I have a fish tank with large goldfish ranging from 2 inches to almost 4 inches. I added a very small one the other day and it has small white spots today. I put the stree coat in and changed the filter. IS it sick are my others going to get it? Thanks for any help
2006-12-23 17:01:02 · 6 answers · asked by samanthangerard 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
First off your goldfish are not large. They are still babies, unless you have had them more than a year. In that case you are slowly killing them. But we can discuss that later.
Your new fish has ich. It is contaigous and your other fish are going to get it. This is why you are supposed to have a quarentine tank for new arrivals. Then you can keep your eye on the fish for a while to make sure it is not sick. Go and get some melafix and add it to your water, and heat your water to 80 degrees. If you can't get melafix, then still do the heat, and add 1 tbs salt for each gallon of water in the tank.
2006-12-23 17:07:53 · answer #1 · answered by fish guy 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Actually, Melafix won't do anything for ich. Melafix is a natural antibiotic of sorts, and ich is a parasitic infection.
Ich is highly contagious, and when one fish gets it, the rest of the tank usually follows. You need to purchase medication specifically for getting rid of ich (Rid-Ick, etc) and follow the directions carefully.
However, I would be willing to bet that your tank is severely overstocked. Goldies are special fish, they are much messier than other fish and have special space requirements. They have no stomachs, so their waste has a much higher concentration of nutrients, so their water gets dirty faster. Just because their tank looks clean, doesn't mean that it is. You can't see ammonia or other toxins that build up.
A general rule of thumb is 10 - 15 gallons of water per inch of goldfish. If you continue keeping fish in a tank that's too small, they will be unhealthy, and will continue to get diseases such as ich.
2006-12-23 18:42:33 · answer #2 · answered by tidy_chaos 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The fish probably have either white spot(ick) or velvet. Or maybe its the fish's natural coloring. If you look in a fish book you won't find a goldfish with white spots but trust me, there are...or might be...
2006-12-23 20:28:49 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like your fish has ich. Go to your local fish store and find a medication for ich and raise the tempurature in the tank.
2006-12-23 21:38:59 · answer #4 · answered by unknown 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like Ich..and yes all of your fish will get it...and FAST..you can get an easy cure at the pet store..but you should do it right away.
2006-12-23 21:44:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes it has ick and other will catch this disease
2006-12-24 09:34:12 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