Fish Has Huge Abscess

hi guys im new to this forum so be gentle

neways a few weeks back i noticed a small lump on the side of tropical fish since then it has gradually become larger and now its huge . Ive treated the water with anti bacterial stuff from my local fish shop but it hasnt really made much of a difference.
He is feeding fine and swims around but as of late ive noticed he just stays at the bottom doing nothin.
can ne1 shed some light onto this problem for me
hes a link to the pic :

http/img131.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10106087sg.jpg

Do you know your water stats for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates as unless the water is perfect then theres no point treating a sick fish. What type of fish is it and can you get a pic from a head on view and looking straight down as well?
Have you seen it poo recently and if so what did it look like?
It could be a tumour or constipated.
It is a male?

hi
and thx for a the quick reply
i'm a bit of a novice to the tropical fish area but i have done water tests and they seem fine from what they indicated me.
as for the fish it has a abccess on the right side just behind the fin. As for the fish breed i really dont know . all i know is that its an albino version of the black fish in the picture below.
here are 2 pics i hope they give a clearer pic of the lump

Can't tell by the pic, does the lump look like a cauliflower.

Can you issolate the fish in case it bursts.

I agree, you need to isolate the albino Oscar in case the lump is caused by something contagious.
There are four possibilities and actually a bacterial abcess has the best chance of a cure but I suspect it is a tumour. It could also be caused by a parasite or a virus ( cauliflower growths are often viral)

Where are you? This makes a huge difference to what treatments are available.
If it were mine I'd be taking it up the road to a Vet I've used for years & between us we'd do a biopsy but that isn't a path open to everyone.

How long have you had these fish?

Looks like the scales are being pushed out? With that and the history of it growing over a few weeks to me suggests a sporozoan cyst.
If it is then theres no cure, but you have to isolate the fish as its contagious.
How big is the tank as it looks a bit crowded. What are you feeding as well as sporozoa can be found in tubifex.

Hi guys thx for the comments
i dont know if u can tell from the pics but the lump has come out loads and it looks like its about to burst. Ive had the pair of oscars for over 6 months now but its only recently that this lump had started to form. My tank is 270 litres so i dont think overcrowding should be an issue.
The albino is feeding as usual ( im feeding tropical flakes) its just after it goes and settles on the tank floor.
As for the abccess it looks like sumthin is growin inside pushing the scales out to breaking point and is pinkish/red at the centre.
I live in London and really dont know if vets around my area specialise in these sorta cases. Would it be good if the fish out and put it in a smaller tank?
Any advice welcome

one more thing , recently i bought some clowned loaches all pretty small but both the oscars gobbled them up could this be a cause?

I would get the fish out of the tank so yes, as if that burst in the tank it could infect the other fish, you could try an antibiotic in isolation, i would try and find a vet, good luck.

Well fish eating fish is not good as if the fish was infected yes it can cause desease.

270 litres is just about big enough for one Oscar on it's own & much to small for the silver sharks.
Wild caught fish can bring infections with them & feeding them (even inadvertantly) to other fish is always a risk. Your Oscars look a bit stunted - head large in relation to their bodies.
Oscars fish do need more than just fish flakes though - something like Tetra doromin as a staple plus frozen food a couple of times a week would help.

Your lumpy fish needs treating in a seperate tank.
If the lump looks like a boil you could lance it & then treat with Interpet anti internal bacteria in the tank.
Ask at a koi dealer about vets or treatment as they will have more experience treating fish than most tropical fish shops unless you go to a specialist - & a specialist would have told you about the size tank you need.


You will have to do huge water changes & re medicate daily but the fish could have a chance.