My fan tail gold fish has spots on its fin and tail?

Question

i just noticed that my fan tail gold fish has developed lots of tiny grey spots oh its fins and tail. i dont know what this is and what to do to treat it, the other fish in the tank hasnt got these.
i cleaned the tank a few days ago and i used a water ager in the new water.
help please

Answer 1

its probably either ICH (a parasite) or a fungal infection. you need to treat the tank for these immediately or the other fish will get it and they will all die.

ich looks like tiny white spots all over.... fungal infections can be lots of colours (including white or grey) and the spots are usually furry looking.
this is what ICH looks like -
http://www.pet-discount-supply.com/articles/images/cometIch.jpg
or
http://www.koivet.com/images/gfich.gif

you can get medication from your local petshop.
.

Answer 2

Get a bright flashlight to shine on your fish and see if the dots look like they have a gold or rust colored iridescence. If so, this is velvet. Velvet looks similar to ich, but the dots on the fish are smaller, and are more noticeable on the fins. Ich dots are somewhat larger, and should be easily seen on the body - these are usually white, and will appear white under the flashlight.

You can treat both using a medication that contains malachite green and formaldehyde. Both of these are carcinogens, so be careful when handling. Also, if this is velvet, it will help to have the lights turned off over the tank while the treatment is in progress. The parasite that causes velvet is photosynthetic, so the lack of light prevents it from surviving in the tank. Keep treating until 3-5 days after the spots have disappeared - don't stop treating as soon as the spots disappear - the parasites on the fish aren't affected, only those in the water. See this link for photos of both conditions: http://www.fishpalace.org/Disease.html

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml - info on ich
http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/othprotist.shtml - info on velvet

Since both of these are caused by a parasite, there will others in the tank - you'll need to treat in the tank so all parasites are destroyed.

Answer 3

Could be sign of water quality problems... have you tested the water? Rarely pH problems can cause this.

Could also be fish lice... if you look very closely can you tell if the gray spots are actually little parasitic bugs?

Is there any redness in the area? You might be getting started with a bacterial infection.

Is anything sticking out of the fish? Anchor worms will be like little worms coming through the gills or skin.

You could also be dealing with Ich (Ichthyosporidium). Gray spots may accompany or precede the little sugar like white dots on the fish.

For all of these adding salt to the tank can be helpful. (Yes, even though goldfish are freshwater fish.) The good news is that the cheapest salt is what you want buy the kind of salt from your grocery store that does not have additives. Rock salt or kosher salt will do the trick. Dissolve it in a cup of aquarium water before adding it back to the tank.

The salt dosage is here: http://www.goldfishinfo.com/salt.htm

Here's more info about Ich from Dr. Johnson, the Koivet. http://www.swedesdock.com/pondpara.sht

Answer 4

in case you relatively need to kill a fish humainely, whack that's head relatively tricky. Sounds brutal, inspite of the shown fact that that's an on the spot demise - no time for soreness and its a rapid preserving of the breath on the fish's section. do away with the final of the Ich (white spot) or it gets worse. Get some aquarium salt to help top off the tanks nutrient ranges, do no longer do TOO many water adjustments, and examine the label on the therapy. do no longer kill the fish if it nevertheless has of venture - use salt, use the medicine (do away with filter out carbon in the past), be sure that this is in an properly spaced tank, i.e, as you're treating it, be sure it is not crammed in and has area to swim, and as quickly as that's extra effectual, supply it approximately 20 gallons minimum (they strengthen BIIIIIIG!!) If I have been you, i could attempt to isolate the affected fish to maintain the sickness from spreading to any healthful ones - yet while they are all contaminated, there is not any element in isolation. i could say do a a million/4 water substitute each 2 days to enable the medicine try this's artwork and do away with relatively some the an infection. human beings ought to thumb me down for asserting it, yet while my fish have been sick, i did 1 / 4 water substitute daily and the fish relatively DIED from the water adjustments by using fact they have been given so under pressure via it (and rigidity weakens their immune structures, btw) and in basic terms 2 survived. So, i've got started 1 / 4 water substitute each 3 weeks, my tank is actual healthful and has been for a pair of twelve months. **you would be wanting to do away with the filter out carbon by using fact the F.C. eliminates the medicine, so the medicine does not artwork!!**

Answer 5

If the spots look like tiny little balls of fluff it could be ick. You must remove any charcoal filter you have and drop in Ick tablets you can get from the store. Ick can start out on one fish like a human's cold from a shock durring a water temperature change but it can quickly spread to the whole tank killing or deforming the fins of even the heartiest of fish.

Answer 6

ich. you can buy the meds, but after that, get aquarium salt to preent it.