Weird looking lump/bump on goldfish's head

turtle10

This morning my boyfriend noticed a wound or bump of some sort on his head. We both feed him and he gets fed several times a day so I think we would have seen it yesterday if it had been there, it seems to have appeared over night. Hopefully you guys can help him out!



1. Test results for the following:
Ammonia Level? 0
Nitrite Level? 0
Nitrate Level (Before and After WC's)? About 5 ppm currently, no water change for a week
Ph (in tank and out of tap)? not sure
GH and KH? not sure

2. Tank Size? How long has it been running? How many gallons?

55 gallons, filter running for about a year, Goldfish added in November 2011

3. Name and size of your filters?

eheim 2015 and emperor 400 I think

4. How many fish in the tank? Their size?
Two Goldfish, male and female, Male (bob) is about 3-3.5 inches long not including tail, and female is about 2 inches long not including tail

5. How often and how much water do you change?
About 60% of the water once a week

6. Water additives or conditioners used?
Prime water conditioner, sometimes I use excel/flourish, although it has just been prime for the few weeks

7. What do you feed your fish?
New life spectrum Goldfish formula and a homemade gel food made from mazuri with added veggies and fish

8. Any medications added to the tank?
No. The only time they were ever medicated was when I first got them I treated them with the Prazi stuff

9. Any new fish added to the tank? When?
No

10. Any new plants added to the tank?
No

11. Any unusual behavior from the fish?
Fish are hanging near the surface and gulping for air and breathing rapidly.
Fish are scratching themselves against objects in the tank (flashing).
Fish has visible parasites or attached worms.
Fish floating upside down.
Fish has cloudy eyes.
Fish have white spots.
Fish is bloated and scales are standing out like a pinecone.
Fish have black spots on body and/or fins.
Fish have ulcers, lumps, or brown spots. <<<< This. It is a bit red with a white spot, and raised.
Fungus or white cottony patches on the fish.

12. Well, city or RO water used for WC's?
City water

13. Tank/Pond Temperature?
About 70 F

kitten_penang

do you clean the filters during the wc? most of those things happen if the water is dirty.

kitten_penang

best bet would be clean out the filters.then make sure the water is clean.you can add intrepet internal bacteria ( for the other problems like dropsy ) or intrepet fungus away ( for fungus or hole in the head )

Coryguy01

How many fish in this tank? This is spring...near summer. This could mean mating behavior. Males and females act aggressively during this time, and may beat each other up if not totally compatible. I don't know...you are the best determination. Without any signs of infection at this time..I'd say keep an eye on him/her in future. If the population is healthy, you may get a pleasant surprise.
Cause I don't kmow your exact setup, I can't say.....Keep an eye on that bump..if it shows any sign of infection...isolate and treat.......and best of luck