I have this goldfish with a little speck of white on its tail. There is also this faint redish-brownish thing on its tail as well. i'll have to post pictures tomorrow. Can anybody guess what it is? D:
Goldfish ill?
- Thread starter Lil' fishy
- Start date
Hi Lil' fishy. There is a parasite called Ich that's also called white spot disease that is very common with goldfish (and many other fish, of course). It's usually easy to see and something we just learn to watch for. It looks like a bright white speck or grain of sand on the body or fins of the fish. You may also notice the fish trying to scratch itself against rocks or gravel when Ich is present to get rid of that itchy sensation.
All it takes to have an Ich breakout is some form of stress.. being shipped or transferred from one tank to another, poor water quality, sudden change in temperature, overcrowding, .. the cause could be anything like that. Ich can also show up as a secondary symptom when something else is already wrong - another illness or injury.. bloat problems.. and so on. But don't worry, treatment to kill the parasites is easy.
What you want to do is get some Aquarium Salt and have a heater on hand you can set up. As a back up, it's also good to have an Ich medication you can use if the first attempt at treatment doesn't work.
If one fish has Ich, all the others in the same tank do too whether you can see signs of this in them or not. So it's best to treat the entire tank at the same time. That parasite produces tiny eggs by the thousands (too small for us to see) which end up everywhere, on the gravel/etc. Those eggs hatch quickly into free-swimming organisms which seek out a host (another fish) to continue this cycle.
The easiest way for us to treat for this is add the Aquarium Salt - check the package directions, it should be something like 2-3 tablespoons of salt for every 5 gallons of water. Dissolve the right amount of salt in some tank water first, then add it to your infested tank. Set up the heater then and slowly raise the water temperature to 86 degrees. (No faster than a degree or two per hour.) And that's it.. just leave everything this way for 10 full days. If you need to do a water change during this time, that's okay. Just maintain the same temperature and add back enough salt for the amount of water you replaced.
The salt kills the parasite only during it's free-swimming stage and the higher temperate speeds up the life-cycle going from adult > eggs > new parasites. The 10-day timeframe makes sure all the mature parasites have died off, all the eggs have already hatched, and all the free-swimmers have been killed by the salt/high temperature. After 10 days are over, let the temp come down again slowly. The salt content will be removed each time you do your regular water changes.
After this, you'll just keep an eye on them to see if these symptoms reappear. That's because there are some strains of Ich that are resistant to the heat/salt treatment. If this is the case here, then you should follow this treatment with use of Ich medication.
While your focus now is directed at erradicating the Ich problem itself, don't forget that this happened as a result of high stress. Ich is a sure sign that something else was already wrong. So you need to also determine what caused the high stressful condition in the first place and resolve that. Otherwise, this will just happen all over again.
but i'm not positive if it's ick. they act normally. the only time they really went crazy was when i took pictures of them. my camera quality sucks, so you can't really see the red streak near the tip of the tail, along with the little white dot. so i'm not gonna upload it. plus, my camera is being mean right now and won't let my computer access the SD card. D:
also, how many white dots/patches will probably appear? because right now, there's only one on my fish. the other one doesn't have anything on it. but then again, maybe they're too small for me to see D:
and if i do the aquarium salt water thing and it turns out my fish don't have ich, will it be harmful to them?
what brand of aquarium salt do you reccamend?
after the aquarium salt treatment, do i have to do another water change?
how long can a fish live if they have ich and it's not treated? D:
sorry about the barrage of questions ^^;
also, how many white dots/patches will probably appear? because right now, there's only one on my fish. the other one doesn't have anything on it. but then again, maybe they're too small for me to see D:
and if i do the aquarium salt water thing and it turns out my fish don't have ich, will it be harmful to them?
what brand of aquarium salt do you reccamend?
after the aquarium salt treatment, do i have to do another water change?
how long can a fish live if they have ich and it's not treated? D:
sorry about the barrage of questions ^^;
while searching on the internet, i found a picture of something that looks like the white dot on my goldfish:
it's not my picture. i'm just saying that those 2 dots near the top of its dorsal fin. at least i think it's the dorsal fin. It's the fin on the very top. Those two specks look like the same one that my comet goldfish has on its tailfin. it's near the edge as well. But there's this redish streak at the tip of the tail. the redish streak was NOT there two days ago. so is the dot ich? and what's the red streak?
thanks
it's not my picture. i'm just saying that those 2 dots near the top of its dorsal fin. at least i think it's the dorsal fin. It's the fin on the very top. Those two specks look like the same one that my comet goldfish has on its tailfin. it's near the edge as well. But there's this redish streak at the tip of the tail. the redish streak was NOT there two days ago. so is the dot ich? and what's the red streak?
thanks
but i'm not positive if it's ick. they act normally.
the red streak near the tip of the tail, along with the little white dot.
One little spot is the beginning.. they're not going to act differently unless you let this get worse. One little white dot now becomes more later, causing more stress for your fish which may then lead to even more complications.
Red streaks in the fins are enlarged blood veins which also appear when something is causing severe stress or serious discomfort for the fish. Both symptoms are clear warning signs to you that something isn't right for your fish. The fact that the fish seem okay or the water looks clean and sparkly doesn't change anything.
also, how many white dots/patches will probably appear? because right now, there's only one on my fish. the other one doesn't have anything on it.
You have a visible sign (no, make that two with the appearance also of a blood vein in the tail) that something is wrong that you weren't aware of before. You also know the terms "ich" and "white spot disease" now so you can research those conditions for yourself. Look those up anywhere and it will tell you what this is, what causes it, and how to treat it. Just one dot like that is a warning sign of at least two things that are wrong -- bad environment/poor water quality/physical distress plus the presence of parasites -- both of which need you to do something about.
How many more dots do you need to see?
Treat this right away and it's real simple. Ignore it because you think it's no big deal will only make this worse and be harder to correct. Besides, instead of deciding whether to do anything or not, you should be considering what the original problem is that's causing these secondary problems now.
and if i do the aquarium salt water thing and it turns out my fish don't have ich, will it be harmful to them?
No. Not at all. That's why we recommend salt/heat treatment first over the arbitrary use of medication, which when meds are overused can lead to a resistance being developed that makes them useless for treatment should you actually need them for something even more serious in the future.
what brand of aquarium salt do you reccamend?
Just plain aquarium salt sold in any pet store that sells fish supplies. I don't recommend table salt (iodized or non) - sea salt - marine salt - kosher salt - or anything else. Get this and the instructions are always there for you. No need to worry about someone telling you the wrong amount to use or having to remember that yourself later.
after the aquarium salt treatment, do i have to do another water change?
No. Because you should be doing those on a weekly basis already.
how long can a fish live if they have ich and it's not treated? D:
Are you serious???
the red streak near the tip of the tail, along with the little white dot.
One little spot is the beginning.. they're not going to act differently unless you let this get worse. One little white dot now becomes more later, causing more stress for your fish which may then lead to even more complications.
Red streaks in the fins are enlarged blood veins which also appear when something is causing severe stress or serious discomfort for the fish. Both symptoms are clear warning signs to you that something isn't right for your fish. The fact that the fish seem okay or the water looks clean and sparkly doesn't change anything.
also, how many white dots/patches will probably appear? because right now, there's only one on my fish. the other one doesn't have anything on it.
You have a visible sign (no, make that two with the appearance also of a blood vein in the tail) that something is wrong that you weren't aware of before. You also know the terms "ich" and "white spot disease" now so you can research those conditions for yourself. Look those up anywhere and it will tell you what this is, what causes it, and how to treat it. Just one dot like that is a warning sign of at least two things that are wrong -- bad environment/poor water quality/physical distress plus the presence of parasites -- both of which need you to do something about.
How many more dots do you need to see?
Treat this right away and it's real simple. Ignore it because you think it's no big deal will only make this worse and be harder to correct. Besides, instead of deciding whether to do anything or not, you should be considering what the original problem is that's causing these secondary problems now.
and if i do the aquarium salt water thing and it turns out my fish don't have ich, will it be harmful to them?
No. Not at all. That's why we recommend salt/heat treatment first over the arbitrary use of medication, which when meds are overused can lead to a resistance being developed that makes them useless for treatment should you actually need them for something even more serious in the future.
what brand of aquarium salt do you reccamend?
Just plain aquarium salt sold in any pet store that sells fish supplies. I don't recommend table salt (iodized or non) - sea salt - marine salt - kosher salt - or anything else. Get this and the instructions are always there for you. No need to worry about someone telling you the wrong amount to use or having to remember that yourself later.
after the aquarium salt treatment, do i have to do another water change?
No. Because you should be doing those on a weekly basis already.
how long can a fish live if they have ich and it's not treated? D:
Are you serious???
Lupin
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- Sep 21, 2006
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Kashta, I'd like to know something here. Why is table salt not recommended? How is that any different from the "aquarium" salt? The additives and iodide myth is moot. I do not see what makes "aquarium" salt a better option when table salt itself is plain sodium chloride.
I stay with aquarium salt because it's cheap, readily available, simple, and uncomplicated. I store it along with my other supplies and it doesn't go bad. I don't have to worry about remembering how much to use for X number of gallons the rare times I might need it because that's printed on the carton. But most of all, I don't have to wade through those inevitable debates that go on between other fishkeepers.
"Table salt is okay as long as it's not 'iodized.'"
"Well I use iodized salt and it works fine for me."
"Oh really? But I've read that...."
"I just use sea salt because..."
Uggh. Those go on and on. I don't know for a fact which ones should never be used and I have no way of finding that out definitively for myself, other than to just pick someone I'm guessing is smarter or better informed than the others and follow that person's advice. So for me, it's just easier to stay with aquarium salt and not wonder about it.
Since the instructions are there for mixing it, too.. I recommend this for beginners. That way, at least I know their fish will get the right dosage... instead of someone dumping in too much or using too little based on bad advice someone else gave them. Or they got confused and forgot whether they were told X number of teaspoons or tablespoons. And was that per gallon? Per ten gallons?
No real reasons beyond these to keep it simple. And I don't know what NOT to recommend.
Lupin
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All valid points, yes. Well, my point is that as some people recommend "aquarium" salt, others interpret, for lack of patience and perseverance to research, that table salt could have been harmful and will readily parrot this narrowminded view thus the debates themselves keep rounding around.
There is no reason why not to use table salt. Like I said earlier, table salt itself is plain sodium chloride with added additives and iodide however the fact that people peddle the saying, additives and iodide are harmful, is moot as evident by many of the members of AC who themselves have used table salt with no issues.
What I find to be a complete mistake with most hobbyists using salt is their failure to dissolve salt thoroughly and adding it a little too quickly thus are quick to blame that it is the table salt that killed their fish. It is true whatever salt they used, killed their fish but they are afraid to point out their mistake. I tried this myself and made that mistake the first time I used the salt and I am not ashamed of it. I was left to ponder what went wrong and discovered my mistake that I added a little too fast and failed to dissolve it in my panic. The second roundabout was more successful since I went through dissolving the salt and added slowly. Take note the fish I was treating are more sensitive to salt than possibly goldfish themselves: loaches and catfish.
Again, there is no reason why not to recommend table salt when it could work just as well as the "aquarium" salt but to each, our own. We can agree to disagree since our experiences and opinions really vary. I simply posted my thoughts just to clarify what makes us think one salt to the other would be any better when they could possibly do an equally good job.
There is no reason why not to use table salt. Like I said earlier, table salt itself is plain sodium chloride with added additives and iodide however the fact that people peddle the saying, additives and iodide are harmful, is moot as evident by many of the members of AC who themselves have used table salt with no issues.
What I find to be a complete mistake with most hobbyists using salt is their failure to dissolve salt thoroughly and adding it a little too quickly thus are quick to blame that it is the table salt that killed their fish. It is true whatever salt they used, killed their fish but they are afraid to point out their mistake. I tried this myself and made that mistake the first time I used the salt and I am not ashamed of it. I was left to ponder what went wrong and discovered my mistake that I added a little too fast and failed to dissolve it in my panic. The second roundabout was more successful since I went through dissolving the salt and added slowly. Take note the fish I was treating are more sensitive to salt than possibly goldfish themselves: loaches and catfish.
Again, there is no reason why not to recommend table salt when it could work just as well as the "aquarium" salt but to each, our own. We can agree to disagree since our experiences and opinions really vary. I simply posted my thoughts just to clarify what makes us think one salt to the other would be any better when they could possibly do an equally good job.
Lil'fishy, while I think it may be the start of ich, I think you're more likely looking at finrot here or a nodular fin virus.
The treatment for the beginning stages of all three possible problems is the same - clean water and perhaps a bit of salt, as mentioned. So before you buy any medications, do a 70% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean your filter. Be sure to clean the filter with tank water or clean, dechlorinated tap water so you don't kill off all the good bacteria in there.
If you have ich, it will be obvious within a few days. The fish will look as though they are sprinkled in salt all over, will be scratching and rubbing on the gravel, and they won't want to eat.
If, however, you have finrot, it will begin to clear up immediately with the clean water. You should see the redness disappear within a day or two and the fin begin to heal.
Finally, if what you have is actually a nodular virus, the redness will disappear with clean water but the white spot will stay. The good part about this virus is that it doesn't appear harmful to the fish. The spots will come and go gradually, but your fish will be otherwise healthy. There is no treatment for the virus, but it is very common and isn't anything serious.
So first, get on that water change and we'll know what you are dealing with in a day or two.
As for the salt discussion, table salt often contains small amounts of anti-caking agents like potassium ferrocyanide or sodium aluminosilicate, so I think it's best to stick with aquarium salt. But if you do decide to add salt, whatever salt you use, be sure to dissolve it properly and add to the tank gradually.
Best of luck!
The treatment for the beginning stages of all three possible problems is the same - clean water and perhaps a bit of salt, as mentioned. So before you buy any medications, do a 70% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean your filter. Be sure to clean the filter with tank water or clean, dechlorinated tap water so you don't kill off all the good bacteria in there.
If you have ich, it will be obvious within a few days. The fish will look as though they are sprinkled in salt all over, will be scratching and rubbing on the gravel, and they won't want to eat.
If, however, you have finrot, it will begin to clear up immediately with the clean water. You should see the redness disappear within a day or two and the fin begin to heal.
Finally, if what you have is actually a nodular virus, the redness will disappear with clean water but the white spot will stay. The good part about this virus is that it doesn't appear harmful to the fish. The spots will come and go gradually, but your fish will be otherwise healthy. There is no treatment for the virus, but it is very common and isn't anything serious.
So first, get on that water change and we'll know what you are dealing with in a day or two.
As for the salt discussion, table salt often contains small amounts of anti-caking agents like potassium ferrocyanide or sodium aluminosilicate, so I think it's best to stick with aquarium salt. But if you do decide to add salt, whatever salt you use, be sure to dissolve it properly and add to the tank gradually.
Best of luck!