Ball starting to grow on fish

[marinelife]

Any idea why he is getting a ball coming out of his side. He has been in the tank for over a year. Been 6 months since any fish have been added, the ones added came from another home aquarium.

 

[drstardust]

Do you have another picture, maybe from a different angle?

 

[marinelife]

Hard to see in this picture, I will try to take some more and see if I can get it.

 

[Big G]

Is the skin swelling outward, ball like, where it appears your flash is centered an inch or so directly behind the pectoral fins?

 

[marinelife]

 

[marinelife]

Is the skin swelling outward, ball like, where it appears your flash is centered an inch or so directly behind the pectoral fins?

I think that is just the light from the tank reflecting off the fish. the ball seems like the skin swelling out about an 1" behind the fin

 

[Big G]

Yeah, that's what I thought I was seeing. Have you seen the fish "poop" lately? Lots of possibilities: constipation, worms, tumors. or eggs. Constipation can be helped by treating the tank with pure/plain Epsom salts at 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. Also try feeding it peeled green peas along with the Epsom salt. Worms are a little tricky. Best to get it out into a QT and feed it General Cure + Focus, and again the Epsom salts in the QT water to help it pass the dead worms. Tumors, not much you can do. Eggs will either be expelled into the water or absorbed by the body. Beautiful fish.

 

[marinelife]

I will have to watch for poop, not 100% sure on that one.
QT will be hard, it's in a 375 Gallon tank with alot of rock.
I will get some Epsom Salt and try that. Will the salt hurt corals?

 

[Big G]

At 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons of tank water it will just slightly raise the magnesium level in the tank. But with a 375, that's a lot of salt = 75 tablespoons. Equal to 4.6875 cups of Epsom salts. Make sure to use plain USP Epsom salts not one of those scented salts.