Hi I'm out of town and my boyfriend has my fish so what I am relating is through him, sorry if its not exact or sounds strange. I'm going to try my best.

-these are the readings he got from testing the water: ammonia (nh3/nh+4) ppm (mg/l) is .25
-tank size: 29 gallons
-Filter: I think its a power filter, i dont have amodel number or anything because im not there and the boxes for it are in storage.
-He changes the water once a week, recently he did a 50% water change
-2 fish, one is an oranda about 4 inches big, the second is a fantail about 2 or 3 inches
-Aquasafe water conditioner, he has been putting in salt with each water change and said he recently bought something to help get rid of algae
-havent added any fish
-there is a bump right behind the oranda's fin (see picyture) he sits at the bottom and sometimes swims around is very lively when fed but eventually goes back to the ottom. Has been doing this for a few weeks now and a bump appeared today.



this happened before with my other fish..but i want to knwo why its happening to him now We thought the two fish might be spawning since he (or she) keeps getting nosed by the other fish and supposedly has goten fat..i dont really know i havent been there to look at him and webcam doesnt help me very much. My boyfriend took this picture for me. Help please?

Hi there Tastyramen

I have a feeling this is related to bacterial infection as I lost a fish with a similar bump - it ended up oozing pus after about a week but with the limited meds available in Australia, I was unable to help her.

If he can do another waterchange to try and get the ammonia down to zero - this is a good start. Is there any way he can test for nitrites and nitrates (and pH) also?

Has he noticed the poop at all? What does it look like?

What about meds? Where abouts are you? Do you have any meds on hand?

Please post back soon

I dont think he has anyhting to test ph and all that I asked and he said what he has is all he could find. THey dont have any real fish stores around there just the typical small stuff. Last time I had a fish witht hat too so thats why im trying to cath it early T^T

umm he says: the poop is white and stringy and the meds are jungle's fungus clear tank buddies which treats both fungus and bacteria illnesses.

Does this help at all?

Well, boyfriend gave him the meds and says he is more active now and the bump hasnt gotten worse but i know that probably doesnt mean anything, right? should i be feding him something medicated?

Is it just me or do the scales seem to be sticking out a little?

I don't think so,but with that pic it's hard to say for sure. I hope its just the angle it was taken.
The water has to be kept pristene now,and as far as I know,you can feed the medicated food.

" he (or she) keeps getting nosed by the other fish and supposedly has goten fat.."

That line made me look twice also. I hope not either!

uhh 8D *nervous* so what kind of medicated food would you recommend? Or is it just a lost cause? Sorry, I'm really worried ^_^; I ujst dont understand why all of a sudden this is happening... and sorry i dont know if he is pineconing or not Im not there to see but boyfriend says they are sticking out around the bump.

I think your fish has a bit of a nasty bacterial infection and the medicated food I would get is Metromeds - it's especially good against many types of bacteria and is recommended in the initial stages of dropsy. You can order it online from www.goldfishconnection.com and they will express post it to you.

How does the lump look now? Has it broken open at all?

Also, is the water perfect at the moment?

Please post back soon

Hi everyone, I just got Boris back and he's in his own little tub witht he meds and he is swollen like a golf ball, the lump sticks out farther, and he is pineconing. All he does is sit at the bottom, every now and then he will wobble up to see me but he wont eat the medicated food I bought for him, thanks for the advice on the metro meds now that I'm set up at school I will be sure to get those, if he lasts for that long. I took another picture. havent been able to test the water yet since the kit is buried in one of these boxes from moveing in,. but I'm seting up the tank for the other fish today and I will do water changes and everything for him. This really bites, I bought abunch of new stuff for their tank and everything I was so excited to see him after being away all summer

I posted in the breeding forum too...but how can you tell the difference between being eggbound and being sick??

did water change, floating upside down and on his side, may die soon. :[ kinda hope he dies so he wont be in pain anymore. I'd euthanize him, but I can't kill something thats still alive. but thanks for the help anyway guys...

*sigh* that's a nasty case of dropsy I'm afraid and the lump was the first indication unfortunately (I've been down this path myself unfortunately ).

There's only one thing that might help and it will take a bit of diligence and perserverence and that's

- add 1/8 tsp of epsom salt per 5 gallons of water
- heat the tank to 82 degrees
- start feeding metromeds asap
- and dose the tank with both maracyn I and II

I honestly don't know if this is treatable at this point in the illness but it may be worth a shot