random lumps on my goldie!

[Donna]

Hi, it seems only fate that after posting a thankyou for your help a year ago, i'm back concerned for one of my beloved fishies!

My daughter's fantail goldfish developed a lump last month, and seemed very depressed the day it showed up, she just sat on the bottom sulking.
there were no visible damage signs and the lump swelled under the scales, giving me the impression that it wasn't accidental damage etc. i suspected a paracite but none of the other fishies were infected. suspected water, but this seemed fine. my parameters were spot on (I can't give numbers, i get my tests done at my local aquarium shop coz every time i go to buy a water test kit, they've sold out, and other times i just can't afford it!) the lump pushed out from under her scales and went a bit white (a little fluffy after a few days), a course of melafix seemed to do the job and it eventually cleared up. huge relief.........today there are four little lumps on my daughters fish, and one more larger one! what's going on with my fishies? i'm worried, although the fish seems to be getting on fine (brave little sod!), still eating etc, i'm worried that five of these lumps might just be too much for the poor girl! again it's only affecting that one fish. is it possibly a defect in the fish? (all my other fish seem to have at least something defective about them! deformed fins etc Ellie is forever bragging that HER fish is the only perfect goldlie in there!)

will continue with melafix for now, but if anyone knows what this is and a quicker way to cure etc, i'm sure my little fish would very much appreciate the advice, as would I.

oh, tank details: 42lt tank, live plants, parameters fine. five goldies about 2-3 inches long now. nothing changed, food still the same, flakes for three days, Bloodworm and daphnia (half cube of each) on the forth day, then back to day one. nothing added recently. please feel free to ask if there's anything i missed.

 

[logansmomma1228]

I would quarantine the "sick" fish if possible. Hopefully this site will help you out : BY NAME, DISEASES OF GOLDFISH AND KOI Good luck!

 

[jsoong]

Lumps that goes up & down like that are possibly an internal parasite, or perhaps an abscess. Did the original lump "popped", like a pimple?

It is unlikely that these are tumors (genetic or acquired), since tumors tend to get bigger, but don't get smaller on their own.

Do you have a pic of the lump (esp. when it was at the white fuzzy, ready to pop stage?) Did you notice anything coming out (like a worm?) As I recall, you are in the UK and can't get at medicated food, so I guess continuing with the melafix is a good idea, as is QT-ing the fish if at all possible. I would tend to treat with an oral anti-biotic (eg MediGold ... something with kanamycin) and Praziquental to cover the possibilities of an abscess or internal parasite (like flukes).

 

[logansmomma1228]

If someone can't QT their fish, would a tank divider help? I'm sure it won't work the same since the fish would have the same water and everything, but I am wondering if it would help any.

 

[Donna]

no way to quarrantine my fish unfortunately. a:the tank takes up the last area of space we had available in the house! b:we don't have a second tank, filter etc.

just curious as to where an internal paracite may have come from? as i said, we've not added anything recently, but i suppose my hand every time i clean might introduce paracites in that way maybe?

jsoong: sadly no pics from last time, (camera busted! ) and now that i have a new camera (took months to save for!) i can't get a decent shot of my poor fish because new cameras so useless! grrr!! I'll keep trying.....
i didn't notice any protrusions last time.
not sure if the first lump popped, but it did kinda resemble a spot like that. it was a rounded lump as it came up, then got pointier in the middle like a zit!

will try to see if i can get those meds, (last time you suggested something, it was as if it didn't exist, no one knew what i was talking about and couldn't get hold of any anywhere!!)

again, many thanks for your help.

 

[Donna]

okay, this morning i was worried as the lumps had gone white and something large and white was protruding out. not cotton-wool-like, it looked quite solid-ish (tried to get pictures but fish not keen on holding still!!) anyway, i was going to be late for my first day at new job, so gave up trying to get a pic. this afternoon, the white bits are gone! either gone back inside, or more likely, chewed off by the others. does this shed any light on what it could be?

 

[jsoong]

If you had the fish for a year & nothing new had been added to the tank, then a new parasite is unlikely. <It is pretty unusual for you to introduce parasites into the tank with maintenance unless you have your hands or equipment in another tank or pond with the parasites in it ....>

From the description, this is most likely an abscess. The white stuff is prob pus .... although it sounded a bit too solid .... Is the skin closed up now? or is there an open sore where the white stuff came out?

FAIK, antibiotics are not available over the counter in the UK (or EU countries). That would explain why you can't find the stuff. You would need the services of a vet in that case.

You can continue with the Melafix to see if the fish will improve. Also remember to maintain super clean water. Do some largish water changes just in case, even if your levels are fine. Goldfish wouldn't get abscesses or skin ulcers unless something is going on. Perhaps too much organics in the tank (like accumulated poop, etc) that is breeding bacteria. So a good cleaning (gravel vac) would help.

 

[Donna]

thanks jsoong, i'll try a daily water change, been doing 10% twice weekly with the gravel vac (poover, as my daughter calls it) i have some pictures now so hopefully will help. (though the pics on my other thread had to be reduced in quality to fit )

 

[Donna]

some pictures of glimmer's lumps

the white stuff came back this morning but looked quite squishy today, it was floating about as she swam, but it didn't take long for the others to pick it off as usual! so perhaps like jsoong said, it could have been a pus-like substance, it just looked more solid yesterday. anyhoo, these are the shots i have trawled through frame by frame of video footage to get!!!

 

[jsoong]

Sure looks like an abscess to me ... The other less likely cause is a parasite. I've read about a parasitic worm that grows in the fresh & form a lump, eventually bursting & releasing more worms. <Name escapes me ATM.> But if you don't see worms hanging out the wound, an abscess is far more likely.

I think this is related to what is happening to your other fish (see dropsy thread). The bacteria infection in this case is local under the skin, in the other fish is generalized. My suggestions for the treatment is the same.

 

[Donna]

okay, many thanks, will continue this thread via the Dropsy thread then.