Goldfish ich or slime disease?

[goldfishgal123]

Hello Everyone I have had many problems with my goldfish and I’ve looked everywhere for answers any help would be immensely appreciated!

Here is the deal, I got 3 comet goldfish from the fair. One appeared to have ich so I treated as instructed. It went away. A week later all three had thick mucusy slime all over them. I treated with Fritz bacter shield as instructed and did a water change (made sure to take the carbon out) it seemed to treat them but then one ended up dying.

A few days later the slime came back so I treated yet again with Fritz bacter shield as instructed along with Tetra lifeguard all in one medicication. That appeared to help. My two comets looked healthy for about 5 days so I decided to get two bigger goldfish.

I made sure to add stress coat + and there is a bio ball in the tank. I’ve also added clarifier periodically as instructed on the package as needed. (Thought that info could be relevant)

This morning I see that there is a small white spot on my new large goldfish tail not sure if it’s ich or slime.he is still eating and moving well. I will add a picture. So I called pet smart and they told me to treat again so I started the Fritz bacter shield and tetra all in one lifeguard mediciation.

Additionally my other new large goldfish (spotted guy) appears lethargic and is not eating well. No notable spots or slime. He has moved to the other side of the tank but ate two flakes yesterday and none today. He’s also moving his mouth over and over. I know that can be a sign of low oxygen but I have a bubbler.

I have gotten the water tested at pet smart recently and they said it’s perfect in all parameters. Just to be sure I ordered my own test strips and a thermometer to ensure it’s not a water temp issue. They have not came yet.

Finally, my boyfriend said I should also do a salt treatment. I ordered non iodized kosher sea salt and I have a 10 gallon tank. I know you have to be careful with dosing but I have seen differnt things. I also don’t even know if I should do it along with the Fritz bacter shield and the tetra lifeguard all in one. My boyfriend seems to think I should do each medicine for double the duration (not double the dose of course) and the salt to make sure everything is dead but I’m scared to do that. I will attach some photos. Thank you so much for the help and advice I really want my poor fish to be happy and healthy. I attached a photo of my spotted goldfish that just really hangs out at the bottom of the tank.

 

[goldfishgal123]

Just a few more general pictures of the tank and my lethargic spotted fish

 

[goldfishgal123]

A few more photos of the white ich or slime disease spot I’m concerned about

 

[goldfishgal123]

I found a few pictures of the first bad bout of my assumed slime disease that I’m thinking killed the one comet (even tho it appeared better)

 

[Andy Sager]

For starters, a 10 gallon tank is not ideal for goldfish at all and it may have something to do with the fish being sick OR the fish were sick when you got them ( the pics of the first bout you treated looks like Columnaris and happens rapidly) and the conditions in the tank made it worse. Goldfish grow to be large dirty fish and can pollute the water rather quickly.
Water parameters can change quickly because you have so many goldfish in a small tank so how " recently" was your water tested? Was this a new tank when you got the first fish from the fair or an older established tank? Has it cycled?
The salt treatment will not hurt the goldfish but it won't help the fish if your water parameters are off. You shouldn't have had to order salt. Any non iodized salt from the grocery store will do the trick. ( I like Kosher salt but Mortons will do the same. It just needs to be the non iodized type. )
On the positive side, the spot on the back end of the fish does not appear to be ick so I'd stop using Ick medicine. Unfortunately, because it's not ick, it could be the beginning of a tumor ( which is not treatable) or something else which needs a better close up picture to try to determine what it is.

So let's start there.

 

[Aiken Drum]

I agree with the above.

The marks on the tail doesn't look like ich, they look too large and opaque whereas ich would present as salt grain sized bumps that are distinctly white. They look like fin ray fractures to me, which is harmless, but they could be tumours as suggested. Tumours are common in goldfish and apart from surgical removal by a vet, untreatable. If they are tumours just let your fish live the best life it can, and if things get to a point where the fish is suffering euthanising the fish is the kindest option. Continue to monitor things, and hopefully even if they are tumours you can enjoy your fish for years.

I would look at the water parameters. Cancel the order for the test strips and order a liquid test kit like API Freshwater Master Test Kit. Strips are notoriously unreliable, and the standard test strip kits that have multiple tests on them don't test for ammonia, so you have to buy the ammonia test strips separately. Ammonia is the most important test to have.

We don't have Petsmart here in the UK, but they don't have a good reputation in the hobby for giving advice. While I'm sure there are knowledgeable employees, I understand this would be the exception. I simply wouldn't take what they say as reliable. And never accept then saying parameters are "perfect" or "good". Always get them to write down the actual numbers. You don't know if they know how to do the test properly. Did they use a reliable test kit? Do they have enough knowledge to say if the parameters are good or not?

How long have you had the aquarium and what's a typical water change routine?

What lead you to treat for ich? There is nothing in the older photos to suggest ich. Was there other symptoms?

And a 10g tank is nowhere near big enough for 4 goldfish. It's not big enough for 1 goldfish and from the photos it looks like have already grown too big for their home. When fish are kept in too small a tank it stunts their growth, which effects overall health and shortens their lifespans. Too small a tank allows water parameters to get bad very quickly. Comet goldfish get to 12 inches or bigger, and will live over a decade. In a 10g tank you would be lucky to get a 4" fish thar lives a couple of years. I would look to rehoming them immediately. You could get a slightly bigger tank, and gradually increase tank size as they grow, but within a year they need to be in at least 65 gallons, with filtration rated for at least 100 gallons, or better still a 100 gallon aquarium. Or better still outside in a pond.

In absence of a reliable test kit, I would be changing half the water every day until your test kit arrives, and once you get your test kit you may still need to do multiple water changes every week until they are rehomed to a more suitable aquarium/ pond.

 

[goldfishgal123]

For starters, a 10 gallon tank is not ideal for goldfish at all and it may have something to do with the fish being sick OR the fish were sick when you got them ( the pics of the first bout you treated looks like Columnaris and happens rapidly) and the conditions in the tank made it worse. Goldfish grow to be large dirty fish and can pollute the water rather quickly.
Water parameters can change quickly because you have so many goldfish in a small tank so how " recently" was your water tested? Was this a new tank when you got the first fish from the fair or an older established tank? Has it cycled?
The salt treatment will not hurt the goldfish but it won't help the fish if your water parameters are off. You shouldn't have had to order salt. Any non iodized salt from the grocery store will do the trick. ( I like Kosher salt but Mortons will do the same. It just needs to be the non iodized type. )
On the positive side, the spot on the back end of the fish does not appear to be ick so I'd stop using Ick medicine. Unfortunately, because it's not ick, it could be the beginning of a tumor ( which is not treatable) or something else which needs a better close up picture to try to determine what it is.

So let's start there.

Thank you so much for the response. To start, originally I have the three comet fish in a 3 gallon tank (I know that bad) I didn’t know at first! I got them from the fair and it was 9pm and Walmart only had a 3 gallon tank. Once they got that white stuff I took them out and cleaned everything and put them in the 10 gallon tank. I would love to have a bigger tank but as a college student I’m only permitted up to 10 gallons if I would have known they would be so sick I would have never gotten more fish. I’m a new fish keeper so I apprvaite the help on that. As far as a better picture it’s hard for me to get it because he keeps moving but let me know if this one attached is a little bit better. If I just abruptly stop the medication will that harm them not using it as directed? Could me using this mediciation be causing my one fish to not eat at all?

Finally, I was reading one of your more recent thread responses from a person with a goldfish that has septicemia. My white spotted guy has a bit of red peeking through on his head. I noticed this morning but it could just be because he’s white. I attached a photo of you don’t mind looking! Thanks again!

