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FAQs on Goldfish Medications:
Miscellaneous Medications of Various Kinds
FAQs on Goldfish
Medicines: Antibiotics
(e.g. Maracyn, Tetracycline), Organophosphates (e.g. Fluke Tabs, Dylox),
Anthelminthics (de-wormers),
Salts, eSHa, Copper
Compounds, Formalin, Malachite Green, Mela & Pima(not)Fix, Metronidazole (Flagyl), Sulfa Drugs,
Related Articles: Goldfish
Systems, Goldfish Disease, Goldfish, Goldfish Varieties, Koi/Pond Fish
Disease, Livestock Treatment
System, Bloaty, Floaty Goldfish,
Gas Bubble
Disease/Emphysematosis, Pond Parasite Control
with DTHP, Hole in the Side
Disease/Furunculosis,
Related Goldfish Disease FAQs:
Environmental 1, Environmental 2, Environmental 3, Environmental 4, & Goldfish Disease 2, Goldfish Disease 3, Goldfish Disease 4, Goldfish Disease 6, Goldfish
Disease 7, Goldfish Disease 8, Goldfish Disease 9, Goldfish Disease 10, Goldfish Disease 11, Goldfish Disease 12, Goldfish Disease 13, Goldfish Disease 14,
Goldfish Disease 15,
Goldfish Disease 16, Goldfish Disease 17,
Goldfish Disease 18, Goldfish Disease 19, Goldfish Disease 20, Goldfish Disease 21, Goldfish Disease 22, Goldfish Health 23, Goldfish Disease 24,
Goldfish Health 25, Goldfish Disease 26, Goldfish Disease 27, Goldfish Disease 28, Goldfish Disease 29, Goldfish Disease 30, Goldfish Disease 31,
Goldfish Disease 32, Goldfish Disease 33, Goldfish Disease 34, Goldfish Disease 35, Goldfish
Health 36, Goldfish Health 37,
Goldfish Health 38,
Goldfish Disease
39, Goldfish Disease 40,
Goldfish Disease 41, Goldfish Disease 42, Goldfish Disease 43, Goldfish Disease 44, Goldfish Disease 45, Goldfish Disease 46, Goldfish Disease 47, Goldfish Disease 48, Goldfish Disease 49, Goldfish Disease 50, Goldfish Disease 51, & Koi/Pondfish Disease
,
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Methylene Blue, Potassium Permanganate, MANY
proprietary (undisclosed ingredient commercial preparations),
mixes
Goldfish Disease by "Types",
Causes:
Environmental 1, Environmental 2, Environmental 3, Environmental 4, Environmental 5, Environmental ,
(Absolutely the Biggest Category)
Floaty Bloaty Goldfish
Nutritional (Second Largest)
Genetic/Developmental
Eye Troubles
Lumps/Bumps/Growths (including
idiopathic tumors)
Behavioral/Social
Viral and Bacterial, Fungal
Infectious
Parasitic: (Ich, Protozoans,
Flukes, Worms, Crustacean/ Anchorworms/Lernaeids, ) Fish Lice (Argulus),
Goldfish Swim Bladder
Problems
Anomalous (Misc., Injuries, etc.)
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Torn fins, GF, med. use - 2/9/11
Hi,
I have a 1 1/2 year old Red Cap Oranda. He is quite big with a huge
cap. The problem is when he was young, his fins became torn from an
aquatic decoration that I had in the tank. The decoration was removed
and I patiently awaited for his fins to regenerate. After a few months
or so, his fins remained torn and I began to seek advise from goldfish
experts and friends who share my passion. Everybody (pretty much) said
the same. Ive treated the tank with anti fungal, anti parasitic
medications (all at different times), and made more frequent tank
changes. It has been a year and though much larger in size, his fins
have not regenerated and still remain tattered.
<Mmm, much could/can be attributed to the exposure of these
med.s>
I must add that I have two other goldfish in the tank with him and they
are not experiencing any problems. I have had the water tested and all
tests are good. My RCO is otherwise healthy and is the biggest fish in
the tank. I just wish his fins would regenerate so that he can be a
complete beautiful fish.
<Not likely to happen at this stage>
This is my last attempt to fix his fins before I resign myself with the
fact that his fins are just going to always be this way. Please help
me, if you can.
A perplexed fish mother
<Replacement fin tissues, soft and hard rays inclusive don't
regenerate "as new", and aspects of water quality, nutrition,
and yes, presence of "medicines" can and do malaffect their
re-growth. Still, these fishes do grow to be beautiful nonetheless. Bob
Fenner>
Goldfish with swelling
after medication... Poisoning 4/8/09
Hi,
<Hello>
Firstly I want to thank you for setting up this website. My problem is
I have a common goldfish in a 20 gallon tank that recently developed
swelling around his gills a couple hours after I medicated his
tank.
<Mmm... with what?>
He never had the pine cone effect so I don't think its dropsy.
<Dropsy is a condition with several possible etiologies>
I had another common goldfish in with him but he developed swim
bladder
<?>
and sadly died. I had first medicated with interpret
<Interpet:
http://www.interpet.co.uk/Interpet%20Cat%2007-08/Low%20res%20sections/Interpet.pdf>
general tonic
<Am decidedly NOT a fan of such general "cures"... too
often are the cause of loss of water quality through poisoning of
beneficial microbes>
when the now dead goldfish first showed signs of being ill but with no
identifiable symptoms. Two days later
we discovered it was swim bladder
<... no>
and I bought interpret swim bladder disease medicine. It said not to
mix the medicine with another medicine
and to wait 7 days but we wanted to try and save the fish so I did a
70% water change over two days to try and remove the first medicine
<Good>
and then only gave half the dose of the second medicine. The next day
the fish died and since then I have been changing 30% of the water
every day and the other fishes swelling has gone down dramatically but
is still present around his gills and recently he has developed a bit
of swelling on his body underneath his
dorsal fin on one side of his body. Could this swelling be long term
damage to his internal organs?
<... What re water quality, foods/feeding?>
Is there any way to help him recover from it? The ph is 7.2 and the
ammonia, nitrites and nitrates are all 0.
I would appreciate any advice as I would hate to lose this fish and I
can't seem to find anything on the internet about it.
Yours sincerely,
Ciara
<Unfortunately, there is much more one needs to know to render
useful "advice" here. Please read:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisease.htm
and the linked files above... to gain an understanding of what sorts of
information we're looking for, as well as the gist of the
environmental nature of the issue here.
Further I would eschew use of any Interpet product period... I find it
disingenuous that the company does NOT list the ingredients in their
products. As they say in the U.S., "they should be sued". Bob
Fenner>
help (Goldfish; diet, health)
10/23/08
Hello,
<Hello,>
Dear Neale, I hope you will be fine.
<Thanks for asking!>
Neale I tried hard to find live plants which you mentioned
Anacharis
<Also called Elodea and Egeria; another genus, Lagarosiphon is very
similar.>
but I could not find them. Neale Cabomba is available so I want your
help that should I introduce Cabomba in my aquarium? Will my goldfish
eat it or not?
<Yes and yes.>
Now I have 2 red caps, one black moor and 1 Ryukin in 22 gallon they
all are of 2 to 3 inch. After every week I change more than half of the
water. But Neale I am very much upset that
my 2 red caps goldfish have red streaks in their tail and I think this
is fin rot; I am treating them from very long period. Some time I have
noticed that their fin rot seems to be cured but some time their fins
become full of red lines. Today I have notice the same that my one of
red cap have very strong red line starting from the end of its tails. I
dont know what is that but I am very much worried about that please
help me.
<Does sound like Finrot. But some Goldfish have red streaks in their
fins. So would need to be careful. Finrot is an inflammation; the fin
tissue goes pink around the blood blockage, and eventually the fin
membrane dissolves. Simple red colouration does not look like
this.>
Thank you,
Ali
<If Finrot, not much to do beyond [a] treat with a Finrot
medication; and [b] check water quality is good. Your fish are still
small, but they will grow BIG, and water quality will become an issue,
even if it is not one now. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: help (Goldfish; diet, health) -10/25/08 Hello,
<Hello!> Dear Neale, I hope you will be fine there. Neale I have
introduce the Cabomba in my aquarium. Neale I want your help that
should I feed them flakes food or blood warms. If yes then please guide
me that what should be the routine to feed them with flakes food now?
<If they have plants to eat, your Goldfish only need flake every 2
or 3 days.> Secondly what ideal temperature of live plant like
Cabomba should be maintained? <Doesn't matter much; 15-30
degrees C is fine. The plants will be eaten by the Goldfish before
anything else happens!> Neale I am trying to keep my aquarium water
quality in a very good condition as my one red cap is showing the sign
of fin rot. Neale I have studied in a book that Alternatively the use
of Methylene Blue too can be used for fin rot. <Yes, Methylene Blue
can be used. However, it is known to harm filter bacteria when
over-dosed. So be careful! Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/methblueart.htm>
1 Drop per 2 gallons of aquarium water is the choice. While treating
with Methylene Blue, a 50% water change every other day for a week is
recommended, the main reason being, as mentioned before, clean water is
essential and helps with the healing. When using Methylene Blue be sure
not spill any as it stains, so should do this process for a week. And
what does that mean be sure not spill any as it stains? <Methylene
Blue stains wood, fabric, etc. It is difficult (probably impossible) to
remove. So be careful not to spill any!> Thank you Ali
<You're welcome, Neale.>
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Goldfish, hlth. 07/08/07
Hi Bob, I hope you can help me. I have a comet and a Shubunkin in
a 26 gallon tank. About 4 months ago the comet developed lumps on
her sides which seem to come to a head and then open up and what
seems like pus oozes out. This settles down and then another
opens up. About 6 days ago my Shubunkin developed the same thing.
I am trying to establish what this is before treating. I am
leaning towards ulcers. They both eat and swim fine and there are
no clamped fins. Here are my water readings. PH 7.5 Ammonia 0ppm
mg. Nitrite 0.0mg. Nitrate 4mg. My tank is cleaned every week
with a quarter water change. I am presently treating with salt to
try and keep the lesions clean. I have attached a photo of the
Shubunkin as it's easier to see the problem on her. I hope
you will be able to identify the problem as their lovely wee
friendly fish. I would be grateful for any help. Best Wishes
Norma from Scotland. <Hello Norma, you'll have to make do
with Neale right now. Bob's off on some fishkeeping emergency
I imagine... Anyway, I took a look at the photo and my first
thought was Fish Pox. This is a not-uncommon viral disease seen
on goldfish and Koi. It is usually very distinctive, with the
white growths often having the look of molten wax, being glossy
and smooth. This isn't always the case though. The good news
is that Fish Pox is neither contagious nor life-threatening, and
usually goes away by itself, particularly if the fish is kept
somewhat warmer than normal and given optimal diet and water
conditions. The bad news is its viral and so there's no
treatment. It's really "wait and see" territory.
The alternative that springs to mind is Ulcer Disease, another
not-uncommon complaint with goldfish. In this case, the white
growths are dead tissue and will be seen to be surrounded by red
and inflamed tissue, basically similar to an ulcer on a human.
Ulcer Disease is contagious, life-threatening, and treatable --
so the opposite of Fish Pox! Left untreated, the bacteria
responsible can progress into the body cavity and cause
septicaemia and organ damage, ultimately killing the fish. So
prompt treatment is important. Ulcer Disease is bacterial so
something with antibiotic or antibacterial properties will be
required. In the UK, something like JBL Furanol is one of the few
products available *without* a prescription from your local vet.
Anyway, those are the two diseases I think are relevant here.
It's difficult for me to be sure without a close up photo of
the growths. But given that two fish have the problem, I'm
leaning towards Ulcer Disease. Now, one last thing, Ulcer Disease
generally doesn't "come out of thin air". It's
a secondary infection that sets in after damage has been done.
The classic case is rough handling and then placement of the fish
in a dirty aquarium. So, you need to pin down the possible
factors. Your tank looks lovely and clean, so I'm guessing
the water quality is good. But you might want to double-check the
filter is working properly. Remove stuff like carbon and Zeolite
and replace with extra biological filter media. Stop adding salt
-- it doesn't do anything helpful and certainly won't
stop bacteria. Goldfish are hard water fish: you need a pH around
7.2 to 7.5 and a hardness that is around 15 dH ("medium
hard") or more. Salt doesn't do anything for this,
either. If you are blessed with soft water in your part of
Scotland, I'd highly recommend getting some crushed coral or
coral sand (or else take a hammer to some oyster shells) and put
some of this calcium-rich stuff into one of the compartments in
the filter. Some folks like to add some to the gravel in the
tank, too. Either way, you're looking to increase the
hardness and raise the pH a bit. Don't go wild, these
aren't Tanganyikan cichlids, but you'll be doing your
fish a favour if you bump up the hardness and pH a little.
Cheers, Neale>
Re: goldfish 07/08/07 Hi Neale, thank you for your reply. It
has been very helpful. I now think fish pox may be the most
likely answer as on close inspection I have seen no red or
inflamed tissue. I should probably have mentioned that the comet
has actually improved in the last few weeks .The lumps have
flattened quite a lot with no reoccurrence. They have a good
varied diet of flakes and veg, brine shrimp and daphnia (not all
at the one time) and are never handled. They have one Anacharis
plant to munch on. Do you think larger water changes would be
beneficial in the meantime. Regards Norma. <Greetings. Well,
so long as you're sure it's Fish Pox you should be fine.
I'd *highly* recommend treating for Ulcer Disease if you have
any doubt at all though. It won't do any harm, and the
medication isn't expensive (less than a fiver when I looked
online) so well worth the precaution. Fish Pox doesn't
usually spread from fish to fish, so getting two
'patients' at the same time is unusual. Anyway, it sounds
as if you're looking after them very well. Do watch the
hardness and pH though; when I lived in Aberdeen I had to deal
with soft water conditions so I know in some parts of Scotland
conditions aren't ideal for goldfish. Diet sounds good. Water
changes are *always* a good thing, provided water chemistry of
the water going in matches the water going out. For goldfish, 50%
a week is about right. Good luck! Neale>
Re: goldfish 07/09/07 Hi, sorry to bother you again Neale,
but I cannot find anyone who stocks JBL Furanol,
can I ask where you found it in the U.K. Regards Norma.
