White thing under eye of goldfish - is he ill?

[AngelCauliflower]

Hello,

My fancy goldfish has developed a white lump under his eye. It looks like a cyst or some sort of growth on him.

What could it be? Is he ill?

I would appreciate your advice of what I should do.

Thank you

[EauLittleRougeofBethlehem]

Does it look fuzzy? Or more like a cauliflower? There are a few things it might be, some of them very treatable so you may not need to worry.

Also can you tell us some more info about the tank and fish- how big is the tank, are there any other fish in there, when did you last do a water change and clean the filter, and if you have a test kit can you tell us the water readings :)

[AngelCauliflower]

It looks like a biggish white blister. Two goldfish I have had for 12 months. Tank size - I can't remember 60litre or 64litres? I change the white filter pad weekly usually do 2/3rds water change every two weeks but think I am a bit later this time. Fish look happy.

I plan to get a bigger tank.

[AngelCauliflower]

sorry I don't have a test kit

[AngelCauliflower]

I got a really good look at it there. It is sort of fuzzy looking.

[EauLittleRougeofBethlehem]

You change the whole of the filter sponge? Or just part of it?

I would do more regular water changes, goldfish are messy and they are probably close (or should be) to outgrowing their tank.

This is about the nitrogen cycle. Nearly all the good bacteria are in your filter sponges so you should rinse them out in tank water (NOT tap water) rather than binning them, unless you have zeolite or carbon.

This is about goldfish growth and tank sizes so that you can plan the right size tank.

If the lump is fluffy then it could be fungal. If you do a google image search for fungal growth goldfish then you can see if it looks similar (don't do it on your lunch break unless you have a strong stomach). Something like Pimafix or Protozin will sort out fungal growths.

[AngelCauliflower]

thank you eau. The information you have provided is very useful and will make me prioritise getting a bigger tank for them. I bought something from the pet shop to treat fungal infections. I will do some more reading about it. Thought I should buy something when I was out getting my ds from school.

My filter has blue, green, black and white sponges. I change the white one weekly and the black one monthly and rinse the other two in tank water.

I hope my fish gets better.

thank you

[EauLittleRougeofBethlehem]

Ah right, I know what you've got in your filter now You are doing the right things, although you could ditch the white and black sponges altogether if you like. If you use any meds you will have to remove the black sponge anyway because it will filter the meds out of the water.

Fingers crossed for your fish! If you get a test kit then you'll know whether it is water quality related. A dip in water quality can weaken a fish's immune system and if the water quality is still low then you will need to sort that out as well as treat the illness. Otherwise the fish might just get ill again.

[AngelCauliflower]

thank you very much for the advice. I will test the water as soon as I get a kit.

Why don't I need the white and black sponges? The white one seems to collect a lot. Will the other sponges get really dirty without the white and black?

Glad you told me to take out black sponge when using medication, I wouldn't have known to do that. Thank you!

[EauLittleRougeofBethlehem]

The black sponge is activated carbon, it removes pollutants from the water. In the average, properly stocked freshwater tank, it's not needed BUT it is good to have a bit handy in your box of fish gubbins just in case you need to remove meds from the water. Carbon really does need replacing once every few weeks so it's expensive to keep using it, especially when you don't need it.

The white sponge is more than likely filter floss, which just removes very tiny particles. If you're not fussy about your water looking 'perfect' then you don't need it. You can also rinse it out and reuse it, you don't have to just replace it every time. Have a check of the instructions first though in case it says the white sponge is something else.

[EauLittleRougeofBethlehem]

Meant to say, you can reuse the filter floss but I find it falls apart more quickly than the other sponges so it still needs replacing fairly regularly.

[AngelCauliflower]

thank you eau. I have always thought buying the black and white sponges every month was quite expensive so your advice will save me some money

I put medication in the tank yesterday. I hope it was OK to do that. I was really surprised to see the white fuzzy lump has reduced a lot in size this morning. It is tiny compared to what it was like yesterday.

Hopefully this means he is getting better.

[EauLittleRougeofBethlehem]

Sounds positive, fingers crossed everything continues to improve :)