[Sparrowlvr]

Hi, I have 100 ppm colloidal silver and want to treat my beloved betta with a cyst that is growing.
It's the white spot above his left eye. Please help!

 

[ichthyogeek]

I don't think I've ever heard of colloidal silver being used in fish. All I've heard of it, is that it turns people blue...

When you say cyst, do you mean like a parasitic cyst, or something like a mini tumor (solid mass)? Or something like a blister, something filled with fluid?

 

[Sparrowlvr]

I sent a few pics of the growth to a biologist at UH Manoa today. It appears to be an aggressive tumor from my description of it. Ofcourse, I will need to bring my betta in for an exam for the proffessor to know for sure. I am in a dilemma over this. I am attached to my betta. I started this new hobby believing I wouldn't be too emotionally invested in a creature I can't hold or nuzzle with. Boy, was I wrong. I am desperate to do anything for Zuma, to increase his quality of life. However, I dont want a procedure to abruptly end his life or mess with his good attitude. I just can't have pets because I have hard time coping with losing them or dealing with any pain or suffering....but that's for a different forum.
There is very little info out there about using CS on fish, but yes colloidal is a miracle cure for so many ailments in humans and animals. I get mine from a reputable lab. The blue that you mention is not from pharmaceutical grade silver and made by questionable processing methods.
I bring up the question here on this forum because someone posted the use of CS in an aquarium. I googled a search and it brought me here. Except I can't recall the username and it wasnt a recent post. Mysteriously I can't find that info when I googled it again or in my history pages. I was hoping the person sees my post to answer it, but that only happens to lucky people with tumor-free fish.

 

[ichthyogeek]

So...I don't know if Big Island has any fish vets, but if they're qualified to do the procedure, it should be fine. Probably a standard tumor removal in that they'll:
sedate the fish in something like MS2-22
Run a breathing apparatus so the gills are kept wet
Cut out the tumor and cauterize the wound
Return the fish to water.

If it's an aggressive tumor, chances are it might come back (that's kinda what malignant tumors do if you don't get every single cell out...). It might be that you have to choose to euthanize the fish to prevent its sfufering...but if it's an easy surgery, then it might not come back!

 

[Sparrowlvr]

My betta isn't suffering now. He has a great attitude so far. The growth hasn't been confirmed to be a tumor, I'll find out more on the 23rd. But will I be cornered into euthanizing him if it is malignant without doing the procedure? You think he will be in a lot of pain after the surgery? I dont know if pain meds are an option. I know some people think I should just let this go because "it's just a fish..." but I cant put a dollar amount on my bettas life. To me, he is a unicorn among other bettas. Very extraordinary and irreplaceable. This sucks.

 

[Sparrowlvr]

This was taken before I cleaned the build up from evaporation.

 

[Sparrowlvr]

*UPDATE*
My Betta had his procedure done on Friday. The vet team of two made a house call to remove the cyst in the comfort of home near his tank. Everything went smoothly and Zuma is doing better each day. Keeping a close watch for any signs of infection. So far he's been active and eating his pellets. Very happy his eye is intact and wasn't removed along with the tumor.

 

[deeda]

Thanks for the update and keep us posted on how Zuma is doing.

Is the vet planning on doing any tests on the removed cyst to see if it's malignant or not?

 

[Sparrowlvr]

One of the two person team that organized the procedure is a biologist at UH. Her specialty is aquatic diseases and pathology (she brought the veterinarian to do remove the tumor/cyst). I assumed she was also a vet. I will have to wait a few weeks for the histology of the specimen. I did not observe the surgery or the anesthesia administration (for obvious reasons) What was removed was so tiny, I could barely see it. It seemed so much bigger when it was growing taut under the eyelid ( my betta does have hooded eyes if not lids) like a pimple aching to burst. She did mention that tumors were common in bettas, not all are malignant but can grow back. I will have to really step up my water change game without stressing out Zuma. Personally, I feel making sure his environment is near perfect could prevent or at least thwart opportunity for tumor to happen. This hobby has been all consuming for me. Literally takes me hours to maintain five basic nano tanks. I have to bring a friend to steer me away from the betta fish shelves so I don't hoard more rescues. Sorry for going off topic. I will continue updating and what the results are as soon as it's available.