Fungal, Parasitic or Bacterial? Please help..

[Brookey25]

Hey everyone,

Sorry to bother you YET AGAIN over my little fantail, but he now has a new symptom that may help with diagnosing what's wrong.

Here's a quick briefing about him.

Rescued from poor water conditions. Had contracted Bacterial Septicemia.

Treated with Furan 2. Fully recovered.

Fortnight later, develops white spot next to left eye. Spot is raised but very small.

Spot comes and goes. When it's finally gone, I move him into his new home (an established 75 litre tank).

Week later, spot returns.. and periodically comes and goes over the following 2 months.

Fish goes through periods of being continually skittish.. terrified.. wanting to hide all the time, easily startled by movement.

During 1 occurance, I noticed the white spot was swaying as he moved.. as if something was growing off him. Not sure if that's helpful to know or not.

Last week, the spot returned, as well as another spot the same size. I also noticed that eye (that the spots have been appearing next to) was slightly red around the outside.

2 days ago, I dilute 3 1/2 tablespoons of Tonic Salt into the tank, as I'm still not sure what this illness is.. I knew salt was safe.

Since putting the salt in, Mr Fish has been regularly sitting on the bottom of the tank.. and FREAKING OUT whenever someone comes into the room. Everything is scaring him at the moment.

I got home tonight, the spots have disappeared, and he now has a white spot on the edge of his gill on the same side the others had been previously.

Throughout the entire time he's been in his new tank, I have noticed in the light that the side where the spots are occurring, has a whiteish tinge to it. His colouring is paler there. Whatever this is, has only affected the area where his gills are. Not the rest of the body.

The spots have sometimes had a reddishness around the outside of them, as if they're a 'pussy pimple' a human would get.

I did water tests on the weekend. They are as follows:

PH - 7.2

Ammonia - 0.25

Nitrite - 0

Nitrate - 5ppm

If you have any ideas, please let me know. I am desperate.

Thanks

[Jaide]

Could be gill disease - poor water quality is a cause of this, as are fungal infections and parasites.

Remove him from community tank (especially if he's terrified of everything in there) and try a full course (all 8 capsules) of furan2 - that's what finally fixed my fish with ongoing spots and such that were a bugger to get rid of.

At least with furan2, you'll be targetting every possible ailment. Ensure you do regular water changes between doses as directed on the packet.

good luck!

[yeh_buddy]

Try this:

http://www.goldfishinfo.com/ailment1.htm

Hope it helps.

[Brookey25]

Thanks for the ideas Jaide - huge help! He's already had 2 courses of Furan 2 in the past.. I'm just a little worried about having to dose him with it again.. I know it's risky each time.. it's so toxic!

Thanks Yeh-Buddy... that link was fantastic!! Have added to my favourites! Definitely either fungal or bacterial - most likely bacterial I think.

Interesting how they can both also cause Fin Rot as a secondary problem.

[yeh_buddy]

No problem just hope it helps. Im thinking it may be bacterial. But thats just my take!

[alanmin4304]

I would put the fish in pristine conditions, do frequent water changes, feed it well and leave it alone before you medicate it to death. Goldfish generally carry a lot of parasites and are not too bothered by them provided they are in good conditions.

[MarkLB]

I'd be getting a bigger tank....75 litres is very small for Goldfish IMO.

And I'd want to get that Ammonia down to 0.00. The fact that you have Ammonia at all shows that the biological filtration isn't fully mature yet.

[Brookey25]

alanmin4304, my fish HAS been in pristine water conditions for months, since he had the first spot appear. Whatever the disease is that is causing these spots, slowly got worse.

I feed him the BEST food available.. a HUGE variety. I test his water once a week and do a 30% change once a week. Other than the last water check showing 0.25 Ammonia.. there has been no other cause for alarm.

MarkLB, I really can't agree that a 75 litre tank is too small for 1 fish on his own. He's in there alone with plants and I'm only going to get him 1 other friend when he regains his health.

[lmsmith]

I think the fish needs to be left alone too. At some point, the money is not worth is, especially when you think of it from the perspective that if it will only stay alive with all the medication, then it'll be a very expensive. I think you need to remember that he's going to have to be strong enough to sustain his health, and medicating him is weakening his immune system, so he's less likely to be able to fight off anything in the future.

[Jaide]

If he's had a few courses of Furan2, it's probably best not to dose him again - I had problems with my fish - tried all sorts and the full course of furan2 finally fixed him up.

If your fish is skittish - ensure he's on his own, has plenty of hiding places and kept in a tank that's not brightly lit. Maybe dose his tank with some stress coat and/or tonic salt for stress and then see how he goes - good luck

[Dave+Amy]

you might have to do more than just 30% waterchanges per week, goldfish produce way more waste than people think/realise.

What's the rate of your filter? (Can it do 5X75L in an hour - that's the recommended I think) and maybe 2 or 3 water changes a week?