Growths, probably tumors?

[ChelseaK]

So now I'm almost positive that there is something my 55 gallon and has been there since I bought it. Maybe that's why it was so cheap. Three of my fish in there (2 bettas, 1 platy) are now showing lumps on their bodies, just like how one of my older fish had before the tumor grew very large and she eventually died.

I am moving all of the fish out of that tank Saturday (maybe Friday night but I am very busy) and putting them in a 20 gallon long (there isn't very many of them, 2 platy, 1 clown loach, 5 betta girls).

My questions are:

1) Should I quarantine the girls? I do not recall if the infected fish are contagious or not.
2) How should I treat them? I know that by the time we were certain that Hutch had a tumor, it was really too late for treatment.
3) Can anything be done about the tank? I have read that some diseases (TB) can never be cleaned out of the tank, and I am wondering if I may have one of those diseases and have to toss the tank (of course, I would use it for a reptile instead of a fish, so not really toss it).

Thank you!

[chrissylee13]

i don't know much about tumors or lumps on fish. but i'm doing some research for you!

can you explain the lumps more? are they colored or just a lump under the scales?

[Sakura8]

Google lymphocystis and see if the lumps/growths look anything like the pics.

[ChelseaK]

No it's not lymphocystis, the images I found don't look similar at all (and the pictures I found were icky!) It looks like more of a swelling I guess than like how that looks. It's not discolored, it's within the skin. I'm almost certain it is a tumor, or how a tumor would like at least.

[Sakura8]

Okay. How big are the lumps and are there any discolorations? There are a few external parasites that can cause lumps. Argulus (fish lice) will look like little black lumps on the fins and body, for instance. If there aren't any discolorations, I would tend to agree that your fish have gotten tumors. Sadly, there is nothing we as aquarists can do when it comes to tumors except make the fish as comfortable as possible. The odd thing is tumors aren't contagious so why all of your fish should be getting them, even unrelated species, is a mystery.

Have any of the lumps burst into ulcers? Are your fish eating all right? Do they look like they are losing weight despite eating? These are all signs of mycobacteria, the same bacteria that can cause fish TB.

[ChelseaK]

There are no discolorations, the only change in color if from the skin stretching. The lumps are growing, I'm working on getting some pictures. None have burst, no ulcers, my fishy from awhile ago that died grew so big that her spine was starting to deform. It doesn't seem that any of them are loosing weight, the eat fairly normally. There is one that is acting funny today, she is now in epsom salt water mix.

Any opinions on the tank? I'm hoping to get some time to bleach clean it tonight and try to restock it because I don't like them being in the 20 gallon, it just seems to cramped for them, and since I haven't treated any of the decor from the 55, I don't have enough in that tank for them to be comfortable. However, if the tank is deemed untreatable, I will be buying some 10 gallons and splitting the girls up. Thoughts?

Thanks for the help Sakura!

[Myates]

It may not be from the tank itself- with proper cleaning prior to setting it up then it should of removed anything off of the glass.. was the silicone discolored? Do you know what was housed in it prior to you getting it?

And where are the lumps at? You said body, but the location could help determine what is going on..

[Sakura8]

:/ It is true that not all cases of mycobacteria cause the ulcers. The growths could be the granulomas that come with fish TB; when these granulomas grow on the inside of the fish's stomach, they can sometimes attach to the spine and cause it to bend (thus the spinal deformity commonly seen with fish TB).

Signs of TB include pop-eye, loss of appetite, lethargy, and wasting away.

About how big are the lumps? Are they smaller, like dot-sized or larger than that?

One other possibility is gas bubble disease. You know those bubbles that form on the tank walls and everything after water changes? Those are gas bubbles that form from supersaturation (quickly warming up cold water can cause this). Sometimes, when fish breathe in those bubbles, the bubbles escape into the bloodstream and can then attach themselves to the body wall. These bubbles can form bubbles under the skin. This does usually happen near the head region, though. A fish with gas bubble disease can have numerous bubbles on the head and fins.


GBD is pretty uncommon but uncommon doesn't mean it can't happen.

If you think there may be a possibility that your fish have something bacterial in nature, I would suggest getting them all into at least 1 tsp per gallon of epsom salt to offset any fluid buildup. Then begin the hunt for Seachem Kanaplex, which is one antibiotic that could be effective against mycobacteria.

For your tanks . . . if you don't have time for bleach, you could rinse things in hot water and a bit of vinegar. You won't need to rinse as often as you would if you used bleach. I think that would sterilize things enough to move them back into the 55g. If it does turn out to be TB, then the tank can be sterilized with bleach later.

[ChelseaK]

Finally got some pictures, I'm sorry that it took so long, I really appreciate the help!

Also sorry the pictures are probably awful, took them on my phone.

The one with the bump on the one side is the most evident, it's hard to see it on the Platy because its right in the black area. It's not so severe as the betta.

[Sakura8]

Wow, those look like tumors all right. And your girl is definitely not wasting away so it's likely not TB. Poor baby. She's such a pretty blue color, too.

We can still try Kanaplex for a bacterial problem but I dunno. Those really stump me. I'll ask OFL if she'll take a look at this. Because she's been in the hobby and kept fish for so long, she may have seen something like this before. She'll probably take a look sometime tomorrow.