My goldfish has fungus growing on his lips. What do I do?

Question

His lips look very swollen and very red with white puss on the tips. He has also lost some color in his fins. At the tip of his back fin, it's starting to turn black. What can I do to heal him? He can't even eat because his lips are so big.

Answer 1

You will have to start by improving the water quality. The black is from ammonia burns. You have probably been feeding about double what you should have been and the extra food has caused the ammonia levels to skyrocket. Change half of the water now and don't feed the fish for a few days (they won't starve for at least a week). Go to the pet store and buy an anti fungal to treat the tank. After three days, change half of the water again and only feed your goldfish a greatly reduced diet (every other day for a week while your water quality improves). In future, be careful how much you feed your fish.
A

Answer 2

First make sure your water is not toxic.
ammonia and nitrIte should be 0ppm and nitrAte should be below 40ppm. pH should be above 7. You should have 10 gallon per fancy goldfish and a filter that move 10 times the gallons in the tank per hour. You should also be doing weekly partial water changes and vacuuming the gravel. here's a good goldfish caresheet.
http://thegab.org/Articles/GoldfishBasics.html
To keep fish healthy or to help them when they're sick, keeping the water happy is very important.

That sounds like a bacterial infection to me. most likely flexobacter. I'd bring salt up to 3 teaspoons per gallon over 36 hours and also dose the water with kanamycin (an antibiotic). If you can't find kanamycin you can try Jungle fungus clear (it's nitrofurazone which is an antibiotic) or maracyn 1 and maracyn 2.

You really should come over to our sick fish forum so we can help. You can get there from the link above.

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
My goldfish has fungus growing on his lips. What do I do?
His lips look very swollen and very red with white puss on the tips. He has also lost some color in his fins. At the tip of his back fin, it's starting to turn black. What can I do to heal him? He can't even eat because his lips are so big.

Answer 4

buy some fungus and fin rot from where you got the fish and keep some handy because its a common problem with gold fish i have a black more well i have two one of them has had fungus for three weeks now and it still hasnt gone

Answer 5

MAYBE YOU HAVE BEEN KISSING HIM TOO MUCH???

Its due to a fungus growing in the tissue of the fish, the white threads are the the fruiting or reproductive parts of the fungus.
get an antifungal medicine from the pet store. i think they are the green dye based ones?

Answer 6

Got to your local pet store and buy some antifungal/bacterial medicine that you can add to the water. You will need to remove any carbon filtration from you filter. Ask your pet shop owner for help, they are usually good about this.

Answer 7

this definitely sounds like a bacterial infection. it may be another problem on another on another, but for now use melafix, follow the directions. while that is going on, don't even try to ask petstores about anything, they don know crap. try tetra-fish.com, sign up or whatever, and they have a section on fish questions. they are pros and can really help. tell them with excruciating detail what is going on, and at this time tomorrow you will know what is wrong.

Answer 8

I agree with Liam. They sell many kinds of anti fungal medicines at the petstore, and even walmart. You do have to remove any carbon-type filters, as they will filter out the meds. Good luck!!!

=)

Answer 9

never heard of that try calling a vet or take the fish there. Do u keep the water clean? sorry im no help

Answer 10

sounds like you have mouth fungus, go to pet shop and get medicine for it also add some aquarium salt to tank