Help - betta with white thing protruding

Hey guys, I just noticed my betta acting weird lately, dashing around and not eating well, the opposite of his normal behavior. Then I noticed this weird thing near his tail. Appreciate any help guys.

 

Looks like an abscess caused by a bacterial infection. I would treat with some bacterial medicine. Is moving the fish to a hospital tank an option?

 

Looks like an abscess caused by a bacterial infection. I would treat with some bacterial medicine. Is moving the fish to a hospital tank an option?

He’s in a tank by himself anyways, I think I may treat him in there. Already used up my spare tanks.

 

This is going to sound extreme, but if you are ok with it and think you can handle it, I might net him (be very gentle), see if you can wipe that thing off of him with a clean q-tip, and paint that area with another clean q-tip dipped in hydrogen peroxide. Just make sure that you don't get anything near his eyes or gills.

And then I would add some aquarium salt to the tank for a few days. I also recommend that you do some small water changes every other day to keep his water pristine.

Just a suggestion...

 

This is going to sound extreme, but if you are ok with it and think you can handle it, I might net him (be very gentle), see if you can wipe that thing off of him with a clean q-tip, and paint that area with another clean q-tip dipped in hydrogen peroxide. Just make sure that you don't get anything near his eyes or gills.

And then I would add some aquarium salt to the tank for a few days. I also recommend that you do some small water changes every other day to keep his water pristine.

Just a suggestion...

Alright, I’ll give it a shot when I have time. How long do you think he has before it’s too late, or is it already? Also would a few drops of Clove oil be helpful in the process? Thanks

 

I would not use clove oil in a tank, ever. I only use that when I am euthanizing a fish.

Avoid any medicine with "fix" in the name, too. Those are actually not good for bettas.

If he is eating ok, moving around ok, and acting like his normal self, I don't think that he is in eminent danger. It's hard to put a time on it, but if you could start doing the aquarium salt in the next couple of days, that would be good.

Small water changes don't take a lot of time, so you could do that tonight, or tomorrow. If you have a way to test your water parameters (a test kit), you might want to check out your levels in case you have some sort of ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate issue.

And the thing with the q-tip, whenever you are ready. If you don't feel comfortable, then just use the aquarium salt and the water changes to start. If you see the condition getting worse, you can add an antibiotic that treats gram negative bacterial infections, like kanaplex, or maracyn 2.

When using aquarium salt, be mindful that it only gets taken out of the tank through water changes. So if you do small water changes, you will have to keep track of how much you are using, so you don't accidentally over dose him with aquarium salt.

The only other thing that I can think of would be to maybe add some Indian almond leaves to the tank if you don't already have them. They will release tannins, which will tint the water brown, but they help with the healing process. The tannins will decrease his stress, and tannins also have some mild antibacterial and antifungal properties. Bettas love the stuff, and it's very good for them!