Swollen lump on gourami
- Thread starter Sgooosh
- Start date
OP
OP
Hello everyone, I have this gourami which was totally fine for a long time and around a week ago developed fin rot and very suddenly lost a part of its tail and has this swollen "pimple" on it now. The fin rot has stopped expanding but this has not gone away yet. Behavior is still normal
May be a tumor, but could also be mycobacteria (TB). As a precaution, I'd wash your hands every time you touch this tank, don't touch this tank if you've got wounds on your hands, and also any equipment used for this tank should not be used for other tanks. To be safe just in case.
Pink puffy sores are often suspect for mycobacteria infections. There's no cure for the fish and certain strains are contagious to humans as a nasty skin infection that's very tricky to treat. You don't know what strain it may be without having a specialist, so it's better to play it safe and take precautions.
Either way, whether it's a tumor or myco, there's not much you can do about it. But protect yourself and other tanks just in case it's the latter
Pink puffy sores are often suspect for mycobacteria infections. There's no cure for the fish and certain strains are contagious to humans as a nasty skin infection that's very tricky to treat. You don't know what strain it may be without having a specialist, so it's better to play it safe and take precautions.
Either way, whether it's a tumor or myco, there's not much you can do about it. But protect yourself and other tanks just in case it's the latter
OP
OP
Is this contagious? If not is it okay if I keep it around a bit longer in a quarantine?
It is very contagious, and can jump the species barrier and cause us problems (if we are right and it's mycobacter). Most farmed fish carry it and encyst it, with shortened lives as a result. But a rush of bacteria from a broken cyst (which is what I think we see) can overwhelm the immune systems of tankmates and cause a complete breakdown. An open sore is pumping out bacteria.
It's a tough bacterium. It can survive bleach.
It's hard to diagnose without killing the fish and sending it to a lab, unless you have microscope skills. My biopsy results when it jumped to me took a couple of weeks, and the cure was a mix of antibiotics for 6 months. There is no cure or treatment for fish.
People used to get mad at the diagnosis, and the hobby was in denial for a long time. Incurable communicable diseases are bad for business. But I think it's reached the undeniable stage in the past couple of years, which is at least realistic.
It's a tough bacterium. It can survive bleach.
It's hard to diagnose without killing the fish and sending it to a lab, unless you have microscope skills. My biopsy results when it jumped to me took a couple of weeks, and the cure was a mix of antibiotics for 6 months. There is no cure or treatment for fish.
People used to get mad at the diagnosis, and the hobby was in denial for a long time. Incurable communicable diseases are bad for business. But I think it's reached the undeniable stage in the past couple of years, which is at least realistic.
Oh no, It's not in the last years... I first heard of it when I was very young, It was already taken seriously then. ( in our entourage )
My Father first, then LFS I worked in, where radically destroying the fishes on sight.
My Father first, then LFS I worked in, where radically destroying the fishes on sight.
If it's a tumor, it's not contagious.
But, if it's mycobacteria, it very much is contagious and is also zoonotic--meaning it can infect humans too.
I had an outbreak of this when I kept rainbowfish. The procedure for me was to euthanize every fish with visible symptoms and quarantine that tank for 6 months after. If there was no symptoms of it for 6 months, it was relatively safe after. But for 6 months that tank got put on total lock down. Nothing taken from it to other tanks, nothing sold from it, nothing added to it. Designated equipment for that tank only, not to be shared with my other tanks.
I managed to get clear of it, but ended up losing that tank eventually to camallanus worms
But, it's a pretty serious bacteria, one you have to take a lot of precautions with. (Fun fact, you can also get this same disease from swimming pools, it's not an aquarium only thing!)
But, if it's mycobacteria, it very much is contagious and is also zoonotic--meaning it can infect humans too.
I had an outbreak of this when I kept rainbowfish. The procedure for me was to euthanize every fish with visible symptoms and quarantine that tank for 6 months after. If there was no symptoms of it for 6 months, it was relatively safe after. But for 6 months that tank got put on total lock down. Nothing taken from it to other tanks, nothing sold from it, nothing added to it. Designated equipment for that tank only, not to be shared with my other tanks.
