Why are these white spots on my goldfish keep reappearing even with medicine?

Question

I have a 10 galleon coldwater freshwater tank, with 5 goldfishes and 2 dojo loaches(weather loaches). When i placed 3 goldfishes in the tank a few months ago, i spoted white spots on its gill plate, i thought it was ich because it looked like it spreaded to the 2 goldfishes that was already in the tank. So i used RidIck + to fix the problem but it still didnt go away, maybe the dosage i put in the tank was too inconsistant, but i am running out of the medicine and it seems that the parasite is immune to the medicine, what should i do now, i need better solutions to get rid of those parasites(not even sure anymore if they are).

ps: also, it seems that some of the scales are missing or clearish today when was changing the water, i need some methods to take care of this problem, can someone help me?

Answer 1

Hi Ben, Please stop treating these poor Goldfishes for illness, the white spots on their gill plates are almost certainly breeding tubercles which are displayed by the males at certain times of the year, mine have them also just now. The ones with the missing scales are probably just the result of rough breeding behaviour, nothing to worry about as scales will regrow in a few weeks & as they grow back they often exhibit a lighter appearance only colouring up to the main colour of the fish after they are fully developed.

The links below show several male Goldfish with the breeding tubercles on their gills as well as an example of some missing scales due to breeding activity.

I would recommend you get a much larger tank immediately if not sooner or return some of your Goldfish to the store because you are seriously overcrowded. A 30 gallon tank minimum with a canister filter would be a good start! By the way, well done for having Weather Loaches with your Goldfish, they are one of the few types of fish that will live happily with Goldies. Hope all goes well for you & your fishes.

Answer 2

If the fish have been infected with ich for a month off and on, they may have been scraping against objects in the tank to relieve their "itch", and this is how the scales could have been lost.

If I remember correctly, the ingredients are malachite green and formalin, and these are two of the most effective medications against ich. But, there are a number of reasons the treatment may not have worked:

1) Did you remove the carbon from your filter? Carbon removes the medication from the water.

2) Incorrect dose.

3) Too much organic gunk in the substrate. Organic chemicals can bind with the medication and makes the concentration in the water less than what you think it should be. You can either test for the ammount of copper inthe water, or do a good cleaning and gravel siphon before you medicate.

4) Did you change the water during treatment, and if so, did you add back the amount of medication that would have been removed by the water change?

5) Did you stop treating as soon as the spots went away? When ich is attached to your fish, it's inside a cyst where it's protected from the medication. It's only killed when it's in the water, so you need to continue medicating 3-5 days after the spots disappear.

6) Have you raised the water temperature as part of the treatment? Raising the temperature will speed up the life cycle, stop the parasite from reproducing, or kill it outright over time depending on the temperature used. Even though goldfish are considered coldwater, they can tolerate temperature up to about 90o. Try raising the temperature a few degrees per hour until you reach 86-88o and keep it there for the course of the treatment. When the treatment is over, lower the temperature just as slowly. Since warmer water means less dissolved oxygen, make sure there's adequate water movement to replace the oxygen the fish are using.

7) An alternative way to treat ich is to use uniodized salt.

See this link for instructions: http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml

Answer 3

if it is parasites you should add heat into the tank not all at once but slowly.
degree by degree

i dont even think that goldfishes and loaches should be in one tank...

ridick can be antibiotics , and i was told that antibiotics dont help get rid of the parasites.

your going to need a bigger tank. your tank is too overcrowed :\ i hope this helps.

the advice given above... is horrible.
you dont kill fish just because the tanks too small!

Answer 4

first ich is a parasite so if your treating with ick with ridick probably is because of the name rid ick theres your problem but I need symptoms it's ich if it looks like your fish is making love with the gravel or decorations you got ich. Or it could be velvet either way their both parasites you use methylene blue this will treat both.

Good luck

Answer 5

kill 4 of the goldfish and 1 loach 10 gallons isn't even enough for one goldfish let alone 5

i was obviously joking about killing them its a slap of reality. You rather kill them then them suffering and overgrowing. Return them or buy a bigger tank. Then treat them

Answer 6

john is absolutely right I have the same dots on my goldfish!!!