Goldfish Tumor

[Scott Stevenson]

Ok first the backstory; My wife got a position at a local elementary school, in doing so she "inherited" the care of a tank of goldfish. Fishkeeping is not my wifes idea of a good time, so I became the De facto caregiver for the tank. This is how I started getting into the hobby. I've been doing so for about a year now. Anyway, everything was cool and then I noticed this one goldfish had something on it.I could not figure out what it was. I assumed it was a fungus, or bacteria at first.(it was much smaller then). No one could tell me what it was. I medicated all the fish with the standard Aquarium Co op "trio". Nothing worked. The issue has gotten much bigger and at this point, unless someone can authoratativly tell me otherwise, I now assume it is a tumor (now it seems obvious). So my question is; If this is a tumor, what are peoples suggestions, about how to proceed. 

Here is a pic, the fish eats, eliminates, swims and keeps up with the rest of the fish just fine. 

[Guppysnail]

It has been 20 years since I kept goldfish and I’m not a med person.  My opinion on any fish I have had and tumors injuries or defects is if it swims well eats well and keeps pace with others while exhibiting no signs it may be in pain I leave it be. This is just my opinion I keep all my misfit babies using  these guidelines I set for myself. Not sure that helps. 

[Scott Stevenson]

I just realized that I should have put this on the disease thread...sorry

[PineSong]

I was a goldfish keeper about 15 years ago and one of my fish who was probably around 8 years old at that point developed a similar looking tumor--it started out looking like a few raised scales, but over the course of time grew to be a lumpy whitish pink mass about the size of an almond. I could see that the tumor had veins running through it. Other than looking creepy, it did not appear to impact my fish--she swam and ate as usual and she had this tumor grow over the course of several months. 

Here is what happened: one night before lights out I noticed that the tumor had burst. There were pieces of what looked like the flaked fish from the inside of a fish stick (sorry to be graphic) floating around in the tank and what had been a lumpy mass was now a ragged hole on her side.

I debated euthanizing her but the other fish were not bothering her and I did not want to add to her stress by removing her from the tank.  I expected her to be dead when I came down in the morning, but she was fine and lived for about five or six more years. I don't remember whether I added salt to her water or not; but I probably did as I usually do salt when there are open wounds. The center area of the "hole" never regrew scales and an area about the size of five or six scales was smooth skin for the rest of her life.

My friend told me her neighbor's koi had a tumor and a vet removed it. 

That's all my tumors on goldfish experience. 

[Scott Stevenson]

@PineSongOk wow thanks for the info. That's actually really helpful

[Colu]

Definitely looks like a tumor treatment wise you have two options wait and see if he not suffering or getting an aquatic vet to remove the lump

[ShySnail]

I have fantail with the same type of tumor and he has also had the tumor explosion @PineSong describes...with seemingly no ill effect. I took him out of the pond and put him in a hospital tank for a few weeks of salt treatments and he's currently overwintering in a planted 40 breeder. He is incredibly active, swims strongly, and eats well. My plan now is to move him back out to the pond when the weather warms up a bit this spring.

[PineSong]

On 1/31/2022 at 8:20 AM, ShySnail said:

I have fantail with the same type of tumor and he has also had the tumor explosion @PineSong describes...with seemingly no ill effect. I took him out of the pond and put him in a hospital tank for a few weeks of salt treatments and he's currently overwintering in a planted 40 breeder. He is incredibly active, swims strongly, and eats well. My plan now is to move him back out to the pond when the weather warms up a bit this spring.

Wow! I’m amazed to hear another fish had the same thing happen. Glad yours is doing well.

[Scott Stevenson]

Based on this thread, it seems to be at least somewhat common

[BETTA999]

as @ShySnail said i would wait and treat him with salt 

[Richmond Loh]

 

 

As a veterinarian, tumors or neoplasms in goldfish can be a concern. Tumors can be benign or malignant, and can appear as a lump or growth on the fish's body.

The first step in addressing a tumor in a goldfish is to determine the nature of the growth through diagnostic techniques such as biopsy or histopathology. If the tumor is found to be benign, it may be surgically removed if possible. In some cases, the tumor may not be able to be surgically removed, and in these cases, medication may be prescribed to shrink the tumor.

If the tumor is malignant, the treatment options are more limited. In some cases, chemotherapy may be attempted, but the prognosis is generally poor. In these cases, euthanasia may be the most humane option.

It's important to note that tumors can be caused by a variety of factors such as poor water quality, poor diet, and genetics. As a veterinarian, I would recommend providing proper care, such as maintaining clean water and providing a balanced diet, to help prevent the development of tumors. It's also essential to have regular check-up and perform diagnostic tests if any suspicious lump or growth found in the goldfish.

[Scott Stevenson]

Hey sorry I havent been around but in a very belated response, I'll just update the situation and start by saying that diet and water quality was never a issue. I don't have a current photo but the goldfish in question has completely recovered the "tumor" disintegrated and fell away, this coincided with a complete color change of the fish, It is now 100% white.