 

[goldfishgal123]

For starters, a 10 gallon tank is not ideal for goldfish at all and it may have something to do with the fish being sick OR the fish were sick when you got them ( the pics of the first bout you treated looks like Columnaris and happens rapidly) and the conditions in the tank made it worse. Goldfish grow to be large dirty fish and can pollute the water rather quickly.
Water parameters can change quickly because you have so many goldfish in a small tank so how " recently" was your water tested? Was this a new tank when you got the first fish from the fair or an older established tank? Has it cycled?
The salt treatment will not hurt the goldfish but it won't help the fish if your water parameters are off. You shouldn't have had to order salt. Any non iodized salt from the grocery store will do the trick. ( I like Kosher salt but Mortons will do the same. It just needs to be the non iodized type. )
On the positive side, the spot on the back end of the fish does not appear to be ick so I'd stop using Ick medicine. Unfortunately, because it's not ick, it could be the beginning of a tumor ( which is not treatable) or something else which needs a better close up picture to try to determine what it is.

So let's start there.

Thank you so much for the response. To start, originally I have the three comet fish in a 3 gallon tank (I know that bad) I didn’t know at first! I got them from the fair and it was 9pm and Walmart only had a 3 gallon tank. Once they got that white stuff I took them out and cleaned everything and put them in the 10 gallon tank. I would love to have a bigger tank but as a college student I’m only permitted up to 10 gallons if I would have known they would be so sick I would have never gotten more fish. I’m a new fish keeper so I apprvaite the help on that. As far as a better picture it’s hard for me to get it because he keeps moving but let me know if this one attached is a little bit better. If I just abruptly stop the medication will that harm them not using it as directed? Could me using this mediciation be causing my one fish to not eat at all?

Finally, I was reading one of your more recent thread responses from a person with a goldfish that has septicemia. My white spotted guy has a bit of red peeking through on his head. I noticed this morning but it could just be because he’s white. I attached a photo of you don’t mind looking! Thanks again!

I agree with the above.

The marks on the tail doesn't look like ich, they look too large and opaque whereas ich would present as salt grain sized bumps that are distinctly white. They look like fin ray fractures to me, which is harmless, but they could be tumours as suggested. Tumours are common in goldfish and apart from surgical removal by a vet, untreatable. If they are tumours just let your fish live the best life it can, and if things get to a point where the fish is suffering euthanising the fish is the kindest option. Continue to monitor things, and hopefully even if they are tumours you can enjoy your fish for years.

I would look at the water parameters. Cancel the order for the test strips and order a liquid test kit like API Freshwater Master Test Kit. Strips are notoriously unreliable, and the standard test strip kits that have multiple tests on them don't test for ammonia, so you have to buy the ammonia test strips separately. Ammonia is the most important test to have.

We don't have Petsmart here in the UK, but they don't have a good reputation in the hobby for giving advice. While I'm sure there are knowledgeable employees, I understand this would be the exception. I simply wouldn't take what they say as reliable. And never accept then saying parameters are "perfect" or "good". Always get them to write down the actual numbers. You don't know if they know how to do the test properly. Did they use a reliable test kit? Do they have enough knowledge to say if the parameters are good or not?

How long have you had the aquarium and what's a typical water change routine?

What lead you to treat for ich? There is nothing in the older photos to suggest ich. Was there other symptoms?

And a 10g tank is nowhere near big enough for 4 goldfish. It's not big enough for 1 goldfish and from the photos it looks like have already grown too big for their home. When fish are kept in too small a tank it stunts their growth, which effects overall health and shortens their lifespans. Too small a tank allows water parameters to get bad very quickly. Comet goldfish get to 12 inches or bigger, and will live over a decade. In a 10g tank you would be lucky to get a 4" fish thar lives a couple of years. I would look to rehoming them immediately. You could get a slightly bigger tank, and gradually increase tank size as they grow, but within a year they need to be in at least 65 gallons, with filtration rated for at least 100 gallons, or better still a 100 gallon aquarium. Or better still outside in a pond.

In absence of a reliable test kit, I would be changing half the water every day until your test kit arrives, and once you get your test kit you may still need to do multiple water changes every week until they are rehomed to a more suitable aquarium/ pond.

