# Urgent fish help needed-lumps/abscess



## spatte88 (Jun 29, 2009)

Hi,

i really need somebodies help... im not sure if my fighter fish is unwell as tonight ive noticed what seems like a huge abscess or lump and i dont know what it is? 

basically (its a long story but ill keep it as short as i can) ive been having a few problems with excessive algae (despite treatment) and after trying numerous things on the advice of my local aquatics centre i have not been able to solve it. anyway someone bought me some neon tetra for my birthday which i added to my tank, however i did notice they were slightly less colourful than my others (i put this down to stress of being in the bag etc). Everything seemed fine until approx a week later when i noticed what appeared on first glance to be tiny air bubbles on some of the new fish (they were still less colourful), i just assumed they had swum through the bubbles from the pump until a few days later there were about 3 dead on the top, some which looked as though they were fitting and then the rest now had huge white dots on them, when i googled this i read about a parasite known as Ich and basically the pictures and descriptions (i.e. less brightly coloured) matched the symptoms i had, unknowingly until then, seen. Basically all of my tetra died leaving only my siamese fighter in the tank. To try and clear the algae problem and to try and make sure that the Ich didnt spread to him (assuming it could) i decided a full clean out and replacement of everything in the tank was necessary. i bought RO water (i had originally been using treated tap water) and re-bought all the ceramic media etc. 

i thoroughly cleaned the tank set it up and left it running for 24 hrs before reintroducing Raspberry (Siamese fighter). He had been sitting a lot on the bottom (which is quite usual for him) but probably no swimming around as much as he usually does. I left him to it as i thought he would be just settling in however tonight when i went to check on him he seemed more of his normal self and swam up to me but now here is the major problem.... i noticed what looks like 2 huge abscesses or lumps on him, one either side/underneath just behind his gills and almost in line with his anus. I was obviously very worried after losing all my other fish and im going to be devastated if i lose him too, im just wondering if anyone knows what this is? or what to do/how i help him? i have put up some pictures as best as i can get to help you see what i mean by lumps. i asked my FIL to see what he thought and he said that the glands are possibly in that area so he could be wanting to mate perhaps due to the change in water? im really really worried so any help would be gratefully appreciated!

Sorry this is so rambling.......


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

The Algae problem is very easy to fix. Cut down on the light so that the algae can't grow. I would have the lights on for about 4 hours per day initially and see how it goes. Secondly check your nitrates levels as algae growth will significantly increase if nitrates are high.
I can't see your reasoning on using RO though, pure RO water is very unstable and would advise you to avoid it and stick to tap water and a good water conditioner. 
It sounds to me that your lfs is a place to steer well clear of.
By totally cleaning out your tank,you have probably wiped out the filters bacteria and will now have to start the maturing the filter all over again.
I can't write for too Long as im on my fone and I hate tapping for too long on this mini keyboard 

Sent from my GT-I5700


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## spatte88 (Jun 29, 2009)

PeterUK said:


> The Algae problem is very easy to fix. Cut down on the light so that the algae can't grow. I would have the lights on for about 4 hours per day initially and see how it goes. Secondly check your nitrates levels as algae growth will significantly increase if nitrates are high.
> I can't see your reasoning on using RO though, pure RO water is very unstable and would advise you to avoid it and stick to tap water and a good water conditioner.
> It sounds to me that your lfs is a place to steer well clear of.
> By totally cleaning out your tank,you have probably wiped out the filters bacteria and will now have to start the maturing the filter all over again.
> ...


Thanks for your response, my lights are only on for 5 hours so i will try and decrease that more to help stop the algae coming back and i will try and test my nitrates, what do i do if they are high to reduce them? like you said by the sounds of things my LFS doesnt have a clue! they said RO water was the best and i should use it all the time to stop the algae and keep my fish healthy! i use API stress coat and API stresszyme when i add my tap water- are these good water conditioners? 

Do you have any idea on what this lump is on my fighter or what i can do about it? he seem to have a string of poop today so i dont think he is blocked up digestively but im still very worried?

Thanks


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

hmm, my guess would have been bloating or constipation, but if hes pooping then maybe not. what is he fed on? maybe hes just been real stressed with all thats been happening in his little world, not sure if that could cause him some digestive upset. i would definately stick to the treated tap water instead of RO water though, no need for it.


