Who Gives A Fish Forums

Elsa's been unwell - I first noticed something was off about two weeks ago when he became lethargic. Then the swelling started, followed by stringy poop - it was initially the usual red colour, but later turned grey-white.

I moved him to a hospital tank last Friday, added aquarium salt (1 tablespoon per 15 litres of water) and gave him the first dose of Interpret antibiotics. I did a small water change (around 10%) and administered the second dose of antibiotics on Tuesday. Today, I did another 20% water change.

The swelling has gone down, but the pine cone scales appeared and then flattened again. Now, I've noticed something that looks more like a rupture from the inside rather than a growth.

Can anyone help me figure out what this is, and what's the best course of action for Elsa's sake? I appreciate any advice or experience you can share.

Water parameters are:
pH 7.2
KH 10
GH 7-14
Nitrate 10
Nitrite 0

Honestly no idea what you're describing. Can you post some side views of Elsa, please?

No pictures from the side I'm afraid. I've circled the area on the attached photo to help clarify things.

If I'm being honest, I'd probably go with another round of antibiotics and maybe throw in a bacterial med for good measure – I've had good luck with Furan-2 in the past. Keep up the salt and water changes, that's for sure. Take a really close look at the growth, make sure there's nothing parasitic going on. With that stem, it's possible it'll burst and just go away on its own. If it is a tumor, I wouldn't think it's the malignant type, given how it's growing. Keep us posted, I'm curious to see how this plays out.

One more thing I've noticed - does the growth appear to be coming out of his anus? If that's the case, it could be a prolapse, which might explain the substance inside, possibly even poop. In that scenario, I'm afraid the kindest thing to do might be to consider euthanizing him. I've had to do this before, and I've found the clove oil method to be effective. Please let us know where the growth is coming from, that would be really helpful.

Hi Deanasue, thanks for your advice, I'm really grateful. I only saw the first message for some reason and took your advice on board - I've been keeping an eye out for any signs of parasites, but I'd love some guidance on what to look out for.

The good news is that Elsa seems to be responding really well to the extra dose of antibiotics - more activity, eating well (2-3 wafers, fed individually, twice a day), and even coming to the surface when we open the lid or sit by the tank. It's a big improvement.

Then I read your second message, and I have to say, I'm a bit worried - the growth doesn't look like it's coming from the anus, more from the flank. To be honest, if I'm being realistic, it's not a great sign either way.