White lump on fantails head

[AzureJasper]

Hi. Advise please.

We’ve had two fantails for two weeks now and on has developed a white lump on its head.

Tank was cycled before adding the fish (two Gai tails only).

130litre/3foot tank.
AquaOne 800 canister filter
Parameters (from api master test kit): ph7.6; ammonia 0; nitrite 0; nitrate 5ppm
(Been testing daily, no ammonia or nitrite seen since fishless cycle, nitrate been bellow 20 entire time with fish, and around 5ppm since first water change a few days after adding fish)

Temp aprox 20c.

Have done 25 to 30% water change weekly, last done today (nitrate 5ppm before change). This includes vacuuming gravel with a siphon.

Feeding them sera goldy flakes twice a day, with occasional hikari baby goldfish pellets once every few days.

Lots of live plants in tank since beginning the cycle, nothing new added since adding the fish.

They’re still small, maybe 4cm including tail.

Fish came from a local fish shop. They both appear happy and are eating well.

Thanks

 

[AzureJasper]

Sorry for the blurry photos - hard to see the lump properly but it looks like it’s under the skin, but does protrude maybe 2mm

 

[Andy Sager]

Yes, hard to tell exactly with the pics being as blurry as they are. That said, since it does appear that it's under the skin and protruding, it's highly probable that it's a worm or parasite that is making it's way out of the fish. At this point, I do not know of any medications that would treat it since its not inside the body cavity but in the flesh. ( Most worm meds on the market are for internal parasites in the digestive tract or organs. ) If possible, move the fish to a bare bottom hospital tank and once the worm leaves the body, remove it from the hospital tank then add aquarium salt ( or any non iodized sodium chloride salt) at a rate of 1 tablespoon per 3 gallons of water to help the wound heal. Once healed, the fish can be returned to the main tank. You'll want to watch for any bleeding or fuzz growing around the hole left by the parasite as these are signs of secondary infection and will need to be treated with a stronger medication than salt. Clean water and the salt should keep secondary infections at bay but not everyone reads " the book".
Hope this helps

 

[AzureJasper]

Thanks. Getting a clear photo is tricky, when I go near the tank they think they think it’s feeding time and they go crazy. Hears another pic.

Don’t have another tank, would we put it in a bucket? We do have a HOB filter that came with the tank that hasn’t been used yet, maybe bucket with tank water and the hob filter?

 

[Colin_T]

Excess mucous on a small sore. The fish might have bumped its head and has produced extra mucous to cover the damaged area. Add some salt and monitor. If there's no improvement after a couple of days with salt, post more pictures.

SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), swimming pool salt, or any non iodised salt (sodium chloride) to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

Keep the salt level like this for 1-2 weeks.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria, fish, plants, shrimp or snails.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

When you first add salt, add the salt to a small bucket of tank water and dissolve the salt. Then slowly pour the salt water into the tank near the filter outlet. Add the salt over a couple of minutes.

 

[AzureJasper]

Thanks Colin, have added some rock salt, and will closely monitor. We do have some slate type rocks in there, stacked to form a cave, might have to remove them and just have the smooth river stones

 

[Andy Sager]

Thanks. Getting a clear photo is tricky, when I go near the tank they think they think it’s feeding time and they go crazy. Hears another pic.

Don’t have another tank, would we put it in a bucket? We do have a HOB filter that came with the tank that hasn’t been used yet, maybe bucket with tank water and the hob filter?

I see you are treating your main tank so I'll just add that I would not use a HOB filter on such a small volume of water like in a bucket. You'd be better off just using an air stone and doing water changes in a bucket than using a filter that will move that much water should you decide to go that route. Just keep an eye on the area and look for anything breaking through the skin.

This second picture is a clearer view and the protrusion does not look as deep as in the fuzzy pics so this may just be a wound as Colin indicated. The problem with goldfish is that they are not designed to be in heavy or sharp decor like rocks. They are more a grass fish ( as they are all derived from Carp) so since they can not swim with as much accuracy as a slender natural fish can, they are prone to bumping into things.

 

[AzureJasper]

Thanks Andy, much appreciated.

Followed Colins suggestion and an hour or so after adding the salt I thought it looked a little better, less swollen but still protruding. It’s now the next day and you can only just see the white spot. Still a little bit white but not a big lump anymore and has faded a lot, and not sticking out at all. Will continue to monitor and also remove the potentially scratchy slate rocks

Thanks both for the advice!

 

[Andy Sager]

Thanks Andy, much appreciated.

Followed Colins suggestion and an hour or so after adding the salt I thought it looked a little better, less swollen but still protruding. It’s now the next day and you can only just see the white spot. Still a little bit white but not a big lump anymore and has faded a lot, and not sticking out at all. Will continue to monitor and also remove the potentially scratchy slate rocks

Thanks both for the advice!

What salt does is help the fish create more body slime to help slough off things from the skin so that may be why it looks better as the body slime helps keep bacteria and fungal diseases off the fish.
As for the decor, yeah, remove anything sharp.