Do my goldfish have ich?

[Hollygosh]

I have had 3 goldfish, had them for nearly 2 years now (tank was cycled), recently I have noticed they have white little spots on them (see photos) despite the spots, they are acting perfectly normally however, no loss of appetite and continue to chase each other around. I have been medicating as if it were ich though but I do not know whether to continue or not as I am not sure what these spots actually are, it's a pain having the filter turned off, however I do not want to risk it in case they are ill.
would anybody be able to identity the spots for me please?
Thanks very much.

 

[FishyKisses]

That's not ich...they are ready to breed!

 

[jlk]

Breeding tubercles (or stars)! They are all sexually mature male goldies. Get the ich meds out of the tank ASAP before you have sick fish. Some big water changes along with running new carbon for a 6-12hrs should remove it. Then replace with your old media (which should be kept in a bucket of treated/conditioned water until you place it back in the filter). Please ask if you have any questions!

 

[jlk]

Sorry for my lack of manners! Welcome to AA!!!!!!

 

[Hollygosh]

oh wow really? Thank you for your responses! I'm so pleased my fish aren't ill
Are the breeding stars permanent do you know, or do they go away after some time? My other goldfish does not have spots so hope they don't start breeding!

Thanks again

 

[jlk]

They tend to appear for awhile then may disappear only to reappear again. Or they just may stay permanently. Changes in temperature or diet will affect whether they are present in full force, just a few are present or none are present. A female does not need to be present for them to appear though it does add extra incentive for the males. I know you mentioned chasing- are your boys chasing the one fish without stars or are they just chasing each other?

 

[Hollygosh]

Good to know, least I won't get it mixed up with Ich again.
They've always chased each other in a harmless way, but the two with stars are paying extra attention to the one without actually

 

[jlk]

Just keep an eye on them. The one is likely a female and males can get overly amorous. If she seems very stressed or is being injured, you may need to separate them so she can rest.