Wart on a betta?

Question
I have 5 female betta's in a 10 gallon tank, and one of my older girls has developed warts? thats what they look like. The first one appeared about a week and a half from when Im writing this, and is alittle smaller then her eye, and is right by her mouth, on her right side. the second on appeared oposite of the first, alittle farther up her face and is smaller. She is eating and acting completly normal. I have noticed one of my new girls nipping at the others faces during feeding time...

I have had the tank going for about 2 months, my water is nutral, ammonia and nitrItes are normal (0), have an aquaclear 20 on there and do weekley 10% h2o changes with my gravel vac...  thank you for your help!

Answer
Hi Izzy;

It could be infection from being picked on by the other fish. You might isolate her for a few days and see if the spots improve. The tank has probably also just now finished it's initial cycle period, so the fish may be experiencing stress from the toxins that were elevated. The best maintenance plan for any tank is to remove 20 to 25% of the water each week. This really helps in the prevention and healing of disease too.

There is a viral infection called "Lymphocystis". If the spots don't improve and look like small off white tumors, it could be Lympho. It isn't curable, but can be managed with good maintenance of your aquarium. Avoiding stress is the key. It is contagious to other fish, but symptoms (tumor-looking lesions) don't always show until the infected fish becomes stressed. It might be best to keep her isolated if you think she has this virus.

Followups welcome

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Chris Robbins

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