White patch on Goldfish

Hi Everyone,

Just wondering if someone could tell me what the possible cause of a white
patch on my goldfish is.

Have had 1 goldfish and 2 smaller fish in freshwater tank for 7 months. No
problems at all until this week.

On thursday white patch appeared near the head of the goldfish with red
around the outside of it. Since Thursday the patch has nearly doubled in
size, there is an area of redness around the white.

Ph is fine, the other fish are fine does anyone have any idea of what this
could be?

Many thanks,

Aus Wendy

Hard to really say without a pic, but this is usenet . My guess would
be either of the two listed below.

Bacterial infections- It is important to remember that pathogenic
bacteria are always present in our water and on our fish. They are a
problem only when the fish are weakened by poor water quality or
parasite infestations. So, before yu attemp to treat a bacterial
infection be sure that yu correct any underlying problems first.
Symptoms can include fin and tail erosion and fraying, redness of the
tail, pectoral or anal fins, and red open sores (ulcer disease). The
most effective remedy for most bacterial infections is feeding
medicated food containing tetracycline, romet, or oxolinic acid for
10-14 days. Yu can buy small quantities opf medicated foods at most
LFS's.

Ulcer disease- Ulcer disease is a particularly destructive bacterial
disease and starts out as a red or white pimple and quickly widens
into a large hole or ulcer. It can advance all the way into the
muscle/meat of the fish. It is very important to catch this disease
in its earliest stages. Anchor worms, fish lice, and flukes can all
contribute to ulcer disease. Keeping your fishfree of these
parasites is very important. Keep affected fish in salted water and
feed medicated food containing oxolinic acid or romet. Individual
sores can be swabbed with betadine to help them heal. YOu can also use
PP to swap them or give the fish a PP treatment.

Justs what is your water parameters? These problems usually occur form
less than ideal water parameters in most cases....


#1) SALT DIP- Add salt to water at 10 tablespoons per gallon or 8
pounds per 32 gallons. Dip fish in this solution for 3 to 5 minutes
or until it starts to roll over. Repeat 2 more times at 12 hour
intervals.

#2) SALT BATH- 0.3% to 0.6%, the recommended dosage is is obtained
by adding 3-6 teaspoons per gallon or 50 pounds of non-iodized salt
per 1,000 gallons over a 48 hour period. Salt should be removed by
water changes when the disease has run it's course.
Use Pond or Aquarium salt or non Iodized salt.

#3) POTASSIUM PERMANGiNATE- (PP) Potassium permanganate is
effective against all of the microscopic parasites listed above except
Ick. If you suspect that your fish may have parasites, but you do not
have access to a microscope to confirm your suspicions, potassium
permanganate should be your first choice for treatment. It is more
risky than salt, but only if you fail to measure your pond capacity
in gallons and dosages accurately. Potassium permanganate will turn
the water purple or pink when first added to the tank or pond. It
will eventually turn brown, according to the amount of dissolved
organics in the water. A 25% to 50% water change is recommended
before beginning the treatment. Bypass the filter, ensure adequate
aeration, and add potassium to the water at 6 grams (1 level teaspoon)
per 800 gallons, If the color changes from purple/pink to
brown/amber in less than 1 hour, re-dose at 1 teaspoon per 800
gallons. If the initial color change comes after 1 hour has elapsed,
retreat at 1/2 teaspoon per 800 gallons. Monitor the color of the
water for the next 10 hours. Whenever the color is brown, add more
potassium at 1/2 teaspoon per 800 gallons. The key for effective
treatment with potassium is to maintain the pink color in the water
for 10 hours. After 10 hours, do another 50% water change. Adding
de-chlorinators or hydrogen peroxide, will neutralize and de-color the
potassium. Repeat the treatment in 3-4 days to ensure eradication of
the parasites.

PP can sometimes be found at BIg box stores like Lowes under various
other names as a pond treatment.
Or you can take the easy way oout and do water changes and add salt
and hope for the best. Often times this problem will clear up once
water paramters are correct. However if a fish is stressed too much it
may not have the stamina to last long enough with just water changes.


On Sat, 05 May 2007 02:36:19 GMT, "AusWendy" wrote:

Hi Everyone,

Just wondering if someone could tell me what the possible cause of a white
patch on my goldfish is.

Have had 1 goldfish and 2 smaller fish in freshwater tank for 7 months. No
problems at all until this week.

On thursday white patch appeared near the head of the goldfish with red
around the outside of it. Since Thursday the patch has nearly doubled in
size, there is an area of redness around the white.

Ph is fine, the other fish are fine does anyone have any idea of what this
could be?

Many thanks,

Aus Wendy




-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

RED SORES
Red sores that are wounds, red on the outside, white on the inside are most likely
the bacteria Columnaris.
Red sores that are wounds, white on the edge, red in the middle is most likely the
bacteria Aeromonas.
Red dots under the chin or along the back are often a parasite called Costia.

http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/disease/disease.htm
COLUMNARIS
SYMPTOMS: white threads blowing in and out of mouth, dry skin, skin color darkens,
white fungusy or thready looking sores, peduncle disease, red anal vent, chronic
bubble eating
check for mouth and anal vent for sores; slime coat; mushy belly; gills light to dark
brown patches, white sores
TREATMENT: potassium permanganate in the water, feed romet B, injection of antibiotic
if possible. Topical treatment of wounds.
SOLUTION: improve water conditions, quarantine new fish. It almost always indicates
that a parasitic infection is going on and an accumulation of organic debris,
including fecal matter.

There are two main kinds of infection, internal and external. Some fish are
carriers, others acquire internal infections when they eat fecal matter of other
columnaris infected fish. Internal infections may cause adhesions of internal
organs. In fancy GF, this can damage or bind the swim bladder to the point that
floating problems occur. This may be one reason some fish are chronic air bubble
eaters and are unsteady in the water.

In most cases, the only symptom of an internal infection is redness in the mouth or
at the anal port or some thready material around the mouth.

The problem with columnaris is that when it is inside the mouth and the scales are
lifting with no signs of an outbreak it usually means it has gone systemic. You
cannot treat the nodule if it hasn't ruptured yet, so the only alternative is
medicated foods. When there is an external infection, the wounds seem to appear over
night. Jo Ann

"AusWendy" wrote:

Hi Everyone,

Just wondering if someone could tell me what the possible cause of a white
patch on my goldfish is.

Have had 1 goldfish and 2 smaller fish in freshwater tank for 7 months. No
problems at all until this week.

On thursday white patch appeared near the head of the goldfish with red
around the outside of it. Since Thursday the patch has nearly doubled in
size, there is an area of redness around the white.

Ph is fine, the other fish are fine does anyone have any idea of what this
could be?

Many thanks,

Aus Wendy




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