Why does my fish keep getting ick?

Question

I have a fancy oranda goldfish (the one w/ the big thing on their head) that is pretty small or young I think. It seems like he gets like one small white spot on the "growth" on its head occasionally... so I do a partial water change and add some aquarium salt and its usually gone the next day. Am I treating it right and if so why does it keep coming back. (Now he has 2 spots... )

Thank you so much for your help... I am glad I hadn't gotten the actual ick medication yet! So just on the head means his "cap" (something else I learned ha) is growing!!! Thanks again for all your quick responses...

Answer 1

If the spots are only on the part of the head that forms the "cap", this probably isn't ich. New points of growth in the "bubbles" of the cap start as white points. You may be treating unnecessarily.

see "wen": http://thegab.org/Articles/GoldfishExternalAnatomy.html

Sometimes a small piece of food or other debris can get causht in the folds of the wen, and this will develop a white fungus, but this should dissapear in a few days on its own.


NOTE: Breedeing tubercles should appear on the gill covers and front edges of the fins more than the cap. In the case that this is ich, make sure you are treating properly: http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml

Answer 2

These poor guys... orandas are more than often forced to take medicine when nothing is wrong. This is not ick. Ick is when many white spots appear all over the body and seem to flake off. What you are seeing is signaling normal head growth.

Answer 3

Ick needs to be treated with an actualy ICK medicine, aquarium salt and a water change does nother.
Follow the instructions and dont turn on the aquarium light and keep the tank WARM! (around 80 if possible)
The dark prevents the parasites from finding your fish as easily(I have heard, so I've always done that, only turning of the light to feed my boy) and the warm waters are to help kill off the parasite.

Good luck

Answer 4

Try removing all fish from the tank and putting them into a filtered bucket for about an hour. Get a heater for you tank a crank it up as high as you can (if you leave the fish in the tank with the heat, they will die). Once the tank water is at about 85 degrees, let it cool down. Once the tank is back to a normal temperature, net the fish and add them back into the tank. Put salt in the water before you start heating. Make sure you don't get any water from the bucket back into the tank (it might reintroduce ick). By the way, warm water also helps kill off Goldfish (directed at the first poster).

Nosoop4u

Answer 5

ick will always show more spots than 2!
just do regular water changes and all is well

Answer 6

If it is just on his head then its not white spot , Its breeding tubercles, Meening its a male . Does it look like this : http://www.koivet.com/images/breedingtubercles.jpg if it is then its not white spot. But if it is allover his body then it is white spot and is caused by stress and poor water condtions.