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I have a 15 year old fancy goldfish who has a large, lumpy growth below his dorsal fin. It is really quite disgusting looking, a mottled purple and brown color, and standing a good 1/2 off his side at the thickest part. He also has a smaller growth at the base of his caudal fin. It is white, smooth, and pea sized and has only been there for about a year. The larger growth has probably been there for 4 years. Last year a part of it fell off but quickly regrew bigger than ever. The only thing that has been in with this fish for years was a little elodea and some malaysian trumpet snails which I was feeding to him when they overpopulated my betta's tank. I am not sure whether either of these things happened before or after the growths began. I have no idea what this thing is. Some people have suggested maybe Fish TB or lymphocystis. However, the fish has no signs of wasting or listlessness and the lumps do not remit and regrow regularly. They seem to be rather permanent and have very slowly been getting bigger. I have been hesitant to start randomly adding medications in hopes of finding something that will clear it up because this fish is older and stresses easily. He is very active, bright, and otherwise healthy so I would hate to inadvertantly kill him while trying to get rid of something that doesn't seem to be affecting his quality of life. My main concern and reason for this post(besides curiosity) is whether or not this thing is contagious. I am just setting up a new 55 gallon tropical tank. Should I purchase new buckets, scrubbers, nets, gravel cleaners, etc.. to avoid infecting them? Also, I was considering using the goldfish's gravel to start the new tank but certainly wont if there is a risk. If anybody has any information/advice I would appreciate it. Thanks!

Picture of large growth
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c348/super_cow82/HPIM0696.jpg

Picture of smaller growth
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c348/super_cow82/HPIM0702.jpg

Close up of large growth
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c348/super_cow82/goldfish.jpg

Its neither mycobacterium or indeed any other cystic parasite- its cancer. Those melanomas are very distinctive and cannot be mistaken for anything else, they are pure tissue, and they even have their own veins and blood flow. Thanks to your pics , its easy to see and diagnose. I wouldnt say those tumours are entirely benine though, the addition of the new growth indicates to me that a benign skin melanoma might have just gone systemic.

Goldies and various others are very suceptible due to the unstable pigment cells they have from being selectively bred. Red and black pigments in skin are often where most cancers start from.

There is a pappiloma virus that can cause cancers like these, but in this case the fish has simply lasted too long for that. The cause is genetic. A good vet with some training with fish might be able to remove them for you, but TBH it might not be worth the risk, the biggest cancer in particular has a significant blood source attached to it.The lumps, though disfiguring, do not seem to be impeding the fish in anyway and I would leave them. He lives as long as he lives,and theres not really much to be done. He might last for years in theory, but I fear the cancer is accelerating, and therefore he probably wont last more than a year or two more. If the lump gets bigger and he cannot stabilise himself in the water, or the demands of it draining nutrients from him system start to debilitate him it might be worth discussing the chance of a last ditch operation with the vet, failing that have him euthanised before his suffering becomes too acute. For now though, no reason to euthanise him.

Theres no need to steralise the tank beyond normal hygiene principles, and this complaint should not be transmittable.

Worry not, and just take good care of your fish, who is doubtless a nice little fish despite his problems.

Also, if anybody feels the need for parameters:

Temp: 65
pH: 7.4
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Tank: 10 gal (very small for the fish but has 40 gallons worth of filtration and gets regular water changes/testing)

Also, the fish does have red streaks in one of his tail fins and one of his pectoral fish is whitish and a bit crumpled looking. He gets around with no problems, though he does require sinking food otherwise he overinflates his swim bladder.

Thanks for the quick reply. I initially thought it to be cancer years ago but was told it was extremely uncommon in fish. He seems very healthy dispite it so I will enjoy him for as long as I can. Thanks again!

Cancer is common in fish, not sure who told you otherwise, but it is one of the bigger killers for groups of fish that actually make it past 5 years of age. Most people have shortlived fish, either from bad care or because they have shorter lives, consequently cancer doesnt get the chance to kill them. Cancer is becomming more common too, as selectively bred fish strains become more extreme. Platies and various livebearers suffer huge losses from cancer.

The cancer in this case is probably a mixture of factors, party genetic with the other major factors being periodic exposure to ammonia, with a fish that big in a 10 gal he will have certainly experienced and survived the odd ammonia spike, no matter how much care is taken, and indoors the high temperatures increase the metabolism. Higher metabolic rates and periodic damage all force fast cell development and replacement , thus in a specimen with a genetic propensity for cancer, the odds of developing a serious melanoma are increased.

Not that they tell you that at the LFS either.

Longhair,
I have seen and read many post from you what do you so for a living and where do you get all this great info. I find your posting to be insightful and entertaining at the same time

Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams

I used to do some really quite hardcore animal rescue, 5000 animals a year or so and was a senior manager at a rescue centre, I also took degree level courses in animal sciences, worked closely with vets, and doing most of the work asociated with veterinary assistants, and TBH I have studied the animal world quite voluntarily for all of my life. I personally set up a reptile and aquatic department in a small wildlife park not far from where I live, during which time I was interviewed for BBC radio Four by tony robinson. I studied herpetoculture for over 25 years, and always had substantial personal collections of animals. I learned a lot about herpetology and exotics, and have kept fish on and off since I was a kid. I now have several large fishtanks and dozens of species.

What I know I gleaned from universities, many papers I absorbed, and a lot of personal experience. I wrote a few papers myself, that are stil reffered to in the herpetological hobby especially, and I have contributed to a few books.I have been lucky in that my parents always encouraged me, and I had every opportunity to be with animals, including a childhood spent in africa. Then I had to jack it all in to do networking for IBM to pay the bills, but I have a touch of manic depression and was unable to deal with office stress , despite having taken on far more serious and difficult work with animals in the past, I guess im just not the office type!Now im getting back into the animal work, which I consider to be a personal calling,and my focus has been with aquaria for about the last 10 years. Life story in a paragraph.lol.

Glad you enjoy the posts!

Wow and I thought I was animal friendly by not eating them and by saving an occasional domestic animal, and by get the family dog from the local pound. LOL

DjRichie
"Don't Panic"

Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams