Fish Has White Lump On Head! Help! (with Pictures Now)

[lclaxvp]

I've had all of my fish that are in the tank for about two years now, and I preform a 20% water change every two weeks along with a gravel cleaning. However, my fish (which I believe it is a cichlid) is not doing well. In what seems to be a day he has grown a white bump on his head (tumor-like) and has begun to turn in a dying, belly up fashion. In the 50 gal tank with him are 2 neons and 2 platys. Now, one neon has begun to swim a little differently. He seems to reaching for the stars, or top of the tank.

I've removed the cichlid and put him into another container but it doesn't seem like he will last much longer. Should I have any concerns about the other fish? Especially the neon, should I remove him as well?

Thanks guys, I know this is my first post, but hopefully I can get some help, and at least learn what is (I don't want to say was ) wrong with him.

I'll take pictures tomorrow.

Thanks,
Justin

 

[WILDER]

Water stats in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.
The growth of the fish head does it look soft liked it filled with fluid, or does it look hard.
Does the lump resemble a cauliflower.
The neon does the red stripe area looked bleached out or a milky appearance.
Once fish start to turn unside down for long periods they are dying.

 

[lclaxvp]

Thanks for replying Wilder.

The gold cichlid seems to be doing all right now. I removed for a whole night to see how he would do in a different environment. After waking up a seeing that he was, in fact, not dead, and also swimming normally, I placed him back into the tank. He seems to be doing all right now.

The white spot looks like a pimple actually.

I've actually never bought a test kit. Should I? I'm sort of new to the site and the hobby (I actually just started cleaning the tank regularly about a month ago) and don't know if I've been following the proper procedures for these past few years (it probably has been more like 3 or 4 years than two).

Also, it probably isn't a neon, but, a lemon tetra. He has seemed to have gone missing.Hopefully he is in the giant cave I have in the tank... alive.

Here are some pictures of the tank:

A little Closer:

The tetra:

The fish with the white lump along with it's buddy of the same type (no lump):

The white lumped fish (closer)

Those fish sure were hard to get good shots of! Also there are two algae eaters in the tank as well. I just couldn't get a good shot of them.

Hope those help a bit.
Justin

 

[WILDER]

Has the lump gone down now.
You do a gravel vac and water change once a week.
Yes it wise to have test kits on hand as its the first thing to look at is water qality when things go wrong.
Liquid test kits are the best.
You can buy master kits api do ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.

Lumps that suddenly appear are usually bacterial.

 

[lclaxvp]

Actually Wilder, the lump seems to have grown a little bit each day. I'm going on vacation in a couple of days (I have somebody come and feed and take care of the fish) and I hope I'll return to a fish that is alive.

I certainly can rule out "overstocking" because, if anything, my tank is understocked. After I see things come back to normal I'll have to do some research on what type of fish would be best in my tank.

If it's bacterial, how much of a risk does the fish pose to the other ones?

Thanks,
Justin

 

[WILDER]

the risk is that the lump could burst and infect the others, thats why is best to issolate the fish if you can.
The pics area bit blurry but it looks big the lump in the pic.
All you can do is try a bacterial med.
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[dave1987]

i had somethig similar on a few of mollies i was given its some sort of tumour i think as i had mine for ages and they got a bit bigger but they were fine sold them with my tank in the end i dont really no though so dont go buy my advice