RBP Lump on chin worried!

[Ahayward]

Hello everyone just woundering if some one would know or have ideas to whats wrong with my red belly.He started growing this lump on his bottom side of his chin.Now the lump is bigger,pink and peels of after he rubs it on the tank glass.Not sure what it is looks like a large pimple in need of poping.KInda worried had him for 5 years no problems with him besides this.We figured one of the bones from a feeder fish might of got stuck in there causes and infection but not sure im posting pics of him please let me know what you think.Thanks

Oh the first pic is what it started out to look like and the rest is now

 

[ceejaye23]

i think its a chimple that's gotten worse. put salt and raise the temp to 82-84.

 

[Ahayward]

but if i were to pit salt in the tank wouldnt it kill him hes not in salt water?Can i buy something at a fish store of it

 

[Nates1]

I have no idea if salt will help that 'chimple'(?), but the above is referring to 'aquarium salt' (basically, table salt without iodine) as opposed to marine/seawater/saltwater salt (which will kill your RBP). You can buy the former at any aquarium place. Also, search the forums for adding salt, if it's not in the saltwater section (most of this forum is freshwater) its probably referring to the correct type.

 

[jp80911]

you can get aquarium salt and follow the dosage instruction on the container. usually is 1 tsp for 5 or 10 gallon. (I think it's 10g but can't remember on top of my head)

 

[JoeDizzleMPLS]

i can't tell if it's just because the pictures are blurry, but if the chimple looks "fuzzy" there may be a secondary bacterial infection... if that's the case, i would definitely bump up the temp to 82 f and consider adding salt/meds if the problem doesn't go away.

if it is just a plain chimple, you need to first fix the behavior that caused the chimple and then it should go away on its own with excellent water quality... you said you've had it for 5 years, how large is it now? what size tank do you keep it in?

 

[jp80911]

yea listen to Joe, he's the man

 

[Diogenes]

i can't tell if it's just because the pictures are blurry, but if the chimple looks "fuzzy" there may be a secondary bacterial infection... if that's the case, i would definitely bump up the temp to 82 f and consider adding salt/meds if the problem doesn't go away.

if it is just a plain chimple, you need to first fix the behavior that caused the chimple and then it should go away on its own with excellent water quality... you said you've had it for 5 years, how large is it now? what size tank do you keep it in?

nothing about this bump looks like trauma to me. Most likely it's a parasite developing a secondary infection. It could also be an abscess. I'm a nursing student, 3 classes away from being an RN, and if I saw that on a human patient, i would think it was a bacterial abscess. Basically it's a pocket full of germs, and pus. Sometimes it's best to excise it, which means pop it, although I've never tried to pop a pimple on a an RBP, sounds like it could be an interesting story to tell at the bar. You may lose a few digits, but it's probably easier than getting a biore pad to stick to the P's face under water. If it gets fuzzy its either bacteria or fungus, both are bad.

You need to be doing 50% water changes daily, crank that heat up to at least 82F (make sure the tank is well aerated before doing so) , and adding a therapeutic dosage of tonic salt. If that doesn't do it, consider meds, but antibiotics should be considered a last resort. Antibiotics will kill the beneficial bacteria in your tank, the ones that convert NH3 (NH4 depending on pH) into NO3. Removal of biological filtration will kill a sick and stressed P.

 

[Ahayward]

hey its a 37 gallon we just switched him in to that a few months ago and hes about 4ins kinda small in length but he's really thick..thanks for the replys.Thought to mention cant really pop it hes quit quick and he eats through everything shells you name it he it so im not really gonna to attempt poping it lol might loose my fingers

 

[jp80911]

you had him 5 years and he's only 4"????!!!!! what size tank was he in? he's growth has been stunted so bad. usually rbps hit 4" or larger in the first few months (3-4 month) of their live.