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Hey guys, another quick question about my guppies! ( i know im probally gettin annoyin, but i need all the help i can get) One of my female guppies has what looks like a large air bubble under her skin by one of her side fins, the edges are somewhat red. The only things i know about the tank are that the temp, is 80 degress, and according to my kit the nitrate,nitrite and ammonia are all fine, sorry for the lack of info!
Anything will help!
sam

Well, sounds to me like it could be a localized swelling with excess fluid in the tissue (edema), or it could be a cyst of some kind.
Keep an eye on it. Does it seem really inflamed? Does the guppy itch it on rocks or plants? Does it appear "pussy" or like a "pimple"?
If you have aquarium salt, you could consider adding a rounded tablespoon per 10 gallons of water, and if you have Melafix you could consider adding a dose of that every 2nd day for 4-6 days (2-3 doses).
I doesnt sound like it is contagious, but keep an eye on it, and if at all possible, quarantine the fish and treat her seperately.



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It appears to be more like a pimple apart from the slight redness, she is not rubbing or itching on anything although she does appear to be slightly sluggish....i added the salt as recommened, would you recommend tryin to find some melafix or wait to see what happens with her?

I have never had very good luck with melafix and guppies.I would keep an eye on her for now.If she starts acting weird you could seperate her from the rest of the fish.

ok guys, update she is really sluggish, i put her in a seperate container in the tank, the lump appears to be whitish in color, does that help at all?

I would say then that pimple is the closest description, a raised lump with a definite white head on it.
This is probably a "boil" or infection under the surface of the skin. Is it possible for you to quarantine her outside of the aquarium? Do you have a large tupperware container or glass bowl or something? If you do you can make a temporary hospital "tank" for her. Unfortunately quarantining her within the tank isnt really quarantineing, and it would probably be best to let her swim free if you cant quarantine her. Too much stress could make it worse. I would just watch her, add some Melafix, its antibacterial. The main worry is if it ruptures it could spread potentially dangerous bacteria into the tank, which could affect fish who have scratches or open wounds, or who are under the weather already.
If you cannot remove her, and if it ruptures or "blows" in the next few days, I would proceed with a series of small waterchanges, and make sure there is carbon in your filter. This will help remove any free floating bacteria.
You might consider purchasing an antibiotic such as Tetracycline, or Sulfa, or Erythomycin, or Maracyde by Mardel labs. These should clear up a bacterial infection.


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Ok, so this morning there is what appears to be skin hanging off of the lump. If i put her in a small container will it not get too cold for her? The temp. in my room can be really low. I am goin to buy some melafix tonite and see what happens....should i also start doin the water changes now?

Ok new update, the cyst appears to have opened and the skin came off to reveal a big hole......any ideas what to do? I think she is about to die, she isnt moving a whole lot and she is just layin on the bottom....

When she dies, try to do lots of small water changes over the next little while. Even if she doesnt die. I would recommend adding melafix any time now.
I dont think there is much you can do for it at this point. Stuff like that is really hard to treat unless you can quarantine the fish.


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