Hi all! I'm having a problem, with Mama Cass again. Ever since that three day power outage a year ago, she's had problems.

First, the questions from above:

Ammonia Level? 0
Nitrite Level? 0
Nitrate level? 20 (water change being done as we speak)
Ph Level, (If possible,KH and GH and chloramines)? 7
Ph Level (KH/GH) out of the Tap? same
Brand of test-kit used? (strips or drops?) Drops
[*]Tank size (How many Gals) and How long has it been running? 125 gallon tank, year and a half running
[*]What is the name and size of the filter/s? Eheim 2217 and two Whisper 400 's
[*]How often do you change the water and how much? once a week, 50%


[*]How many fish in the tank and their size? 4 goldies. One large (15 years old - a foot long) Two orandas, medum size, one pearlscale 4 years old
[*]What kind of water additives or conditioners? Prime
[*]Any medications added to the tank? Dosed tonight with Maracyn Plus
[*]Add any new fish to the tank? No
[*]What do you feed your fish? Hikiri sinking pellets
[*]Any unusual findings on the fish such as
"grains of salt",
bloody streaks, frayed fins or fungus? Yes, blisters
[*]Any unusual behavior like staying at the bottom, not eating,ect..? Yes.

The tank is a bare bottom tank, very few orniments.


Mama Cass is 4 years old. We had a power outage last year in June, and she got sick, seemingly with septicimia - which she's never been fully able to to shake. She has occasional bouts of her body getting red, I feed Med-Gold and it goes away.

About two months ago, she got a blister on her behind. It seemed to be a water filled blister like you'd get if you burn your finger (or maybe poison ivy), however it grew to the size of a dime, floating out behind her like a small balloon. While she had it (almost a month and a half) she bottom sat. I kept googling blisters on fish and have never found a thing! There's NO heater in the tank, nothing for her to get burned on.

The large blister finally burst and seemed to heal - there was no apparant sore under the blister that I could see. Now she has two more and has had them for about two weeks, and again they are getting big. Like the first one, they are near her anal fin and again, seem to be getting larger, floating out behind her. She flashes a LOT trying to burst them I think.

We took a chance tonite, and with a sterile needle (a friend who's a nurse gave me, still in the package) we burst the smaller blister, and I've dosed the tank with Maracyn Plus to help offset infection, as well as I'm feeding them the medicated food from Rick's site.

Has anyone ever seen blisters on goldfish before???? What the HECK is going on?? Whatever it is, its not affecting anyone else at all, and she seems to have no symptoms. I've treated with Prazi just in case its some kind of weird parasite, but I'm running out of ideas, and she's running out of time I think.

Please help!

I have found 2 references to blisters on the National Fish Pharmaceutical site but they don't quite fit your description. However both are symptomatic of bacterial infections and this indicates the cause of Mama Cass blisters may also be bacterial. You might like to try the treatments recommended by NFF or continue with the medigold followed by a course of metromeds.

I think bursting the blisters is a good idea, if you have success with any treatment for the blisters please let us know. Good luck.

http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/fish_diseases/..._disorders.html

Sounds like Annette is right with the bacterial problem going on - here is a picture of a ranchu with blisters like the ones you discribe.

http://www.mu.edu/~buxtoni/puregold/disease/dropsy.html

It might not neccessarily be dropsy per se, but bacterial nontheless. Does the blister look somewhat like the one in the picture?

Hi Tinker, how is Mama Cass now?