bad redness and white skin near and on gill covers and body

[Monkeyrazzar]

my comet gold fish seems to have some serious problems around his gills and gill covers. (it still has normal breathing) i recently noticed this red stuff that looks like its under his scales. i can see each scale but theres redness in the crevices between the scales. and the edge of his gill cover is white. he still comes up for food but he mostly just sits at the bottom of the bowl. i did a water change but i think he needs some kind of medication because its very bad and the effect is all over the right side of his body. sorry for the bad quality pictures but all i had was my ipod camera. can you recommend some kind of antibiotic?

thanks, Sean

 

[Mumma.of.two]

What the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH?
Is he still in a bowl?
What size?
Tank mates?
Is it cycled? Have a filter?
How often and how much water is changed?
Ideally comets need to be in ponds. He could be suffering from ammonia poisoning.

 

[jlk]

+1
We really need more information in order to be able to help. Please answer Mumma's questions so we can figure out how best to help you.

 

[Monkeyrazzar]

What the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH?
Is he still in a bowl?
What size?
Tank mates?
Is it cycled? Have a filter?
How often and how much water is changed?
Ideally comets need to be in ponds. He could be suffering from ammonia poisoning.

No tank mates
1 gallon bowl
Changed the water today, last time 3 days ago
No filter, has some water from last change for cycling(it's hard to cycle with only 1 bowl.
I don't know about the ammonia,nitrite, nitrate, or pH, Is there a test kit that can measure all of these at once?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

No tank mates
1 gallon bowl
Changed the water today, last time 3 days ago
No filter, has some water from last change for cycling(it's hard to cycle with only 1 bowl.
I don't know about the ammonia,nitrite, nitrate, or pH, Is there a test kit that can measure all of these at once?

Ok,
1 gallon is 50x too small for him. He is a pond fish that, if kept healthy, can reach 18 inches long.
You are going to have to change the water twice daily to keep ammonia to a minimum. It's very hard to cycle a tank without a filter. A 1 gallon will cycle with one.
API freshwater test kit. It's about $20 on amazon. Don't get strips they are known for being highly inaccurate.
What is happening is the ammonia is building up and it is burning his gills. Because the tank is so small the ammonia is building very fast. Lots of clean water will be needed everyday to keep it as low as possible. You are going to have to get him a bigger tank ASAP or rehome him to your LFS or a pond.

 

[Monkeyrazzar]

Thanks, he is only about an inch right now and I am planning on getting him a bigger bowl.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Thanks, he is only about an inch right now and I am planning on getting him a bigger bowl.

Even an inch long goldfish is too small for any bowl. They really do grow fast if healthy. Expect a fish 6-12 inches long in 12 months. A bigger bowls not going to cut it I'm sorry. He really needs a large tank or a pond. Toxins build quick in bowls. High toxins cause burns to gills, fin rot, bacterial and fungal infections, blindness and stunting. Stunting causes deformities and a shortened life span. A bowls not a good home for a goldfish.

 

[Monkeyrazzar]

Will tonic salt or some other substance help him heal? Something that will kill bacteria and help the affected spots? Also the redness is mostly near the base of the Pectoral fins and has spread onto it some.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Will tonic salt or some other substance help him heal? Something that will kill bacteria and help the affected spots? Also the redness is mostly near the base of the Pectoral fins and has spread onto it some.

It might help with the symptoms but not the cause. It sounds like he's come down with septicemia. A blood infection. It's deadly if not treated. It's caused by high ammonia most of the time. I'm going to be blunt with you (well even more so). The bowl is killing him. He's slowly dying a painful death. You could throw all the medications in the world at him but unless you get him a bigger tank and lots of clean water he's got no chance.