strange spots on goldfish: gills only

[BellaCat]

Hi. Recently a few of my goldfish developed some white spots on their gills. I thought it was Ich at first but it is only on the gills. Only a few of the fish have it. I tried Ich medications anyway and coppersafe but nothing has worked so far. Does anyone know what this is? Is this normal for fancy goldfish? My water quality is good. Ph 6.8, temp. 68 F. , eight 2-inch goldfish in a 75 gallon tank. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[aquariumfishguy]

First of all, fancy goldfish tend to like warmer water (73-75 degrees). This helps aid in digestion better than in cold water. Also, the bumps you see aren't Ich...it is what the males develop when they become sexually mature.

[avoxo]

I think AFG might be right. If they are chasing each other around the tank then it might be breeding time for those guys.

Here is a link with a pic of goldfish breeding stars or tubercles:
Breeding Stars or Tubercles (http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/2002/tuber.jpg)

[BellaCat]

Great. Thank you so much. I have a book about goldfish and it said nothing about sexing goldfish. Also, it has lots of pictures in it but none with these white spots. The book also said fancies need a temp of between 68 and 73 degrees, but I'll turn it up a little if you say so. Thanks again.:D :D

[travelinman1969]

I keep my fancies at 76-78. Never seen anything like that on mine. I would get a bit freaked on that too.

[aquariumfishguy]

I dont like keeping my fancies past 75-76 because I dont think thats healthy in the grand scheme of things JMO.

Travelinman, I guess you have all females...or very young males because all males at some point develop these bumps on their gills. The difference between this and Ich is Ich is more white, and it takes over the body.

[anonapersona]

You can raise the temp up even higher to stop the breeding behavior. See Puregold website for the details. Puregold (http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/species.shtml)