Goldfish lump

Figure I'll start my search here and hopefully be pointed in the right direction to use google (because searching lump did not help...)
Little back story. Friday night my sister went to a sweet 16, and the parents had a brilliant idea to make the table centerpiece 2 little 13 cent goldfish in a little cup so tiny I wouldn't even keep a beta in there for a day. So there's like maybe 2 cups of water in this little cup. I have a 10gal tank but my sister being a teenager flipped out at me for suggesting that, so I gave her one of my little gallon tanks I used to keep betas in because at least it has a filter and pump... Nope still wanted none of that. This morning the little orange one I knew wasn't doing good and I liked was dead. So my mum finally intervined and is putting him in the 1gal when my sisters out (why does no one seem to get goldfish can't live in bowls!?) I was looking at him and aside from gasping for air his bottom fins are clamped but not the top. But he had a lump on his side, the skin isn't broken and there's no fuzz on it or anything, it's not like anything I've seen before, I'll get a picture (or at least try to) when I switch him to the new tank. For now here's a picture of his cup...

Here's a decent picture of his lump:

I'm treating for bacterial and injury: pimafix and melafix, I know people have differing opinions on those but I've always used them and they've always worked well.

Until pet stores stop telling people that gold fish can go in bowls, it will never stop. Do you know,that a gold fish should actually be in no less then a 20 gallon tank. Then 10 gallons for each after that. So, your fish is probably a feeder. The most unhealthy fish you can buy. Very risking actually using them as feeders. Your fish will not last in a one gallon. With lots of luck it will last in a 10. The lump is probably a tumor and probably cancerous. Of course this is just a guess as I can't biopsy it, but from experience with fish and working in an aquarium store, a good one, with proper information, that would be my guess. You can treat it like you are and if I'm wrong you might help it, but don't be surprised if it doesn't make it.

wellington said:

Until pet stores stop telling people that gold fish can go in bowls, it will never stop. Do you know,that a gold fish should actually be in no less then a 20 gallon tank. Then 10 gallons for each after that. So, your fish is probably a feeder. The most unhealthy fish you can buy. Very risking actually using them as feeders. Your fish will not last in a one gallon. With lots of luck it will last in a 10. The lump is probably a tumor and probably cancerous. Of course this is just a guess as I can't biopsy it, but from experience with fish and working in an aquarium store, a good one, with proper information, that would be my guess. You can treat it like you are and if I'm wrong you might help it, but don't be surprised if it doesn't make it.

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I didn't know the 20 gal part, I've kept goldfish successfully in my 10gal (shubunkin not the feeders) actually my very first goldfish I won at the fair, kept it in a 1.5 gallon for almost a year before getting my 10. I knew the 2 gal of water for each inch of goldfish. (Plus a lot of cleaning since keeping biological stability in a 10gal is nearly impossible anyways)... But maybe I am just lucky. I know the gallon tank isn't good, in fact all I use them for now are hospital/quarantine tanks? But in this case it's the most I could give the fish since he's not mine and I don't have the authority to put him in the 10. I honesty don't have much hope for him to survive, but I just want to know I did everything I possibly could.
My mums legitimate argument was "Dorothy (the goldfish on Elmo's World a bloop off Sesame Street) lived in a bowl, goldfish can live in bowls" I had to explain to her that either it was a new fish every week or it really lived a a very large tank and they put it in there for filming. I have years of successful goldfish experience including the magical feat of making 2 different fair won goldfish live and they want to believe TV over me...

Here's the thing. They can live. Same as yours lived. There will always be exceptions, but I would just about bet everything I own, that they did not ever grow to their full size and did not live their full life span. See, people think if they live at least six months to a year, that they survived and lived. It's so not true, so not true, that I'm not sure there really is an exception to this one. I'm not blaming you, it's the fish/pet stores bad info for years of bad info. They are considered cheap throw away fish.

wellington said:

Here's the thing. They can live. Same as yours lived. There will always be exceptions, but I would just about bet everything I own, that they did not ever grow to their full size and did not live their full life span. See, people think if they live at least six months to a year, that they survived and lived. It's so not true, so not true, that I'm not sure there really is an exception to this one. I'm not blaming you, it's the fish/pet stores bad info for years of bad info. They are considered cheap throw away fish.

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The one I had longest grew almost 5 or 6 inches, I was actually really surprised, but no it didn't come close to the full lifespan, I only had him 2 years and know he wasn't old when I got him. That ended up being an atrocious fungus I could not stop. I hate how people don't really "care" about goldfish, they're some of the most interesting fish with huge personalities!

I have "rescued" feeders in one of my out door fish ponds. Mostly Comets. Some are over 6-7". Some are more than eight years old. Goldfish produce a lot of waste and are prone to being diseased from poor water quality. Even a one gallon "tank" would be a bowl full of Nitrate and ammonia within a few days.

His water should be crystal clear. Otherwise he's swimming in bacteria soup, and that's not sustainable. Goldfish produce a lot of ammonia, so a filter that removes that is important.

Once you get him in the tank, try adding a little salt to the water. It won't cure cancer, but it helps with almost everything else.

johnsonnboswell said:

His water should be crystal clear. Otherwise he's swimming in bacteria soup, and that's not sustainable. Goldfish produce a lot of ammonia, so a filter that removes that is important.

Once you get him in the tank, try adding a little salt to the water. It won't cure cancer, but it helps with almost everything else.

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Yeah funny thing, throughout the day I came home and cloudy gross water, now I have to find out if my sister fed him and fed a lot since I've kept goldfish in there a few weeks quarentine that were bigger without problem.
I always put in a little aquarium salt.

I my feeder fish!!!

The yellow one is a comet (15 cent feeder fish) who we named "Ponyo." I have a major soft spot for any kind of Goldfish and have ever since I was a little girl. They might as well be "puppies" to me! These guys are in a 60 gallon. Some day, I'd love a bigger one. We've had them somewhere between 6-8 yrs. Some time we'll be adding a little more fish, but only after we install a second filtration system and the fish have lived in a smaller quarantine tank for a while. (We're pretty attached to these cheapy fish and don't want to take too man risks )

Any way, I thought you might find it interesting to know that Goldfish bowls are actually illegal in quite a bit of Europe. Italy was in the news about this recently, but other countries have strict domestic pet fish keeping rules and bowl bans as well. I'm pretty sure that in the UK you can even be FINED for not doing water changes and having dirty gravel! -----I suddenly feel the need to do a water change!!!

I hope your fish pulls through!

p.s. I REALLY agreed with the members on this thread. Good reading, guys!