Hello, thank you for responding! I will cancle the order and get those recommended test strips. So I didn’t add originally that one of my comets has a small black point on his tail and I read it could be ammonia burn (this was all before I got the two other bigger goldfish) so I bought ammonia test strips and it kept reading as high no matter how much water I changed and I also added ammonia removed liquid from the store. That’s when I took it to pet smart (and no I do not think they are very knowledgeable so I will get my own strips!) and they said it was good on ammonia levels so I let it go because none of the other fish had black spots.

My water change schedule hasn’t been regular because I feel like all I’ve done since I got them a month or so ago I’d treat them and at the end of the treatments it says do a water change so I’ve probably done 2 at least since I got them. I will do it once a week once the medications are done, how ever the previously response told me to discontinue the mediciations so i will likely do it soon?

I thought the origional comet had ich because there was a flat white speckle on his side the first few days I got him. My boyfriend has had some tanks and guessed it was it. I knew nothing about Ich at the time.

As far as rehoming them I cant. I didn’t know they needed this much space otherwise I would have never gotten them. I tried to do research but everyone says different things. I am in college and I’m only aloud to have up to a 10 gallon tank. I’m not sure what to do. I don’t know anyone who has a bigger tank that I could give them too. Thank you

 

[goldfishgal123]

Thank you so much for the response. To start, originally I have the three comet fish in a 3 gallon tank (I know that bad) I didn’t know at first! I got them from the fair and it was 9pm and Walmart only had a 3 gallon tank. Once they got that white stuff I took them out and cleaned everything and put them in the 10 gallon tank. I would love to have a bigger tank but as a college student I’m only permitted up to 10 gallons if I would have known they would be so sick I would have never gotten more fish. I’m a new fish keeper so I apprvaite the help on that. As far as a better picture it’s hard for me to get it because he keeps moving but let me know if this one attached is a little bit better. If I just abruptly stop the medication will that harm them not using it as directed? Could me using this mediciation be causing my one fish to not eat at all?

Finally, I was reading one of your more recent thread responses from a person with a goldfish that has septicemia. My white spotted guy has a bit of red peeking through on his head. I noticed this morning but it could just be because he’s white. I attached a photo of you don’t mind looking! Thanks again!

Well ignore the white fish septicemia comment. As I was typing this 20 mins ago he was still with us and now he is dead. I feel awful I feel like I killed them.

 

[goldfishgal123]

i removed the dead fish and did a 50% water change (I used tap water and filled gallons and treated each gallon with the appropriate amount of water conditioner) and let them sit for a week to let any chlorine evaporate. I added stress coat + to help maybe if the water change stressed them and I added water clarifier. I attached a picture of the test strips I bought. Would they even be remotely Ok? I didn’t know if either of you had ever heard of them.

 

[goldfishgal123]

A bit clearer

 

[Aiken Drum]

You are trying to battle several issues all at once. The ammonia being off the chart high is a sign that your aquarium isn't cycled and your issues are at least in part due to that. They may also have been carrying an infection when you got them.

2 water changes in a month really isn't enough when you are cycled, when you arent cycled you need to do much more frequent water changes, potentially daily, until your cycle establishes which could take a couple of months. In such a small aquarium with 4 goldfish, it may be impossible to cycle the tank and get safe water parameters. I really don't see a happy outcome without daily water changes and long term they need that bigger aquarium. If you are medicating and need to change water to keep water parameters safe, you need to redose the medication so the medication level is maintained. If you change half the water add back half dose of your medication or salt (or both).

If you are stuck with a 10g tank, and have no way of rehoming the fish, it's really your decision. They are your fish. But it's going to be a poor quality of life that ultimately will leave them in poor health with short lifespans. There may be a local aquatics club that can help you with rehoming. Longer term when you come to a conclusion with the goldfish, if you wish to carry on with fish then there are suitable options for 10 gallons.

If you are treating tap water with stresscoat, you don't need to let it stand. 24 hours is enough for chlorine to offgas, it doesn't take a week, but the stresscoat chemically removes the chlorine anyway. It works instantly.

When fish are swimming in their own waste, a water change should improve things. Big water changes can be stressful, but not as stressful as swimming in high amounts of ammonia.

Lastly, whatever happens, stop buying new fish until you have some kind of long term plan to look after them.