I managed to get clear of it, but ended up losing that tank eventually to camallanus worms
But, it's a pretty serious bacteria, one you have to take a lot of precautions with. (Fun fact, you can also get this same disease from swimming pools, it's not an aquarium only thing!)
fishorama
Fishaholic
Mycobacteria might be the best reason I quarantine fish. Ich I can treat pretty successfully, parasites mostly. But myco is not something to goof around about.
But your fish doesn't look quite like I've seen before in my 2? times of it. It may be the early stages, I don't know. It seems like it would have shown up earlier on. But my "myco" fish had bloody streaks that spread slow or fast. The fish got very skinny over several weeks too. I euthanized 1, then another...& finally the rest after consulting with another experienced fish keeper.
Wash your hands very thoroughly after doing anything in that tank & last of any other tanks. & keep all equipment separate. Bleach "may" help sanitize equipment but be careful, it may not be enough at low concentrations.
How long have you had this fish? The tail rot could be a very different issue. A bite from a tankmate? Ammonia burn? Tell us more please.
But your fish doesn't look quite like I've seen before in my 2? times of it. It may be the early stages, I don't know. It seems like it would have shown up earlier on. But my "myco" fish had bloody streaks that spread slow or fast. The fish got very skinny over several weeks too. I euthanized 1, then another...& finally the rest after consulting with another experienced fish keeper.
Wash your hands very thoroughly after doing anything in that tank & last of any other tanks. & keep all equipment separate. Bleach "may" help sanitize equipment but be careful, it may not be enough at low concentrations.
How long have you had this fish? The tail rot could be a very different issue. A bite from a tankmate? Ammonia burn? Tell us more please.
OP
OP
This fish has had this for a long ish time, I forgot to update when I found out a few weeks ago, it came almost instantly, which I’m not sure if that’s a symptom, but what I assume is that the fish got into a fight and some sort of sore or pimple formed.
My pictures aren’t the clearest but she has what looks almost excactly like a human zit.
My gouramisnhave had a hard time after my livebearers grew big, I assume it was from a fight but not sure why the body produced this strange lump.
Today, it seems to have concentrated more, with the white pus going towards the center
You're never going to be 100% certain, and no one likes to euthanize a fish. But the base of the 'caudal peduncle' where the fin rays extend out is a classic spot for bacterial infections. For bites, less so.
Myco has been in the hobby forever, but denial has too. It's a fact people really don't like, and that can affect business while being unpleasant. Like any science that upsets and costs, it will be denied. But since it's real and doesn't go away, the hobby is finally willing to discuss it.
It's almost like the less expensive and hardier the fish, the more likely it is to be infected. Why? Because tough fish can be crowded and still grow, which makes them cheap to raise. But all forms of tuberculosis love crowded, unsanitary conditions - for the human version, it's common in prisons now.
A pearl gourami is an old standard fishfarm product, mass bred and crowdable with its labyrinth organ.
If it is cancer, then it destroyed the fin rays at their starting point. Either way, the fish is doomed.
Myco has been in the hobby forever, but denial has too. It's a fact people really don't like, and that can affect business while being unpleasant. Like any science that upsets and costs, it will be denied. But since it's real and doesn't go away, the hobby is finally willing to discuss it.
It's almost like the less expensive and hardier the fish, the more likely it is to be infected. Why? Because tough fish can be crowded and still grow, which makes them cheap to raise. But all forms of tuberculosis love crowded, unsanitary conditions - for the human version, it's common in prisons now.
A pearl gourami is an old standard fishfarm product, mass bred and crowdable with its labyrinth organ.
If it is cancer, then it destroyed the fin rays at their starting point. Either way, the fish is doomed.
Here are two examples from when I dealt with myco.
The pink puffy sore, compare it to your guy's
And, inevitably it did spread to other fish, some with sores, some with bent spine, such as this Cory. This is another red flag in combination with any types of bacterial sores.
The pink puffy sore, compare it to your guy's
And, inevitably it did spread to other fish, some with sores, some with bent spine, such as this Cory. This is another red flag in combination with any types of bacterial sores.
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