goldie - internal parasite?

[bigmac1878]

sunday is my water change day so i checked my parameters and all was fine. ph 7.4
ammonia 0 ppm
nitrite 0 ppm
nitrate 10 ppm
tank size 18g
i went to a friends house to watch the big match.
when i came home a couple of hours later, i noticed one of my goldies has a lump on his side, which he didn't have when i left. when he swims away from me, he looks less stremlined than he usually does.
i've made no additions or changes to the tank for a long time. he is behaving normally, feeding normally also.
as there are no obvious external problems apart from the lump.

 

[Zagz]

How big is your goldfish? How many in the tank? Have you seen him poop? Is it white and stringy? I personally don't think it is internal parasites. Is there any sores on the lump, whiteness or fuzziness? It might be a tumor which can be harmless or not. I can see the lump quite clearly from your pic but don't have a firm answer for you. I would keep a close eye on him and do nothing at the moment, unless you witness behaviour or physical changes.

 

[Devilishturtles]

I'd follow Zagz' advice. Hard to tell what is wrong right now. As long as he is continuing to eat and swim okay, I'd not worry too much either. Sometimes they come and go on their own...

 

[bigmac1878]

there are those 2 goldfish in that tank. he is approx 1.5 inches. i know that is probably overstocking the tank but i didn't know that when i first started. he is having a poop at the moment which is longer that his body lenghth, white and stringy. as for sores on the lump, there are none. i've just got home from work right now and noticed 2 small lumps on his other side 1 just behind the gill the other a bit further back a little more than half way along his body. also these lumps are causing (i think) the scales on them to protrude. he was a little bit erratic just now when i turned the light on other than that his behaviour is normal. i'll keep monitoring him in the tank for now.

thanks.

 

[Zagz]

The poop is making me believe parasites are a concern. I would treat with an anti parasitic med or even better medicated food if he'll eat it.

 

[Alshain]

Yeah, sounds like parasites to me as well but I've never heard of lumps caused by parasites. Very interesting. You should definately start medicating him with food.

 

[bigmac1878]

the first lump has gotten bigger in the 2 days since i noticed it. the second smaller lump now has something protruding from beneath the scales. the third hasn't changed at all. water parameters are still the same. behaviour is still normal, however i did notice a bit of pushing and shoving from his tank mate at feed ing time.

my next questions are:
1 - should i quarantine him?
2 - what should i use to treat him.
3 - do you think he will last another day? as my lfs will be closed now.

 

[Alshain]

Took me a while but I think I found it. I believe your goldie has Lymphocystis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphocystis

No cure I'm afraid. You will need to watch closely for secondary infection, isolate if you feel it is necessary to prevent spread of secondary infection. Treat with antibacterials aid open sores. Other than that, give him the best life you can.

It could also be Epitheliocystis, same treatment though.

 

[bigmac1878]

the white thing that is showing on the photo above has now gone, fallen off or eaten i presume, leaving behind a small red sore. i'll isolate him and take it from there. although i'm not sure it is lymphocystis as the fish's environment hasn't changed and nothing has been added to the tank for several months. another thing is that the white stuff just appeared like it is on the photo, it didn't develope in seerater areas and then clump togeter. i'm just going on the information i read after folowint the link posted by alshain.

i think i'll fire up the QT.

 

[jsoong]

I don't think that this is lymphocystis ... Lymphocystis is purely an epithelial disease, so should be confined to the surface .... In the pic, it looks like the swelling is deeper .... Also lymphocystis will not fall off that quick (average length of infection is 1-2 years).

A lump that comes on that quickly is likely a bacterial infection, or perhaps a parasite. (That first pic looks like it may be an abscess). I would QT the fish & feed medicated food.

If you can't get a hold of meds, you might consider adding salt & increasing the temp (slowly - 12+hrs) to high 80's if the fish can stand it (increase aeration, watch fish closely). Koivet has stated that most goldies bacteria - including columnaris - are susceptible to heat. However, this treatment is really only suggested for external infections only. You should add meds ASAP.

 

[bigmac1878]

unfortunatly he died while acclimatising him to the QT. i think it was the stress that finished him

 

[joannde]

Oh I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[Zagz]

So sorry for your loss, you did everything you could.