A 20-year-old goldfish has made a full recovery after a family paid £200 for life-saving surgery on a tumour.

The fish, Bob, had been struggling to swim in his tank for a number of weeks after developing the lump on its fin, so the unnamed family took him to their local vet.

Dr Faye Bethell led the 30-minute operation at Toll Barn Veterinary Centre in Norwich. The operation was so successful he returned home later the same day, according to the Eastern Daily Press

The veterinarian said: “The option was to remove the lump or put him to sleep and now he is doing brilliantly. They (the family) were really, really pleased because the goldfish is older than their children and considered part of the family.”

To keep Bob alive during the operation, Dr Bethell fed anaesthetic water into its mouth through a tube and used a tiny monitor to measure its heartbeat.

The average lifespan of a goldfish kept in a tank is five to 10 years (Toll Barn Vet)

She then cut out the tumour using a miniature pair of scissors and forceps.

“It’s pretty complicated because everything is so small and they don’t have a massive volume of blood,” she added.

Bob the goldfish has made a full recovery (Toll Barn Vet)