 

[goldfishgal123]

I should also mentioned that the spot on his tail is white and fuzzy. It looks flat in the pictures but it’s almost raised a little. That’s why I was concerned it could be fungal.

 

[Andy Sager]

I should also mentioned that the spot on his tail is white and fuzzy. It looks flat in the pictures but it’s almost raised a little. That’s why I was concerned it could be fungal.

Between Aiken and I, we are giving you a lot of information and I don't want to overwhelm you so let me just say this: If those 3 spots are fungal, Fungus infections rarely kill and medicating in bad water is just like throwing money down the toilet because the key to a successful recovery is clean healthy water. I'd concentrate on getting the water settled rather than medicating the fish.
So if I'm reading your thread correctly, you now currently have 2 comets and 2 more Fantail(?) goldfish. That's a lot of goldfish in a 10 gal. In order to help keep the water clean, you should be doing daily water changes ( at least until your tank cycles.)
This is what the cycling process will look like in graph form:
You'll see that the ammonia and nitrite cycle do not happen simultaneously and can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 4 months+ to finish, all depending on how many fish you have in the tank or how much poo they are creating and your pH level. Your tank will not be totally "cycled" until your ammonia and nitrite levels have risen and fallen AND you have increasing nitrates. So just because you see 0 ammonia or nitrite very early on in the process, does not mean you are cycled because it will look the same at the beginning and at the end. This is why you need to test regularly in the beginning to see the rise and fall. If you fell you much do something for the fish besides the water change, you can add the non iodized salt at a rate of 1 tablespoon / 3 gallons of water so since you have a 10 gal ( that does not hold 10 gallons of actual water ) and you have displacement from your substrate and decorations, I would treat for just 6 gallons of actual water or just 2 tablespoons.
If you can find a way to rehome these fish to someone who can better cure them, I'd do a fishless cycle and once that process is finished, look into fish that are better suited for a 10 gallon tank. ( There are a lot of them FYI )

Hope this helps.

 

[goldfishgal123]

You are trying to battle several issues all at once. The ammonia being off the chart high is a sign that your aquarium isn't cycled and your issues are at least in part due to that. They may also have been carrying an infection when you got them.

2 water changes in a month really isn't enough when you are cycled, when you arent cycled you need to do much more frequent water changes, potentially daily, until your cycle establishes which could take a couple of months. In such a small aquarium with 4 goldfish, it may be impossible to cycle the tank and get safe water parameters. I really don't see a happy outcome without daily water changes and long term they need that bigger aquarium. If you are medicating and need to change water to keep water parameters safe, you need to redose the medication so the medication level is maintained. If you change half the water add back half dose of your medication or salt (or both).

If you are stuck with a 10g tank, and have no way of rehoming the fish, it's really your decision. They are your fish. But it's going to be a poor quality of life that ultimately will leave them in poor health with short lifespans. There may be a local aquatics club that can help you with rehoming. Longer term when you come to a conclusion with the goldfish, if you wish to carry on with fish then there are suitable options for 10 gallons.

If you are treating tap water with stresscoat, you don't need to let it stand. 24 hours is enough for chlorine to offgas, it doesn't take a week, but the stresscoat chemically removes the chlorine anyway. It works instantly.

When fish are swimming in their own waste, a water change should improve things. Big water changes can be stressful, but not as stressful as swimming in high amounts of ammonia.

Lastly, whatever happens, stop buying new fish until you have some kind of long term plan to look after them.

Thank you. I will for sure be buying no more fish. I will do daily water changes. I ordered the API freshwater test kit. The spot on the fishes tail that could be a tumor almost looks fuzzy and a bit raised. Should I still discontinue mediciation and see what happens? I a most thing adding the filter carriage might help with the water quality at least a little bit. I’m not sure if I should keep treating or just leave it and do the daily water changes for now?

Between Aiken and I, we are giving you a lot of information and I don't want to overwhelm you so let me just say this: If those 3 spots are fungal, Fungus infections rarely kill and medicating in bad water is just like throwing money down the toilet because the key to a successful recovery is clean healthy water. I'd concentrate on getting the water settled rather than medicating the fish.
So if I'm reading your thread correctly, you now currently have 2 comets and 2 more Fantail(?) goldfish. That's a lot of goldfish in a 10 gal. In order to help keep the water clean, you should be doing daily water changes ( at least until your tank cycles.)
This is what the cycling process will look like in graph form: View attachment 390575
You'll see that the ammonia and nitrite cycle do not happen simultaneously and can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 4 months+ to finish, all depending on how many fish you have in the tank or how much poo they are creating and your pH level. Your tank will not be totally "cycled" until your ammonia and nitrite levels have risen and fallen AND you have increasing nitrates. So just because you see 0 ammonia or nitrite very early on in the process, does not mean you are cycled because it will look the same at the beginning and at the end. This is why you need to test regularly in the beginning to see the rise and fall. If you fell you much do something for the fish besides the water change, you can add the non iodized salt at a rate of 1 tablespoon / 3 gallons of water so since you have a 10 gal ( that does not hold 10 gallons of actual water ) and you have displacement from your substrate and decorations, I would treat for just 6 gallons of actual water or just 2 tablespoons.
If you can find a way to rehome these fish to someone who can better cure them, I'd do a fishless cycle and once that process is finished, look into fish that are better suited for a 10 gallon tank. ( There are a lot of them FYI )

Hope this helps.

thank you very very much for this information! It is so helpful. I have 2 commets and one bigger fin tail I think you mentioned it’s called at this point. I already have done 3 days of treatment (the tetra treatment says 5 days) I was told I should just finish out one thing. I think I will finish it out if you think that is ok. Simply because my water kit isn’t even coming until Thursday. Do you think this would be okay to do. I will give them their third dose tonight if the tetra lifeguard all in one medication and then 2 more days. By that point the test kit should be in. I know you said it’s like throwing money down the toilet but I feel like maybe I should finish out what I was doing? Of course you are very knowledgeable so whatever you advise me to do I will do that! The salt I got should come when the test kit comes in the mail so I will for sure do the 2 tea spoons as you recommended thank you! How long do I let the salt sit until I start water changes? How often should I test my water when I get the kit? Every day? Every other? Thank you again for all of your help I really appreciate it!

 

[Andy Sager]

Thank you. I will for sure be buying no more fish. I will do daily water changes. I ordered the API freshwater test kit. The spot on the fishes tail that could be a tumor almost looks fuzzy and a bit raised. Should I still discontinue mediciation and see what happens? I a most thing adding the filter carriage might help with the water quality at least a little bit. I’m not sure if I should keep treating or just leave it and do the daily water changes for now?

thank you very very much for this information! It is so helpful. I have 2 commets and one bigger fin tail I think you mentioned it’s called at this point. I already have done 3 days of treatment (the tetra treatment says 5 days) I was told I should just finish out one thing. I think I will finish it out if you think that is ok. Simply because my water kit isn’t even coming until Thursday. Do you think this would be okay to do. I will give them their third dose tonight if the tetra lifeguard all in one medication and then 2 more days. By that point the test kit should be in. I know you said it’s like throwing money down the toilet but I feel like maybe I should finish out what I was doing? Of course you are very knowledgeable so whatever you advise me to do I will do that! The salt I got should come when the test kit comes in the mail so I will for sure do the 2 tea spoons as you recommended thank you! How long do I let the salt sit until I start water changes? How often should I test my water when I get the kit? Every day? Every other? Thank you again for all of your help I really appreciate it!

You need to read the posts more carefully. I said the treatment for salt in your tank was 2 TABLESPOONS, not teaspoons.
At this point, without knowing your water's condition, continuing the treatment may or may not work. It's like driving a car blind. You'll get somewhere, you just don't know where.
Under " normal" conditions, shortening a medication schedule helps lead to the pathogens gaining resistance to the medicine but that comes from doing it multiple times not just a single time. I would not waste the medicine until I knew what the test results were. You have another option, take a sample of your water to your local fish store and let them test it. If you do this, make sure they give you actual numbers for the test results and not a blanket " It's okay." You need to know the pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels.

As for the salt, once you know the levels in your water, do a water change then add the salt. When you do your routine water changes, to make it easier, change 3 gallons of water then add 1 tablespoon of salt back into the tank. This way the level doesn't go higher than the 1 Tablespoon per 3 gallons of water rate.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Keep up with the daily water changes until your test kit arrives. This should keep water quality safe until you can find out what kind of problem you have.

When the kit arrives, test for ammonia and nitrite. If one or both is above 0.25ppm then do water changes until they are both below that 0.25ppm figure. This may mean multiple water changes, but hopefully the frequent changes you are doing now will keep those 2 parameters low.

Once we are sure your ammonia and nitrite are below 0.25ppm then test for both every day. Again if one or both is above 0.25ppm change water until they are both below that 0.25ppm figure. This may mean continuing with those daily water changes for some time. Once you are consistently seeing zero ammonia and nitrite in your daily test you are cycled and get into a regular water change routine. This process is called a "fish in cycle" and normally takes a couple of months from first adding fish to being cycled.

However, as said, goldfish are big messy fish, and your aquarium and filtration is too small. It may not be possible to cycle the aquarium because your fish produce more waste than the system can cope with. This is one of the reasons why they need a bigger home, and your problems won't go away until they are rehomed.

I'm with Andy here. Medicating the fish is a waste of time and money when the fish are living in their own waste. It's like treating flu when the real issue is bring poisoned.

 

[goldfishgal123]

Thank you. I will for sure be buying no more fish. I will do daily water changes. I ordered the API freshwater test kit. The spot on the fishes tail that could be a tumor almost looks fuzzy and a bit raised. Should I still discontinue mediciation and see what happens? I a most thing adding the filter carriage might help with the water quality at least a little bit. I’m not sure if I should keep treating or just leave it and do the daily water changes for now?

thank you very very much for this information! It is so helpful. I have 2 commets and one bigger fin tail I think you mentioned it’s called at this point. I already have done 3 days of treatment (the tetra treatment says 5 days) I was told I should just finish out one thing. I think I will finish it out if you think that is ok. Simply because my water kit isn’t even coming until Thursday. Do you think this would be okay to do. I will give them their third dose tonight if the tetra lifeguard all in one medication and then 2 more days. By that point the test kit should be in. I know you said it’s like throwing money down the toilet but I feel like maybe I should finish out what I was doing? Of course you are very knowledgeable so whatever you advise me to do I will do that! The salt I got should come when the test kit comes in the mail so I will for sure do the 2 tea spoons as you recommended thank you! How long do I let the salt sit until I start water changes? How often should I test my water when I get the kit? Every day? Every other? Thank you again for all of your help I really appreciate it!

After the medication is done I was going to start the water change daily and testing. But if you think continuing the mediciation is not worth it I can just start the water changes

You need to read the posts more carefully. I said the treatment for salt in your tank was 2 TABLESPOONS, not teaspoons.
At this point, without knowing your water's condition, continuing the treatment may or may not work. It's like driving a car blind. You'll get somewhere, you just don't know where.
Under " normal" conditions, shortening a medication schedule helps lead to the pathogens gaining resistance to the medicine but that comes from doing it multiple times not just a single time. I would not waste the medicine until I knew what the test results were. You have another option, take a sample of your water to your local fish store and let them test it. If you do this, make sure they give you actual numbers for the test results and not a blanket " It's okay." You need to know the pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels.

As for the salt, once you know the levels in your water, do a water change then add the salt. When you do your routine water changes, to make it easier, change 3 gallons of water then add 1 tablespoon of salt back into the tank. This way the level doesn't go higher than the 1 Tablespoon per 3 gallons of water rate.

hi Andy! I got my water test results back. They look pretty ok to me but I would love your input and reccomendations!

 

[Aiken Drum]

The ammonia is still far too high. Do water changes until that is down to 0.25ppm.

 

[goldfishgal123]

The ammonia is still far too high. Do water changes until that is down to 0.25ppm.

Okay I will do that!