NewKiwi1 Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 Hello, I hope someone can help with this. My biggest female pond goldfish was being relentlessly pursued by up to three males at a time. I realized this only at the end of what had apparently been very long day of "courting"; she was looking so stressed and tired by the time I realized what was going on that I took her out into a quarantine tank for a rest. Only then did I see how banged up she was, with torn fins and abrasions on the body. I added some Melafix to the tank. Now, two days later, she has developed white mucus/cotton looking substance on parts of the body and tail fins. I am not sure whether I should jump right away to the strong stuff, such as Furan 2, or whether I should wait and see how I goes with Melafix (and Pimafix, which I could get tomorrow). I had a fish with a very similar looking but worse infection earlier this year (also after a period of high stress due to having been trapped in reeds without my knowledge), and it took three courses of Furan 2, daily water changes etc... to get her cured This fish is not yet in dire straits as she started eating again today (couldn't resist a couple of peas ). All other pond fish are healthy and fine, so clearly this infection must be due to the stress and injuries sustained during mating. But i would really welcome advice from more experienced fishkeepers, especially if I can avoid using really strong chemicals. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirt Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 Sounds like fin rot to me. Melafix should've done it, adding salt or treating with an antibiotic should work. Could you get some pictures of it to confirm its fin rot? Here's a picture I found Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewKiwi1 Posted November 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 Thanks. The fins on my fish haven't been damaged that badly, they're still long but torn. It is mainly the white mucus that has me concerned. I have photos, haven't quite figured out how to post them here though. I am also mindful that quarantining the injured fish may protect the rest of the fish in the pond, but at the expense of additional stress for the sick one so it is a bit of a conundrum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirt Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 Hi again You can sign up for an online photo sharing site(like photobucket) and stick your photos on there. You can then copy the link of your image an stick in in between . How big is the quarantine tank? HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewKiwi1 Posted November 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 About 10-12 gallons. I've never used it for a goldifsh this size (body about 12cm) so may try and get a bigger plastic tub tomorrow. Am also wondering if sponge filter (not carbon) needs to be removed during medicating. Thanks for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 The females can get very beaten up during mating and some can die. The mucus is possibly the fish producing extra body slime as a natural way of healing. The slime coat protects the fish from all sorts of bugs and after mating she has done this to help protect the damaged parts as they heal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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