Ich on Goldfish?

[BL1ND1ND3X]

Hello everyone,
I have been seeing spots on my goldfish's tail fin, they are not solid white like ich but I have seen a couple more on his back fin.
Since they aren't solid white they are very hard to take a picture of.
I have looked at the other threads about ich and goldfish but the pictures don't look like the spots my goldfish have.
The one goldfish has the spots but the other two don't and it has been a week since I saw the first spot.
So I just wanted to know what this is and if it is harmful.
My water parameters are:
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-in between 5 and 10
Temp- 72
The three goldfish are in a 60 gallon and I was going to move them to my friends pond but I don't want to spread anything to her pond.
So thank you for your help!

 

[jlk]

Your parameters are in check which is great! Do you have your ph (gh and kh if possible too)? How long have you had these fish? When was the last time you added a new fish? Only one fish is affected, correct? What type of fish is it?

Ok, if it does not look like ich, pics will really help to see what is going on here. Do you have a large mixing/salad type bowl (or even a large pasta pot) that you can isolate him in for a minute or two to take some pics (use tank water)?

 

[BL1ND1ND3X]

Your parameters are in check which is great! Do you have your ph (gh and kh if possible too)? How long have you had these fish? When was the last time you added a new fish? Only one fish is affected, correct? What type of fish is it?

Ok, if it does not look like ich, pics will really help to see what is going on here. Do you have a large mixing/salad type bowl (or even a large pasta pot) that you can isolate him in for a minute or two to take some pics (use tank water)?

Ok,
My ph is 8.3, I don't have the GH and KH test.
The 3 fish are common goldfish, and they are about 2 inches each, and I have had them for about a month and a half. They were my first fish for the tank.
And yes the one common goldfish is the only one affected.

I put a piece of lettuce in the tank so that I could get a close shot of it, and I did but my camera isn't good enough to get a clear shot of the spots mainly because they aren't big enough.
There about the size of a grain of Sand but there is no color to the spots.
I thought that maybe it was just part of the fin but then I saw a couple more a day later.
Maybe his fin is growing and it's stretching? I don't know.
Thanks for the help!

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Try velvet disease. Piscinoodinium. Looks like gold dust? Could it be that?

 

[BL1ND1ND3X]

Try velvet disease. Piscinoodinium. Looks like gold dust? Could it be that?

I don't think so, it isn't gold.
Is there an early stage of ich to where it doesn't look like ich (if that makes any sense)?

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Look for a thread do snails carry ich. Read that. Websearch piscinoodinium. Are the spots big small tiny or massive? Approximate the measurement. Sorry, a grain of sand.

 

[jlk]

I don't believe it's velvet either. It honestly sounds like the beginnings of ich. Ich has the appearance of grains of sand or sugar dusted on a fish. It's usually more apparent on the fins/tail though it can appear anywhere or be in the gills where it is not obviously visible.

Do the spots appear 'solid' and are not fluid filled blisters or small bubbles that can be brushed off fairly easily?

 

[BL1ND1ND3X]

I don't believe it's velvet either. It honestly sounds like the beginnings of ich. Ich has the appearance of grains of sand or sugar dusted on a fish. It's usually more apparent on the fins/tail though it can appear anywhere or be in the gills where it is not obviously visible.

Do the spots appear 'solid' and are not fluid filled blisters or small bubbles that can be brushed off fairly easily?

I believe they look solid,
I just woke up and he/she has a couple more.
But each spot follows the lines on the fins, and I counted them and there is 12 spots.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

I don't believe it's velvet either. It honestly sounds like the beginnings of ich. Ich has the appearance of grains of sand or sugar dusted on a fish. It's usually more apparent on the fins/tail though it can appear anywhere or be in the gills where it is not obviously visible.

Do the spots appear 'solid' and are not fluid filled blisters or small bubbles that can be brushed off fairly easily?

I don't know what it is, without a picture I can only speculate, that page do snails have ich offers an explanation of what to do if it is, normally ich cysts are larger than velvet, original post wasn't sure if it was, velvet is the only other ich like disease I can think of.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

They could be breeding turbucles, male fish develop these, but as far as I know it's around the gill area forward to the mouth.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

I believe they look solid,
I just woke up and he/she has a couple more.
But each spot follows the lines on the fins, and I counted them and there is 12 spots.

Which fin or set of fins?

 

[BL1ND1ND3X]

Which fin or set of fins?

It's on the tail fin and the back fin.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Read post #6 and #9. Like I said before without a picture the only thing anyone can do is speculate. You may have to research online, the web will give you pictures to compare with in about ten minutes you could have the answer. It sounds like it's getting worse. That snail post is fresh and brack gen disc.

 

[BL1ND1ND3X]

Read post #6 and #9. Like I said before without a picture the only thing anyone can do is speculate. You may have to research online, the web will give you pictures to compare with in about ten minutes you could have the answer. It sounds like it's getting worse. That snail post is fresh and brack gen disc.

Ok thanks I will.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Please tell me, how you get on and the result of your research.

 

[BL1ND1ND3X]

Please tell me, how you get on and the result of your research.

Ok I definitely will it will probably be later on tonight before I can look.

 

[jlk]

I believe they look solid,
I just woke up and he/she has a couple more.
But each spot follows the lines on the fins, and I counted them and there is 12 spots.

The spots follow the lines of the fins? They are not random? A pic would definitely help here as I am a bit perplexed from your description. Definitely not breeding tubercles as these are only apparent on the pectoral fins and operculums.

 

[BL1ND1ND3X]

The spots follow the lines of the fins? They are not random? A pic would definitely help here as I am a bit perplexed from your description. Definitely not breeding tubercles as these are only apparent on the pectoral fins and operculums.

Ok more spots this morning and they do look like ich now, they have spread to the anal fin, but there is still none on the body. And the new spots are no longer following the lines of the fins.
So I'm going to buy aquarium salt today.
What is the best way to do this.
Do I have to buy a salinity meter?

 

[jlk]

A salinity meter really is not necessary. What I would get is a small kitchen scale. Walmart has them (nondigital) for under $5. Digital are bit more. Salt is best measured via weight rather than volume as different sized grains weigh different amounts. For example, a tsp of API aq salt or rock salt will not weigh the same as a tsp of canning salt.

For salt treatment, dose 11.4grams per gallon (.3% salinity). Measure out the amount of salt needed into a container you can close (empty water jug works) and fill with conditioned water. Shake until completely dissolved. Add this salt solution gradually over a 48hr period of time. Half should be in by the 24hr mark. Water changes along with good gravel vacs to suck up cysts should be done every other day to daily depending on parameters. Keep a daily check on your parameters as the salt will affect your good bacteria.

For water changes, its best to stick to a set amount such as 50%. 50% will remove half the salt in the tank and you will need to replace only the salt you remove. So, mix half the original dose of salt in treated water, dissolve completely and add all the salt solution back with the new water. Maintain the salinity for one week after the last spot is gone then simply do not add back salt with future wcs and the salinity will gradually return to normal. That's about it! Please ask if you have questions!

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Forget the salt, I've never used tonic salt.

Do snails carry ich. That is where the answer lies. The reason I remove the fish is to break the life cycle of ich. Raising the heat increases the life cycle speed of ich, lowering T' decreases life cycle.
White spot remedy is designed to tackle the free swimming stage of ich. Raising the T' stops ich from reproducing in the off fish cyst stage.

Edit- I will save you some time, this is ich.

Fish in a cooler clean environment with ich in medicated water will get the spots after they burst, put them in a new clean environment. Treat again until symptoms appear to have gone.
An empty tank breaks the ring, guaranteeing the system will be clear of ich.
If you heat the tank as is explained on the other page this speeds up the process.
This means only one course on the tank.
It is better explained, do snails carry ich.

Have some form of bacteria remedy on station. Stress zyme or similar.
At this point in time the thread is located at, general discussion fresh and brack, pg2 half way down.

Edit- you could just remove the fish, the system will clear itself, without a host the parasite will die.