Help me diagnose these sick fish. Tumor? PICS

[Swim]

Hello,

I really need help with some fish that I have seen, they are not my fish therefore I can't really tell you that many actuate things about them, they're a friends that I just happened to see, I love fish and have my own so of course I want to help them!

1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).
Goldfish, standard.
Growths on head (large, white) and starting to appear under skin on body of one fish.
Another with a white growth with a black spot in the middle appear on the lower lip of the other.
All other tank mates seem ok.

2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
As I said, I don't own these fish so I do not know. Sorry.

3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
For at least a year, the tank is around 150 liters I think.

4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
I have no idea sorry. It is just a large filter.

5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
Around 8cms from head to base of tail. 9 fish. One fancy goldfish (black).

6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
I don't know again sorry. By the looks of it they don't have great hygiene practices when it comes to their fish.

7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
Pet shop.

8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
Nothing that I know of.

9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
They use flakes and pellets. No recent diet change.

This is the first fish, he has a large white growth on his head and starting to appear under his eye as you can tryyy to see on the second pic.

This is the second fish you can see with the growth on his lower lip.

I'm sorry the pics aren't super great, they wont keep still!

 

[jlk]

Welcome to AA!!!

The 'growths' that are visible are called lymphocystis. It is a transmissible viral disease among species of fish (ie, goldfish to goldfish) when visibly active though it is generally not a fatal disease. Secondary infections can occur when steps are not taken to address the situation which can be fatal. There is not a definitive treatment beyond improving the immune health of the fish with a proper diet and the tank conditions with pristine water in order for the fish to fight off the virus on its own.

A 150l/40g tank with little care and nine goldfish needs some serious remediation in order for the fish to recover. Unfortunately, this tank is very seriously overstocked and likely has very toxic water conditions (as evidenced by the physical condition of the fish) which are contributing further to their poor health. Daily big water changes are needed along with an nutritious diet to help them recover. Once fully recovered, the stocking situation honestly needs to be addressed to prevent future issues. Feel free to ask any questions!

 

[Swim]

Welcome to AA!!!

The 'growths' that are visible are called lymphocystis.....

Thank you so much for your answer, I've been looking so hard to find one and finally have one!

I intend to try and help the fish as much as I can every time I come over to the persons house, I'll do a large water change tonight and try to convince the owners to do their own water changes as often as they can, treat them to some blood worms too!


I do have a small question, will the lymphocystis that looks be be growing under the fishes eye cause it problems/pain? I would hate to know that it was in pain.


Will do my best to convince owners to get another tank or give them to me after they hopefully get better. again

 

[jlk]

Good luck! Unfortunately, the fish with the growth under his eye may suffer from some degree of vision impairment or even possibly the loss of the eye itself. Vision impairment or even the loss of an eye will not affect his quality of life though. I will be honest in that I can not attest fully to the degree of discomfort he may be in right now. My guess is it is uncomfortable for him and its also possibly alarming as his vision is likely affected to some degree and the lack of sight would be perceived as a source of stress. I do not know how deeply the growth may be spreading into his cranial area either as we can only see what is visible.

The best advice I can offer for him is to monitor his condition and behavior. If he appears to be in distress, stops eating, starts hitting his head into things/scratching his head/eye, starts swimming oddly (whirling, unable to maintain position in water, etc) or other behaviors that indicate the growth has become an issue or source of discomfort and/or irritation then you will need to consider what is best for him. An aquatic vet can surgically remove some growths, however, the growth beneath the eye in the cranial region is an unlikely candidate for removal.

Try to see if you can have their owners invest in some quality foods, too. Hikari Saki or a sinking NLS formula would be ideal in addition to veggies, fruits and some fresh proteins. A good diet is must here to facilitate their healing (along with healthy water). If in a few weeks (after diet and water has been addressed), there is another option that can be tried but it has not been substantiated. Keep us posted!