Mass

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Claire Vaughan

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Apr 15, 2017
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Laura
Hi everyone. My beautiful Turquoise Rainbow has a mass on his left side. It started out looking like a fungus, but it looks like a tumor to me.
Any ideas out there of what this might be and how I might treat it. 224277
 

FreshyFresh

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Any recent additions to the tank? Just trying to rule out a parasite of some sort. Can you isolate that fish into a hospital tank?
 

Claire Vaughan

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Any recent additions to the tank? Just trying to rule out a parasite of some sort. Can you isolate that fish into a hospital tank?
Any recent additions to the tank? Just trying to rule out a parasite of some sort. Can you isolate that fish into a hospital tank?
No new fish since this started. I can isolate him. This has been there for about 3 months now. None of the other fish have anything like this on them. He is eating and he is active.
 

the loach

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It's an ulcer allright. How old is this fish?
This would have to be treated in a hospital tank with antibiotics.
Not a parasite but bacterial.
 

Claire Vaughan

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It's an ulcer allright. How old is this fish?
This would have to be treated in a hospital tank with antibiotics.
Not a parasite but bacterial.
It's an ulcer allright. How old is this fish?
This would have to be treated in a hospital tank with antibiotics.
Not a parasite but bacterial.
I have had him for 2 yrs. He was almost full grown when I bought him. Do you know what kind of antibiotics would be the best?
 

fishorama

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3 months is quite a long time. Sometimes the body "walls off" cysts or "pockets" of infection. They may work their way to the surface & out. I'll ask too, how old is the fish? How long have you had it? As fish age all kinds of "stuff" can happen...everything dies eventually from "something".

The fish is eating & active. I think I'd go with lots of water changes & maybe a low level salt treatment, if all your fish are salt tolerant. At this point they've all been exposed to whatever it is. Keep a close watch on changes & be ready to move it & TX with antibiotics if it seems needed or it's harassed by tankmates.

Good luck, Claire!
 

the loach

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Well there are 2 methods for using antibiotics. The shotgun approach in which you use whatever you have. The scientific approach is to have an antibiogram made.
Low level salt treatment isn't going to do anything. If you want to try something safe in that tank, you could try Microbelift Artemiss. It helps with curing wounds and bacterial infections. If it works you should see it turning white after a week or so,..,.
Your fish has beautiful colors btw.
 

fishorama

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There is a similar thread on loaches.com. https://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=48124 Not exactly what you've seen, Claire.

The upshot: she contacted a local vet that treats fish. He said fish can often heal themselves, her addition of salt was "good", & to watch it to see if it get worse. He "can" look at it under a microscope, but for now to do nothing. If it looks worse in 10 days or so, then an OTC gram negative antibiotic should (might?) work.

the loach, I'm not a big fan of "natural treatments" or "immune boosters". If I think my fish needs an antibiotic, I use a fish safe OTC chemical 1. I rarely treat using them. I imagine it's quite expensive to have a bacterial culture (etc.) done, plus the cost of a drug. So I ask, how much are you (or anyone) willing to spend to possibly help a fish of unknown age when it doesn't seem be long term adversely affected?

I'm really not trying to pick a fight, but I'm a pragmatist, my husband is a medicinal chemist & we're "science people". & to me, there is a cost/ possible benefit element to fish ( or other animal) treatments. This it not the same for everyone, I understand that...
 

the loach

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I don't disagree with you but I can't make that call for folks whether it'd be too expensive for them... I am just answering the question, it's either guessing and testing, and yes most physicians also just guess...
Isn't salt a 'natural treatment' as well? At low doses (I take it you are talking about ±4 gram per gal now) it won't do much to cure anything. At 12+ grams it could depending what it is but you only want that in a hospital tank.
 

fishorama

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Salt is another tx I don't do much. No, I think of it as a "drug" that raises TDS & can have it's own issues; not so much a "natural treatment". It needs to be added & removed slowly to avoid osmotic shock.

As for "guessing" , yep, that's what we hobbyists often have to do. But many fish bacterial issues are gram negative & that's a fair place to start IMO. ..if a treatment is needed...I'm not sure it is in this particular problem. I think Claire can just observe for now.
 
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