Worrying growth on Molly

[Optimus_Crime]

Hi guys,

New to the forum and looking for some advice.

I noticed a worrying growth on one of my mollies this evening (please see the picture below).

I've had a quick look around on the web, searching for growth, blister and cysts but couldn't find an exact match to the problem and I'm not sure what to do.

This is the problem -
http://i.imgur.com/yLaan.jpg

He doesn't seem bothered by the growth(s), moves about like the rest and came up to feed when i dropped a bit of food in. None of my other fish show any signs of having growths or appear sick.

First time I've had time to just sit watched the tank for a while so I've only just noticed the problem. Nothing new had been introduced to the tank for a couple of months (other than fresh water every week or so) until today, just added 6 new fish, which is why I'm so worried.

I don't have another tank with which to isolate him so if he needs to come out, I'm afraid he's going to have to go down the toilet. :(

Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer.

[homemadepopcorn]

I suggest removing him from the tank just please don't flush a live fish down the toilet. Its kinda cruel. You can place them in a bag and place that in the refrigerator or place the fish in carbonated water mixed with tank water.

I honestly don't know what that is or how to treat it. Isolation is your best bet. I'd also treat the tank with melafix and pimafix for a week given that your current stock is not especially sensitive to treatments.

[bignellm]

Looks like it could be a genetic thing, tumors likely. You will probably have to cull the fish. Water/Ice/Freezer, drop fish in, shock will end fish immediately. I'm with homemadepopcorn, never flush.

[MLBfan]

If you can't treat it you should cull it and as said by HP and Bignellm. Put it in a bag of cold water though. Don't flush it down a toilet, it would be cruel.

[ArkD'Julie]

Sorry to hear about your fish.

If you do choose to euthanize him, remember that the key is to do it humanely, in other words so that he doesn't suffer.

There are many ways to euthanize a fish, but only a few that might be considered immediate and pain-free. Freezing or boiling will cause excruciating pain. And as for flushing..... think of where he ends up. The flushing itself doesn't kill him. He will certainly die, though, where he's headed, and it most certainly won't be pain free.

If you're able to do it, severing the spinal cord (ie. cutting off his head with a very sharp knife) is one way that's immediate and pain free. Another is blunt trauma (ie. whacking him with a hammer or brick) which is immediate. Another easier way (for the fish keeper) is to use clove oil. I personally can't do the first 2 I mentioned, I have to use clove oil.

Clove oil is used as an anaesthetic for fish when surgical procedures are done on them. So basically what you'd do is sort of overdose the fish on the anaesthetic....... leave him in the anaesthetic too long.... and although not immediate, it's pain free. Get a small container and mix about 2 drops of clove oil and one half to one cup of water..... key is to get it mixed well, otherwise the oil will sit on top of the water. Shake the mixture if you can to make an emulsion then put the fish in it right away and leave him in it for about 10 or 15 minutes after you see no more respirations. Remember it's an anaesthetic, so leave him in mixture for a while to be sure you just haven't simply put him to sleep.

[Optimus_Crime]

Thanks for the input guys.

I wasn't overly enthralled about the flushing thing, my aim is to not have to euthanize it at all. If it comes to it, I'll definitely go with the most humane way I can.

Anyway, I took that photo along to my local aquarium. One of the guys there thought said it looked like a female and that it may have been brought on by her being harrassed by the male mollies (she is the smallest molly in the tank).

At any rate it doesn't seem to be contagious so I bought one of those isolation boxes for pregnant fish to stop the others from harrassing her. I'll give her a few days, see if things improve before deciding what to do.

Thanks again.

[afremont]

Lymphocystis? If it is, it won't kill the fish itself, but secondary bacterial infections might when those nodules finally burst. Plus it will spread to other fish. It's allot like warts.