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OK, so i have a rosy barb.

About 4 months ago, it started growing a tumour.



No drama, didn't affect him, didn't seem contagious in any way, so I just let it be. It grew to the size of 1.5 tic tacs.


Yesterday, i saw the SAE playing 'bump the barb' on its way across the tank, which was a bit abnormal, but not greatly so.

This afternoon, the tumour is GONE. I can only think that the SAE must have eaten it out and it has either then fallen the rest of the way out or that SAE is a very skilled eater.

The flesh looks fine to me, but its a gaping hole, and gaping holes and survival rarely go together, so i'm a bit worried.

Treatment suggestions?

He is ok, but breathing a bit more rapidly and isolating himself up under the filter.




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For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Ouch. That looks painful.

Thanks for sharing the pics though, they are graphic and fascinating at the same time. The wound at least looks fairly healthy, not fuzzy or infected. I'm not sure he'll survive it but I think your biggest concern would be keeping the wound from getting infected while you give him a chance to heal up. You can try melafix but I would probably treat him with antibiotics for such a large wound, something broad spectrum would be best. You might want to add some salt too, cyprinids do well in salt and it will help keep nasties out of that hole. If you can add some kind of plant cover near his filter spot temporarily he'd probably appreciate it.

I've had goldfish survive gaping holes kind of like that (those awful bubble eyes are just WAITNG to be poked by something ) and barbs are pretty similar. So, you never know, he could make it.

What i'm worried about (and this may sound weird, so bear with me) is overdosing him.

With the standard long term bath approach, the fish is expected to absorb the meds through the skin, and well, he is bound to absorb a truckload more with a hole that size.

I have the tank in melafix/pimafix, and he is being left alone by the SAE (who are probably full). Its really strange behaviour for them, ive never had one do it, and i've kept them for quite some time now They really appear to only have gone for the tumour, so i'm curious if perhaps it was softer? or that he couldn't feel it? or perhaps they are little fishy MDs who go around performing random acts of surgery?

I really cannot isolate him effectively, I have positively no tankspace at the moment. best i could do right now without turfing out other fish is a breeder net, and really, he seems quite content under the filter. I don't want to add water differences to the mix.

The whole osmosis thing is worrying me too, i'm scared about adding salt.



makes me shiver everytime i see it.

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

hmm

alishas betta showed up with a hole one day too he lived for like 3 days before he died

Maybe try mixing up some medicated food then? I can see why you would be worried about an overdose, that is a really big hole. I would still probably get him on some kind of antibiotic somehow. I don't even want to think about what would happen if some columnaris got in there.

Calla, I'd say that as long as the wound stays clean looking and appears to be healing you should leave him alone. Also watch for changes in his behaviour. If you notice the other fish giving him grief then you should try and isolate him of course, but he will do better without the added stress of catching him and isolating him anyway right?

Watch for fuzzies or if the wound starts to look an angry red, keep your water extra clean, and wait..

As a side note, I once used hydrogen peroxide on a Cory with Columnaris and saved his fin and most likely his life(three others died while I tried everything else ... That would be what I would try again if I saw red in your guys wound, but that's just my personal experience.

Aside from the yucky subject matter, your pictures look good!
L.

Nasty wound, i hope he manages to retain his osmotic balance with a wound that big.

The wound itself seems to have gone quite deep and has closed back in again, while that could be the path of a blood vessel that got ripped out ( a cancer root if you like) it makes me wonder if it might have been a migratory worm dying under the skin and having to be tissue rejected.

Might be worth a go with some topical antibiotic.

Last edited by longhairedgit at 28-Oct-2005 23:48