Lionhead Bleeding

Question
My lionhead died today. She was about 6 years old.
One side of her was bloated so scales stood up. It looked like she had damaged herself as there were dark red patches.The I noticed that she had been bleeding from a nodule near her eye.
My latest tank has been set up over a year, I test all the nitrites, ammonia etc every 3/4 days. She was with other fish but nothing that would attack her. I am now concerned that she may have had something contagious.
Please advise if you can, Thank you. I cried when she died. She was unable to swim properly for ages so I used to hand feed her.
Thank you
Penny

Answer
Hi Penny;

I'm so sorry you lost her.

From the symptoms described she may have had cancer and/or organ failure. It is possible it was some sort of infection too. It's hard to say if it was contagious. Make a water change and vacuum the gravel right away. You could replace all the water but keep in mind it would be very stressful to the fish. Draining the tank and sterilizing everything would definately reduce the chances of spreading possible infection, but it would also cause the tank to go through a break-in period too. Monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels if you decide to go that route. Make daily 25% water changes if needed druing that time.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins