# Fish has lump on it's tail



## wavedy (May 28, 2011)

Hi everyone. I'm in a bit of a panic cos my large goldfish is sick. She has had a lump on her tail that looked red and it burst and theres another one growing on the bottom of her tail now.
She is usually in a four foot tank with 3 other fish that don't ever bother her and I have her in a small tank right now, in about 30 litres of water with a medication tablet in it. Her body is around 10cm long and her tail is as long additionally.
She is floating on her side but her gills are still going and her mouth is being used sometimes but not others. As she floats her front fin is moving her in very slow cirlcles but other than that she lets everything else droop as she floats. 
The red lump looked like it was a piece of food (the round pellets) attached to her tail and now it looks like its a tear in her tail since it burst.
Is there any advice that could help me save her please?


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## Guest (May 28, 2011)

Sorry for the delay in a response.

Have you tested the water in the main tank for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? I'd be most concerned about high levels of ammonia and nitrite; given that both are highly toxic to fish and their toxicity varies with pH and water temperature. 

If the lump is fringed with white, fleshy tissue then the fish is most likely suffering from an Ulcer, which can be caused by bacterial infections or by exposure to poor water conditions as I described above. The white tissue surrouding an ulcer is necrotic, and severe cases occasionally facilitate the need to remove the nercrotic tissue to aid healing. 

Can you provide a photo of the fish? What medication are you currently using? Your mention a tablet medication which suggests the use of anti-biotics.


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