# Comet Goldfish strange lump



## sarahcf (Jul 12, 2012)

I have had my goldfish for just over a year now. I bought him from a pet store where he was living with a turtle who either refused to eat him or couldn't catch him. 

I have him in a 1.5 gallon tank with a simple whisper filter powered by bubbles. 

A few months ago I noticed his eyes were bugging out a bit and a large lump had formed on his left side just behind his gills. It is very large and covers about one fifth of his body from his head to the base of his tail and about 3/4 from his stomach to his back. It protrudes out pretty far as well. 

I expected him to die or the lump to go away, but it hasn't gone and he seems otherwise in perfect health. Once in a while I will see some puffy white substance poking out of the lump. It's almost like a pimple popping. Then the substance will just fall off, leaving the lump smaller than before. His scales are all intact and there is no visible open wound. I have done a water change since I noticed the issue, but it didn't seem to affect anything.

Does anyone have any idea what I'm dealing with here? I've done some research but found nothing that sounds like what I've seen. 

Sorry for the lack of pictures. George wouldn't hold still! If I get some I will post them.

Tank size:1.5 gallons
Ammonia:don't know
NitrIte:don't know
NitrAte:don't know
PH/GH/KH:don't know
Cycled,yes or no: if you're asking if it has a filter, yes. Otherwise not sure what you mean by cycled.
Number of fish:1 
Acclimation process:n/a
Physical signs of illness(IE spots,shimmer,ECT): in description
How often between fish additions: never add fish
Waterchange schedule: every month or two. 
Tank temp:~72 (room)


----------



## sivakv (Aug 6, 2010)

Gold fishes are messy ones. the water change frequency is very low, perhaps it should be done once a month. He might have got infected due to water quality issues. If you keep water clean, that by itself will solve major chunk of infection


----------



## scooterlady (May 10, 2011)

Your goldfish is in a tank way too small. Comets get huge and should only be kept in ponds. Also, keeping it in a tank that small will stunt it's growth...meaning the body stops growing, but the internal organs keep on growing and will eventually lead to a painful death. You really should do your research before you get a fish...it really shouldn't be in anything smaller than a 30 gallon...


----------

