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One of my female bettas has a huge swollen lump on her face. It looks red and sore, and the scales are are sticking out like a pinecone in that area. There's also a smaller patch on the base of her tail. It's not as swollen, but it's red and pineconed.





I don't know what caused it or how to treat it. I'm guessing that it's bacterial, but I'd really like to hear from someone with more experience.

She means a lot to me and I really don't want her to die.

temp = 27*C
ammonia = unknown (should have tested before I changed the water)

She's in a 2L jar. 100% waterchanges 1-2 times a week with aged water. Water treated with declorinator and conditioner (blue salt stuff), a little bit of salt and ketapang extract.

Fed mostly on pellets and occasionally frozen bloodworm.

She doesn't have contact with other fish, but I use the same equipment for all of them and it's possible for bugs to spread. No other fish are showing symptoms.

It looks a bit like dropsy, but dropsy is not a disease in itself, but a symptom of another possible bacterial infection. You could try some melafix and see what that does for her. The redness on her mouth looks like an infection to me. Make sure to sterilize your nets between use.

That fish does indeed look very sick, I think that swelling is literally caused by local infection, and the redness and raised veins look like septacaemia. The fish will need a good quality broad spectrum antibiotic asap, but as for the initial cause it could be a minor injuryor contact with another sick fish whose immune system was much better than its own, or a waterborne infection. Dropsy tends not to be so regional in a fish and tends to cause a pinecone effect all over the body. The raised scales on your fish looks quite simply like the pressure from the infected tissue is raising the scales.The area may now be a full abcess.

Go with antibiotics or it will be too late to save the fish, he looks very unwell. Melafix added to the water will also aid his healing and get rid of some bacteria he may be leaching into the tank.