Goldfish lump on head. Getting desperate.

[ALelk]

Hello everyone. I have a female goldfish with a very large, white lump around her eye and a handful of much smaller lumps across her caudal fins (one or two on her dorsal, also). This lump on her eye started out about 1/3 the size it is now. It practically appeared overnight around July/August of this year and has continued to grow since then. The smaller lumps elsewhere have started to appear about one month ago. This is particularly bothering me because I had a ryukin that had these same lumps die back in May of this year. He seemed perfectly healthy until 48 hours of his death. He had a good appetite, was active, and appeared healthy (other than lumps) up until that point. Then, he was floating around listlessly, gasping for oxygen, and refusing to respond to anything (almost like he was unconscious). Within 48 hours of his health reducing to that point, he passed.

These are the medications I have used in order.
- API's Ich medicine (Used all medication, all doses in packaging)
- API's Triple-Sulfa (Used all medication, all doses in packaging)
- Pimafix/Melafix combination (about 6-7 doses)
- Coppersafe (2-3 doses)

Currently, I am on my third dose (dosed weekly) of AquaPrazi (thought it was possibly flukes). So far I have seen no improvement with the AquaPrazi either. I am getting desperate here.

Here are my parameters:

- 29 gallon
- 2 Biowheel 110s, one large airstone, a handful of large stones, no gravel
- 2 orandas, 1 fantail, 1 common (largest is ~5 inches)

Purchased an AquaClear 110 which has 500 gph and am planning on replacing the Biowheels with it once this last dose of AquaPrazi cycles (will cycle the old filter/new filter).

Water changes: ~85%-90%, every 4-5 days (when not dosing AquaPrazi, which requires water to be changed every 6 days)

PH: ~6.5 (Have added API Buffer and PH drops after a couple days. Part of the reason I'm getting the AquaClear filter. Has room for crushed coral to buffer PH)
Nitrate: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Ammonia: ~0.25ppm (Natural reading from well water)
No chlorine, chlorides

Water is treated with Prime during every water change.

API Aquarium Salt is added during every water change. (Part of old water remaining with old salt still in it is taken into consideration.)

Temp. ~70F (changes slightly during the day)

Carbon filters have been removed for the last 3 weeks due to AquaPrazi treatments (as instructed by directions).

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ANY help would be appreciated!

Thank you,
A. Lelk

 

[ALelk]

Anyone?

 

[Scottyhorse]

I am not sure, sorry Does it seem to be affecting her in any way?

 

[Samdaman]

It's what I think is white spot it killed all my goldfish a few years back and killed all the fish at my work not long ago you need to ask for a thing called white spot remedy

 

[Fishfur]

I think if you have seen no improvement after so many courses of so many medications, chances are that you're dealing with some type of tumour. If so, there isn't anything you can do but wait and see what happens.

If it appears to be going the way the other fish did, you could euthanize before it gets that bad, and save it some pain. Clove oil is painless and effective if used properly.

I'd discontinue the salt. It's not going to help with this issue and salt is not something they need in their water, they're fresh water fish. Unless you have brackish water fish like mollies, salt is not a general tonic either, though it used to be thought it was a good thing to do for most, if not all, aquarium fish, it's been discredited for some time, as has using carbon in filters all the time. Carbon is really only needed when you have to remove meds from water, odours or off colors. Otherwise the space is much better used for more bio media.

Charcoal, once it has adsorbed all the organics it can, will then discharge them back into the water if it is not changed before this happens. This is one reason it's not needed, most folks don't change it often enough for it to work as it was meant to. It's also been linked to Hole in the Head disease in some fish. So get rid of the carbon once you have cleared the meds out of the water.

I think at this point the best you can offer this fish is very clean water, good oxygen levels and good food. I'm sorry your fish is having this problem but I think throwing more meds at it is not very likely to help.

It would be very good to get the pH up over 7 though. They are not naturally acid water fish. I take it the well water is naturally a bit acidic ?

That common goldfish is going to outgrow this tank very, very soon, as I'm sure you probably know. You really need quite a bit larger tank if you want to keep goldfish really healthy and happy indoors and not in a pond.

 

[pip walters]

I have to say it does look like some kind of tumorous growth. It could be a malformation of the oranda-style cap on the fish's head (which itself is a malformation, developed by breeders)

I don't think any of the meds you have used are going to help, so I would discontinue them and remove any residue using your carbon.
Due to the fish having other lumps developing, I would say they are likely to be tumours connected to genetic malformation