no expert. He has been somewhat less active than he was a month or two ago, thats understandable.


If it didn't have the whitehead you mentioned, I would lean more towrds a tumor usually. But, with a whitehead (looks like a zit) it is almost always a parasite IME. That is also a common place for parasites to take up home (close to the eye where they can crawl in). Just my 2 cents


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## RazzleDazzle30

Oh goodness I feel like its something along those lines - parasite - rather than a cut, tumor, growth etc.. Could he have gotten it from the original live plant or stagnant water? I have no idea how this happened & I hope I can help him out. Should I purchase parasite chems. or stick with the diluted Melafix? Or purchase Bettafix? please advise fish lovers.


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## Betta man

Don' trust me cause I don't know for sure, but saltwater kills parasites. My betta book says for ick or fin rot, put it in saltwater until it starts showing stress, but I'd dip it for 5 seconds cause I don't have the heart to do that. Ick is a parasite so I guess it kills some parasites and fin rot is a bacterial infection so I guess it kills those too.


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## CyberBob

I would recommend Parasite Guard or an equivalent. Parasite Guard is very inexpensive (usually around $3-$5 at most stores). Just be sure to break the tab into pieces and treat at the correct dosage. Parasite Guard is for 10g tanks usually, so you would only want to use 1\4 of a tab. The melafix will help the lil guy heal, but not much else honestly. I would continue the use of melafix in the diluted amounts for a while longer. Once the parasite is dead, it will help his skin heal much faster. If you are running low on melafix, you can always get bettafix. But, it is just a weaker version of melafix. I keep melafix around for all my fish and adjust dosage as needed.

As for salt, it works well on external parasites. But betta don't usually handle salt very well in the levels that would be needed to treat the parasite. Most common issue with too much salt is kidney failure. I do recommend low levels of aquarium salt (not marine salt). It does help in the prevention of parasites and can improve gill function. But, where you would normally want 1 tb per gallon for tropical fish, you only want about 1\2 tb per gallon in betta tanks usually. If you have any catfish in your tanks, this will burn them out very fast. Plecos are catfish by the way. If you have a hydrometer or refractometer around, you can measure the salinity levels. You do not want to go above 1.002 for a betta tank. 1.004 during healing might be OK, but only for a week max. If you add 1\2 tb of aquarium salt, you will be just fine. Remember though that salt doesn't evaporate with water. The salt is there and will be hard to get rid of without major water changes. Easy to add salt, hard to remove it.

Since it is just under the skin a chem like parasite guard should be enough. If it were in the intestines for example, you would need to soak his food in it or even use medicated foods. But, that's not the case here. If he does start to look very skinny, it could be an internal parasite also though.

As for what could cause the parasite ...
It's in all water sources. Your drink tons of parasites and copepods everyday. But, our immune system and digestive system prevent anything from taking hold. Also, the chlorine in our tap water kills most of the lil critters. Parasites can usually only attack weakened fish. The most common cause is poor water quality. But, if he is stressed for any reason, it could allow the parasite access. I doubt it is your fault though.

On a side note ... I never went past cub scout myself hehe.
But, I am former military, so I guess that makes up for it


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## emc7

plants don't carry parasites, but they carry snails and snails can carry parasites. A dip or even QT is good practice for new plants.


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## CyberBob

emc7 said:


> plants don't carry parasites, but they carry snails and snails can carry parasites. A dip or even QT is good practice for new plants.


I've always done a salt dip if I'm worried about hitchhikers. I've heard that people do bleach dips also, but that seems like it would kill just about anything, even the plant.

Now I usually buy plant bulbs though. I just like to watch em grow 

As far as snails, most freshwater tanks benefit from snails. They usually only have parasites if they are in the wild. Most fish stores I know of breed their own or buy them from a breeder. When snails have been kept in a fishless tank for at least 30 days, the parasites are all dead. They need fish to continue their life cycle. When buying snails from a new breeder, I quarantine them for 45 days minimum.


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