Lump in belly

Hi all, one of my angels has a lump in its belly and swims in a up right possition with its mouth facing upwards. Anything I can do to save it? I've had this problem in the past before and that angel died. Any ideas? Thanks in advance jay.

Hi Jay,
Doesn't sound too good I'm afraid.
A couple of questions...

1. how quickly did the lump develop?
2. how large is the lump (photos would help a lot)?
3. Is it asymetrical or even on both sides of the body?

If the lump has developed slowly and is asymetrical then you could be looking at a cancerous tumour, parasite infection, or inflamation of one of the internal organs.
If the swelling developed rapidly, is evenly distributed, and primarily confined to the belly region. Often associated with heavy breathing, slightly bulging eyes, and reddening at the base of the fins, that's probably bloat.
Bloat is probably/usually caused by a protozoan gut infection (hexamita - the same organism that causes hole in the head)
Best treatment....

1. STOP FEEDING!
2. If possible isolate sick fish
3. Treat both the sick fish & the tank it came from with Octozin
4. Carry out regular daily water changes with a gravel cleaner & try to ensure all excreta is removed from the bottom of the tank.
5. Don't resume feeding until swelling is right down, and feed very lightly with bbs or similar.

HTH

Don't have a picture at the moment but ill post one later. It got big over about a month. Don't seem to ever see him/her poo either. I thought that its all blocked up food inside. Ill stick it in its own tank for a while and get some of that stuff you said. Worth a shot! Thanks again. Jay.