Sick Goldfish...bumps near behind

[Tracey T]

Hello all~~

I posted about a week ago about a friends regular goldfish, appears to have dropsy. (fish friends on forum though the fish may be constipated)

~Treated with Maracyn
~Removed all other fish from tank, moved to larger tank.
~After 5 days, cleaned VERY dirty tank with gravel vac (it was really bad) and performed water change
~Did 2nd round of Maracyn 2
~fed goldfish thawed pea (smooshed) daily

Now a NEW problem: about 3 days ago, I noticed a 'bump' in the rear or the fish, near--well, his rear on 1 side
~now owner told me tonight there are now 2 bumps, on on each side of the hole where the #2 comes out.
~Does anyone have any idea what this is? The fish appears less bloated and is eating and swimming very well. Im clueless.

Thanks so much in advance.

Tracey

PS~~we did not try the Epsom salt bath yet....was waiting for 2nd round of Maraycn 2 to be completed. Also, she has not tested the water. (does not have a kit)

[Brhino]

can you describe the bumps in more detail? Like, is it some kind of growth on top of the skin, or something underneath the skin that's making the skin stick out but otherwise look normal? Is there any unusual texture or coloration to the bumps? How big are the bumps?

[Tracey T]

Ive only seen 1 of the 2 bumps, but Im assuming they are the same. They were under the skin. Small, like maybe smaller than a pea size. On either side of where fish leave #2. Didnt really have a color, but when the fish swam a certain way, looked with-ish in the light....but when the fish turned, hard to see. Does this make sense? Its very odd.

[Brhino]

One of my first goldfish had something that sounds like what you're describing. The best guess at the time was that it was a cyst or tumor, neither of which are treatable. In my case after two weeks the fish developed a host of other symptoms, and I was unable to save it. Hopefully that's not the case for this fish. You say its eating well - is it pooping normally too?

[Tracey T]

Pooping....well, it seems to be pooping alot after days of not really going much (when initially sick....friend treated w/Maracyn 2 but didnt take out charcoal out (wasnt told)...so it was ineffective)

I think the fish went 8 days without eating. Honestly, when our 1st goldfish died...it went in like 5 days....this one is just hanging on...and seems to be pretty healthy other than the bloat, pine coned appearance (which have both improved) and slightly bulging eyes...sounded like classic dropsy...and I didnt have much hope..but this one keeps hanging on. Not acting 'sick'...swimming well (not tipping, erratic swimming, rapid breathing, either up or down), is eating and pooping.

But I am worried about the bumps. Now that there are 2....doesnt sound good. We named him 'lucky'....maybe in hindsight, that wasnt such a great idea....:(

Do you have any experience with the Epsom salt baths??

[Brhino]

I used epsom salt to treat constipation in a pearl gourami I had that swelled up like it had swallowed a marble. It seemed to be effective, but the fish died anyhow.

Honestly I have not had great luck treating disease once it appears in any of my fish. :scry:

[Tracey T]

Was doing some googling, and saw that alot of times bumps indicate bacterial infections.....I cant remember if Maracyn 2 is a broad antibiotic or not? She does have antibiotic food, so I suppose she could try and give that....but I dont want to overdue it either.

What is the protocol for the epsom salt baths? Someone suggested 1 tsp, but didnt say how much water....andf or how long (10-15 minutes?)

Typically, how long does it take if a fish is going to die...seems like this one is just moving along.....

Also, should mention, my friend is not comfortable with moving the fish, so it may be me moving him into the bucket for the baths....

Thanks for the advice...Im sure my friend will be greatful!

[Brhino]

Maracyn 2 is an antibiotic, so if the bumps are due to bacteria then the Maracyn 2 should treat it.

Here's the link I was given when I was trying to treat my gourami:
http://www.petfish.net/articles/Bettas/constipation.php
15-20 minute bath, 1 tablespoon per gallon.
Alternately, I was advised that I could also add epsom salt to the hospital tank full-time, at a lower dose of 1 tablespoon per five gallons.

It's impossible to say how long it may take the fish to die. Depends on what it has, how tough the fish is, how good the care is, all that. Common goldfish are known to survive for a relatively long time even in poor conditions. They're pretty hardy for the most part.

Good luck, keep us posted.

[Lady Hobbs]

Are you sure those weren't worms?

[Tracey T]

OK~~Im trying to attach 2 photos she just sent me...still hard to see, but you can see a 'whitish' bump near the rear on the left side of the fish....

still swimming away, eating and pooping a lot
?????

[Brhino]

yeah, that looks like what mine had, which as I said was thought to be at tumor or a cyst. If that's the case I don't believe there's any treatment for it, but it may not necessarily be harmful anyhow.

[CassieLEO]

Also, that water looks cloudy. Is it a cycled tank?

[Tracey T]

@Cassie

The tank was full of waste b/c they never used a gravel vac....so that looks 1000% better than what it was. Plus she had been treating the fish with Maracyn 2 for 10 days.....she has done another water change since then with the gravel vac. Fish is still hanging in there eating, swimming and pooping. Time will tell.

[Tracey T]

Fish update from friend: added 1 tsp epsom salt to tank (did not do baths due to need of moving fish back and forth). The pine coning has now disappeared.
Amazing. Appears slightly less bloated. She was not doing the 1tbsp per 5 gallon rule for the tank....would you recommend she up the epsom salts since he seems to be responding? Still eating, swimming and pooping.