tumor????

[crazycat]

hi all,

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.).
one of my whiptail catfish has a "tumor-like" growth on the lower part of it's caudal fin. it is not cottony, but rather looks smooth with several (approx 4) nodules--almost like a cell dividing. but it's really big, about the size of a small pea. it's pinkish-purplish. i would take pictures but (a) i suck at it, and (b) the catfish ran away somewhere in the tank it looks fairly yucky, but doesn't seem to be bother the fish (from what i could tell)

i am currently treating for ich with heat. (as of yesterday)

2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
nh3:0
no2:0
no3: 12.5
temp: 87.5
ph: 7.0

3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
125g
1 1/2 months old (cycled with established filter media)

4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
fluval 404 and fluval 304. gph unknown.

5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
see sig...
denisonii range from 2-4.5". largest plecos top out at 4" (L200 and LDA033). the rest are smaller. the chinese algae eater is about 5". the rest of the barbs and tetras range from 1-1.5 inches. i believe i may have lost a few glolights to ich. not sure though.

6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel?
2 days ago. 50%.

How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
pwc once a week. 25-30%.

7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
some of the fish i've had for months--4 to 5 (moved from another tank). the newest fish, 5 drapefin barbs, are responsible for the ich i think. they were acclimated over the course of an hour, adding water from the tank to their bags--pretty much the standard way i believe.

8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
nope.

9A~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
nls pellets, carnivore sinking wafers, hikari algae wafers and sinking pellets. brine shrimp flakes. peas, broccoli stems, zucchini. frozen cyclops-eeze. their diet has not changed recently.

does this sound familiar to anyone?

what do i do?

 

[Apocalypse_Gold]

A tumor seems likely. My only other idea is Lymphocystis, mainly because it is on the fin, but that is too big, not white, and I think catfish are immune. So the tumor is the better diagnosis, but that doesn't help because there is not much you can do, unless you are a skilled surgeon.

 

[crazycat]

what do i do? do i euthanize? do i just let it be? i'm very sad because these catfish are awesome!

 

[Devilishturtles]

what do i do? do i euthanize? do i just let it be? i'm very sad because these catfish are awesome!

I agree. Sounds like a tumor to me. In regards to how you can treat it...you can't. The best thing you can do it keep your water in good condition, and see if the fishes immune system kicks it out, but usually it's something like a genetic maladay or mixup, and there is nothing you did to cause it, or can do to treat it.

If it gets too bad (ie: starts to grow and inhibit the fishes health) you'll have to euthanize. But, sometimes it will sit dormant and not bother the fish.

Good Luck.

 

[crazycat]

sigh

thanks for the info. hopefully it won't grow...

 

[crazycat]

actually, it's not as smooth as i thought--i just got another look at it--still pinkish purplish, 4 lobes, undernieath caudal fin, 2 lobes on one side, 2 on the other...rather symmetrical. but it's kind of "fuzzy" in spots, though not everywhere. could it be some kind of fungus? (she says hopefully). necrotic tissue?

sigh