Large bump on bettas side

Question
I bought my betta at Christmas time last year.  I had him in a one gallon tank.  He seemed very happy and ate alot.  About a month ago he developed a white bump on his side right in front of his tail.  At first I didn't think to much about it.  I figured it would go away on its own, after all he was acting fine.  I put StartRight in his water, not know what else to do.  It didn't seem to help.  With a little research on the internet I realize my water temp. probably wasn't high enough.  I moved his to my 10 gallon tank, since I currently don't have any other fish.  I put the heater in my tank and have it set to 80 degrees.  The white bump is now very large and seems to continue to grow.  I bought some IchAway from the store and have treated him 4 times in the last 2 weeks.  My betta has quit swimming and just lays on the bottom of the tank on his side.  He also has drug some hole in the gravel.  He will start to come to the top to eat but then falls to the bottom.  He acts like it is very hard to swim.  I put some vacation food in there for him since it lays on the bottom I figure he could eat on it.  What do I need to do?  Will he come out of it or is this fatal?  Will adding salt to the water help?

Answer
Hi LeaAnn;

Poor guy. It sounds like whatever the bump is has now affected his swim bladder. It could be an abcess or even a tumor. Put him in a smaller tank so it is easier for him to get to the top for air and food. Put a light on it and keep it in a warm spot. You could try treating him with an antibiotic in case it is a bacterial infection. I recommend "Maracyn 2". It absorbs inside the fish. Other meds treat only the outside of the fish.

Here is a good web page about using medicine in smaller tanks;

http://www.healthybetta.com/easymeds.html

Salt is really not going to help him. His problem is more serious than what it can do. Hopefully the maracyn 2 will help him.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins