Black spot on my Oranda...

[Jam4lyf]

would appreciate some opinions...

I have a gorgeous, and I do mean GORGEOUS, Oranda who we call "Stache". We've had him almost two years and he is just a joy to have in his aquarium sitting at the end of our kitchen counter. Yesterday while feeding him, I noticed a black spot on one of his underneath fins...the small ones closest to his head that are constantly moving. It is very small, about the size of a pin head, and looks to be a bit textured. It looks like he fell down and has a piece of black top embedded in his knee lol.

Anyhow, any ideas? Like I said, he is solid orange now...when we got him he was just a little thing and had a very small, black marking right over his mouth, litterally a Hitler-looking moustache thing, hence the name "Stache" (daughter wanted to call him "Hitler" to which I replied maybe for Halloween but how about "Stache" instead lol) As he grew bigger the spot disappeared and he's been solid orange for about a year now...I hope he's not getting a tumor or something?

Thanks...

 

[jlk]

Hi! I just came upon your post-how is your oranda doing??

 

[Dwohlge1]

Yeah can you post a picture?

Oranges do change colors as the develop but mine went from Orange/ White/Black to all Orange.

The below pictures are 7 months apart

 

[Jam4lyf]

Sorry I haven't responded earlier...life has been calling and I haven't had much time on the computer lately!

Stache is still behaving well...his usual active and bubbly self. He is just a delight, always swimming around actively begging/looking for a feeding )

The black spot on his fin has definitely gotten bigger, so much so that my husband has even suggested finding a "fish" vet to see about having it removed. I have tried and tried to get a picture, but he is just so active I cannot get one that is not blurry.

My question now, is there such a thing as a fish vet? Where do I begin to look? Thinking I'll internet search, or perhaps call the local pet store and inquire. I'd hate to put this off much longer and have him get really sick, only to find out there may be an easy "fix".

Also, I had been changing his water every night, and now every other night, and it has been really clear for about a week now. What a big dirty fish he is! I'm afraid I was uneducated about the whole "cycling" thing in the beginning, and our poor boy definitely suffered through some amonia poisoning. I literally shed tears over that He is currently in a 10 gallon (I know, but when I bought him I had NO idea how big he'd get and of course the Petsmart person didin't tell me...), and I'm hoping soon to get a 39 gallon set up for him. I'd like to get it cycled without him in it, but I just haven't had the time to buy the "master" test kit stuff and learn how to use it. I am wondering, though, how can I use some of the "healthy" bacteria in the current tank to expedite the cycling of the new one? I have a "20" AquaClear filter and it has the carbon pouch, foam, and pouch with the white circle things in it. How would I use any of that while keeping the current tank up and running?

Thanks for your help...I'll be so happy when aquarium care is second nature to me )

 

[librarygirl]

Sorry I haven't responded earlier...life has been calling and I haven't had much time on the computer lately!

Stache is still behaving well...his usual active and bubbly self. He is just a delight, always swimming around actively begging/looking for a feeding )

The black spot on his fin has definitely gotten bigger, so much so that my husband has even suggested finding a "fish" vet to see about having it removed. I have tried and tried to get a picture, but he is just so active I cannot get one that is not blurry.

My question now, is there such a thing as a fish vet? Where do I begin to look? Thinking I'll internet search, or perhaps call the local pet store and inquire. I'd hate to put this off much longer and have him get really sick, only to find out there may be an easy "fix".

Also, I had been changing his water every night, and now every other night, and it has been really clear for about a week now. What a big dirty fish he is! I'm afraid I was uneducated about the whole "cycling" thing in the beginning, and our poor boy definitely suffered through some amonia poisoning. I literally shed tears over that He is currently in a 10 gallon (I know, but when I bought him I had NO idea how big he'd get and of course the Petsmart person didin't tell me...), and I'm hoping soon to get a 39 gallon set up for him. I'd like to get it cycled without him in it, but I just haven't had the time to buy the "master" test kit stuff and learn how to use it. I am wondering, though, how can I use some of the "healthy" bacteria in the current tank to expedite the cycling of the new one? I have a "20" AquaClear filter and it has the carbon pouch, foam, and pouch with the white circle things in it. How would I use any of that while keeping the current tank up and running?

Thanks for your help...I'll be so happy when aquarium care is second nature to me )

Yes, if he's in a 10 gal tank now which is probably cycled by now if you've had him in tha tank for a while and you haven't changed any filter media, you can just move everything over to the new larger tank and it should pretty much be cycled. The newer tank will need a 2nd filter as your 10 gal filter won't be enough filtration, but you can just move the 10 gal filter over to the new tank and then run a second filter on the tank as well. I'd just test the water every day for a good week or so to make sure there aren't any spikes in ammonia, etc.

As for the dark spot, I've read that some goldfish can have these spots when healing from ammonia burns. But if he's had it for a while and it's getting larger (and assuming there's no ammonia, etc in the tank) it could be something else. You could try calling local veterinarians in your area and see if any of them have a fish vet there.

Also with a goldfish in a 10 gal tank, I'd definitely keep up with regular water changes of 50% ever 1-2 days (as you seem to be diong) and I'd also test the water with a good test kit just to make sure ammonia, etc isn't building. The tank should be cycled by now, but a goldfish in a tank that small is a lot to ask of the bacteria to handle all of that ammonia, so I'd be safe and test to be sure.

 

[jlk]

Im going to try & help you a bit here. Lets start with your water-you really should invest in an API master test kit so you know what is going on with your water. The chain stores typically carry them & Amazon has them for $10 less than the chain stores. Second water issue-until you are able to test your water for specific levels of amm/nitrite/nitrate, i would go back to water changes (75%) daily. Can you give a better description of the 'black spot'? Is it an actual growth or is it areas of the fish turning black? What i suspect (im not a vet) is going on is ammonia burns. On an orange goldfish that has been exposed to very high levels of ammonia, the more delicate areas of his body will turn black (literally overnight) and the areas of black will continue to grow the longer he is exposed to high levels of ammonia. The only cure is to remove the source of injury (ammonia) completely & permenantly-he will then recover over a period of mths in ideal conditions. As for a fish vet, i would try googleing them for your area. If you have a large veterinary school (Cornell & U of Penn are near me), try calling them first. Hope this helps!!!

 

[jlk]

Just adding this quick note-i just noticed your from Ohio. Ohio State has a veterinary teaching college. My suggestion is to contact them first and they would best be able to help you finding a fish vet!

 

[Dwohlge1]

Water changes are a great idea I would listen. Also until you get a test kit see if you can take your water to be tested at an lfs but careful on taking their advice. I would discuss the results here first.

 

[Jam4lyf]

OK, I finally got some pictures of Stache to post (forgive me if it takes a couple posts to figure out how to add them!)

He is still as active as ever and the spot has continued to get a little bigger. His tank is much clearer and I change his water every 3rd night now until I can get him in a bigger one.

Appreciate your opinions...let me know if you think he's healthy. I have concerns about his wen completely growing over his eyes (and he also has very big bags under his eyes that seem to cover them up...is that normal?). And I'm also wondering about the white on his right fin...once again, is that normal?

Thanks for your help...it is much appreciated. I, and my family, just love this guy and I'll feel much better knowing he's healthy

 

[Jam4lyf]

LOVE

I this face!!

 

[Jam4lyf]

jlk...btw, yes it appears to be a growth. It definitely is a raised area, not just a changing of the color of the fin...

Dwohllge1...as I mentioned, I did water changes every night for about a month, now, every third night as the water is very clear and cycled. I'm please even on the third night the water is clear, however, I change it religiously to prevent too much amonia in the water.

 

[jlk]

I would really strongly suggest you purchase a fw test kit (API pharm is what most people use) and start monitoring your water conditions for amm/nitrite/nitrate (if you are not already doing so). Yes, it does look like some sort of growth (thanks for the pics!) and i really at a loss for an exact explanation (i will do some research tho!). Contact Ohio St veterinary school & see if you can discuss your fish with someone there. If they do not have someone, im pretty sure they would be able to suggest who can help you. He is beautiful fish!!! Good luck!

 

[Sssea]

What a precious little boy! As for the web covering his eyes, that's pretty common

 

[librarygirl]

I don't know much about goldfish, but regardless of the fish in the tank, clear water is NOT an indicator of the toxins in the tank. The water can be clear with tons of ammonia in it, for example. I'm concerned about cutting back water changes in a tank that's too small for a goldfish and that hasn't been tested with a test kit.