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## spatte88 (Jun 29, 2009)

goldie1212 said:


> hmm, my guess would have been bloating or constipation, but if hes pooping then maybe not. what is he fed on? maybe hes just been real stressed with all thats been happening in his little world, not sure if that could cause him some digestive upset. i would definately stick to the treated tap water instead of RO water though, no need for it.


Thanks for that! ive actually just come in and i think he may be looking a little less bloated?? maybe im just wishful thinking........ but heres hoping!! anyway despite my LFS not being to good i rang to see if they had any suggestions whatsoever and they basically told me to get a water test! is this going to be of any use? obviously i know if nitrates are high it will affect my algae growth but to be honest im more worried about my fish soo will these tests/results help me to make my fish feel better?? if the nitrate or ammonia are too high what would be your (or anyone who knows) advice to lower it? would be good to go in the fish shop with some knowledge as to what to do so i cn make sure they are advising me along the right lines!!!

Thanks


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## Sweetcorn (Aug 2, 2008)

If his poop is white and stringy then that's a sign of internal bacterial infection which should be treated with a good anti bacterial med.

He's a lovely looking boy too btw.


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## debbie49r (Oct 8, 2010)

*fishy help*

hi over several years i have had lots of different fish ,when i first started buying fish and adding water conditioner and the rest of it all my fish kept dying .it got to the point where i was sick of waisting money ,the fish i have at the moment i have had for about 5yrs i give them a complete clean out a week befor christmas and do a half tank change every 3 weeks with tap water i dont add any think the pet shops say to help them strive because all that stuff just kills them my fish over the years have had lumps and bumps just like yours they just suddenly appear i dont no why but the only medicin i use for lumps bumps and mouth rot and white spot is salt ,salt is best if i buy a new fish i add half a cup of salt to the water and within 48hrs all white spot lumps and bumps are gone .for cleaning algae buy a loach they cost about a pound and they suck up algae like a hoover , hope i have helped :2thumb:


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## andy007 (May 13, 2008)

When using RO water for freshwater fish you have to add the right nutrients back into the water. Something like RO Right by Kent Marine. Pure RO is very detrimental to a fishes health and your lfs should know that.


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

debbie49r said:


> hi over several years i have had lots of different fish ,when i first started buying fish and adding water conditioner and the rest of it all my fish kept dying .it got to the point where i was sick of waisting money ,the fish i have at the moment i have had for about 5yrs i give them a complete clean out a week befor christmas and do a half tank change every 3 weeks with tap water i dont add any think the pet shops say to help them strive because all that stuff just kills them my fish over the years have had lumps and bumps just like yours they just suddenly appear i dont no why but the only medicin i use for lumps bumps and mouth rot and white spot is salt ,salt is best if i buy a new fish i add half a cup of salt to the water and within 48hrs all white spot lumps and bumps are gone .for cleaning algae buy a loach they cost about a pound and they suck up algae like a hoover , hope i have helped :2thumb:


:| no help here that i can see. all you need to add to your tank is tap water dechlorinator, without this your tap water will kill off your beneficial bacteria so everytime you do any amount of water change your tank will have to re-start its cycle, extremely stressful to the fish, dechlorinator is a *must* for anyone keeping healthy fish in a healthy aquarium. the tap water conditioner will not kill off fish unless the user adds the wrong dosage, even then a small amount over wont harm the fish.

water changes in a well stocked tank should be weekly,fortnightly at most in a lightly stocked tank, and between 20-50%. preferably with a gravel vac to suck out the debris from the substrate.

you shouldnt be needing to treat any disease in a well maintained fish tank,so saying you only add salt for all the above mentioned problems you have seen in your tank goes to show how stressful your fishes lives are being dumped into an uncycled tank every few weeks,being irritated by the chlorine in the tap water, then being totally wiped out by a massive overhaul once per year. any well established well maintained tank will never need a massive complete clean out. you say you have owned all your fish for 5 years, yet you also say when you add new fish you dump salt in the tank and let it kill off any issues the un-quarantined fish have bought in with them. healthy fish in a healthy aquarium will show no white lumps and bumps that need to be treated, and if you are still adding new fish, you are either losing stock or overstocking surely?

loaches do not hoover up algae, they need proper food, and i personally dont know of any loach that will eat algae. most eat snails,some may nibble at algae. some plecos eat algae, but adding a fish purely to do the work the owner should be doing to keep the tank in good condition is very poor advice IMO.


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