fish with bloody eye and a lump on the same side

Question
Hi,

I have a Black Phantom Tetra that looks something like the picture below. Please note that this is not my fish nor my picture.(copy and paste website).It lives with a Ghost Catfish and a pepper cory catfish along with a gold snail. A smaller Black Phantom Tetra once lived there too but it died recently.

http://www.geocities.com/ramcichlid/BlackPhantomTetra.jpg

Yesterday, I found an abnormal lump located slightly above and behind the stomach. This bump has a diameter of about 1 cm. This lump is protruding only a quarter of a centimeter out and can only able to be seen at an angle. On the same side, I can see something that looks like dried blood in the space between the iris and crystalline lens. (Hope I have the anatomy right). No lump or blood in the eye is seen on the other side.

Several days before finding the lump, I noticed it wasn't eating.

What is this lump and does it have anything to do with the blood in it eye?  

Answer
Hi Hallie,
  It's hard to say without seeing the actual fish but it certainly sounds like your fish has a tumor.  This could cause blood in the eye, I imagine. Unfortunately, if it is a tumor of that size, and it is causing internal bleeding, the outlook is not good for your tetra.  Sorry.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>