Fleshy Tumor or Big Parasite?

[Ulu]

Have you tested your water?

Yes

If I did not test my water...

...I recognize that I will likely be asked to do a test, and that water tests are critical for solving freshwater health problems.

Do you do water changes?

Yes

If I do not change my water...

...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.

I’ll take better pictures after I euthanize this fish but I have never seen a parasite that looks like this. this has to be a tumor. For a moment I thought there was a snail stuck on my fish.

This is a male Dalmatian Molly approximately 18 months old.

I noticed a spot on it some months ago. It appeared to be a tumor, So I did nothing about it except throw a little extra sea salt in the tank, and has grown steadily with time.

Fast forward four months and the fish presents a 3mm round fleshy tumor suspending a pendulous fluid filled translucent sack.

I don’t think this presents any danger to my other fish but it’s just unsightly in the tank to have a deformed creature. I’m going to go net him out and oil him And I will see if we can get some better photographs and do a little dissection.

 

[Rtc/tsn]

I’ll take better pictures after I euthanize this fish but I have never seen a parasite that looks like this. this has to be a tumor. For a moment I thought there was a snail stuck on my fish.
View attachment 1468132
This is a male Dalmatian Molly approximately 18 months old.
View attachment 1468133
I noticed a spot on it some months ago. It appeared to be a tumor, So I did nothing about it except throw a little extra sea salt in the tank, and has grown steadily with time.
View attachment 1468135
Fast forward four months and the fish presents a 3mm round fleshy tumor suspending a pendulous fluid filled translucent sack.
View attachment 1468134
I don’t think this presents any danger to my other fish but it’s just unsightly in the tank to have a deformed creature. I’m going to go net him out and oil him And I will see if we can get some better photographs and do a little dissection.

Why are you putting him down? Why not try to help him? Looks like a tumor or lymph. kno4te

 

[Ulu]

I have never attempted fish surgery.

If I pick up a knife and a fish at the same time it means I’m having dinner.

 

[Rtc/tsn]

I have never attempted fish surgery.

If I pick up a knife and a fish at the same time it means I’m having dinner.

Well if it does turn out to be something that doesn’t harm the fish then why put it down?

 

[Ulu]

He’s a feeder fish and I have 100 more just like him. He’s just so big now that my big fish will not eat him.

 

[Rtc/tsn]

He’s a feeder fish and I have 100 more just like him. He’s just so big now that my big fish will not eat him.

If the fish is or no importance and only a feeder then use clove oil and vodka to humanly put him down. The decision is yours though

 

[kno4te]

Does look like a growth of some kind. Leave alone for now and let it live out it’s days.

 

[jjohnwm]

Who knows if that is painful for the fish or not? And I would think that leaving it alone will simply allow this adult male fish to pass on more of its possibly cancer-susceptible genes to further generations.

Of course, today there are people who line up to spend big bucks on fish that only a couple decades ago would have been considered "culls"...with some fanfare, hype and a fancy name this thing could be worth a fortune!

In case you have never used it...clove oil is not nearly the humane end that it is touted to be, at least not in many cases. It's just an excuse used by the squeamish that allows them to salve their conscience after the fact. Vodka does help, as long as you drink it immediately before acting.

Quick question: is this fish fully vaccinated yet? And has it been wearing its mask?

 

[Ulu]

Does look like a growth of some kind. Leave alone for now and let it live out it’s days.

It absolutely does look like a tumor or growth.

At first I thought it was maybe an anchor worm. But it doesn’t look like it anymore.

Now he is not the only male present, I am fairly certain this fish has many descendants. They are getting regularly eaten by the cichlids in the foyer tank. None of them has gotten large enough to display such a characteristic however.

 

[Ulu]

Who knows if that is painful for the fish or not? And I would think that leaving it alone will simply allow this adult male fish to pass on more of its possibly cancer-susceptible genes to further generations.

Of course, today there are people who line up to spend big bucks on fish that only a couple decades ago would have been considered "culls"...with some fanfare, hype and a fancy name this thing could be worth a fortune!

In case you have never used it...clove oil is not nearly the humane end that it is touted to be, at least not in many cases. It's just an excuse used by the squeamish that allows them to salve their conscience after the fact. Vodka does help, as long as you drink it immediately before acting.

Quick question: is this fish fully vaccinated yet? And has it been wearing its mask?

I probably have some clove oil but I’ll bet Valvoline kills them as fast. Imagine having clove oil poured on your eyeballs.

Now, I have no problem knocking the head off of a 24 inch trout with a hatchet bro. My biggest problem is catching enough!

It does seem a little sadder to kill this pet fish. Still, I was just gonna flip it out on the floor to the cat, but I don’t want the cat to get sick.

I think I’m going to leave this fish be, Not from any sense of mercy, but I want to see how big this awful tumor will grow now. I will take him out of the show tank however and put him in the sump out on the patio. There are a few in there that managed to make it through the overflow filters.

If I thought it wouldn’t give the poor thing a heart attack I would try to scrape that off of him. He’d probably die in the end from my ham -handed ministrations.