<Greetings. A good way to find stores selling aquarium stuff
in the UK is to do is an Advanced Search on Google with the exact
phrase "JBL Furanol" and the domain limited to
".co.uk". I got a bunch of pages that way, including
some mail-order ones. Among the stores I got were places like
"The Coral Garden" and "Reef Aquatics". Those
aren't endorsements, merely what was in my search results.
Hope this helps! Neale>
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What treatment do I use? I got 2 fancy
goldfish almost 2 weeks ago. I am taking good care of them,
already did a couple partial water changes, tested levels, etc - the
problem isn't how they are being cared for now. I got
them from a not-so-good place and I know I shouldn't have, but I
did, and now I realize they had some kind of disease when I got them
that I didn't know about. Ever since a few days after I
got them, their scales looked funny - like patches of their scales were
sort of sticking up and sometimes looked as though they were
gone. Yesterday, I woke up to see one of my fish just lying
on the gravel at the bottom of the cage. She did that pretty
much all day, however, did come up to eat. The other fish is
still active, however, I notice that their scales are now looking
pretty bad. There are patches where there aren't really
any scales. I called my veterinarian and asked him to see if
he could help. He suggested putting Methylene blue into the
tank and aquarium salt. I did that late
yesterday. I followed the instructions and put 3 tbsp of
salt and 1/2 tsp of Meth blue (I have a 5g tank). I know
this can kill the biological filter, but since it hasn't even been
running for 2 weeks and the bacteria haven't formed yet, I thought
it was ok and he had also told me to. I also don't have
another tank (yet) to do that with. Was Methylene
blue the right thing to do? < Not really.> I have been
reading info and it seems like it only helps with a fungus type
disease. I have no idea what the disease is in this case,
but I sort of feel like it's not fungus. So should I put
an antibiotic in the water or use antibiotic food? I heard
my fish can be saved at this point because she is still active enough
to eat and swims around. Oh yeah, and another thing - she
sort of swims into things and just floats without swimming and then
rapidly swims again for a few seconds.... and it's a cycle like
that until she finally settles on the ground. So what do I
do next?? Please help! I am already very attached to my fish
and don't want to lose them. Thank you very
much. -Jessica < Treat the tank with Nitrofuranace or
Myacin. You have a bacterial infection. Watch for ammonia spikes. Since
you have no bacteria, any left over food of fish waste will quickly
convert to deadly ammonia. Do a 30% water change and make the filter is
clean. Organics can affect the medications effectiveness.-Chuck>
Fluffy Oranda - 04/15/2004 Hi, so sorry to bother
you <Don't worry, you're no bother - this is why
we're here.> but it seems like everywhere I go I just
can't get an answer for my problem. I have an Oranda that has White
cottony tufts or growths on its head. I was told by some that it was
possibly a fungus, so I treated the tank with Fungus
Cure By: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. I followed the directions
to a T but it didn't work. The last time I've seen something
like this a friend of mine had it with his Oranda. The growths got
bigger then the puff on the head started to deteriorate off and the
fish later died.. I don't want this to happen to me. Please
if you have and suggestions please help.. <Sounds likely
bacterial, since it didn't respond to the fungus meds.... I would
try Kanamycin ("Kanaplex", "Kanacyn"), as this does
not seem to speed up fungal growths like some antibiotics can, just in
case it is a fungus.> My water parameters are all checked out
fine and another water change I have scheduled for tomorrow since I
just finished treatment that didn't work.. Any Idea what it can be
and what do I do for a cure? TIA ~Don~ <As above, I would try
Kanamycin. There are plenty of other antibiotic options, but I would
feel best with this or one of the sulfa drugs in this case, I think.
Wishing your goldie a swift recovery, -Sabrina>
Death of my Oranda Hi, I am Brijesh and have about 8 Oranda
(9 before) in a 60l tank. <Too crowded...> One of the Orandas
died. Before it died it showed all signs of flukes. It was flash-
dancing, isolating itself, had fins close to its body and was not
eating anything. Fins were disintegrated. The water was clean and I
have a UG filter running 24/ 7. <Better to not use UG filters with
goldfish... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm>
I tried the blue medicine and gave it a potassium permanganate bath and
had kept it in a separate bowl, but it died. Now I am afraid if others
follow. I can see some of them coming near the UG filter's outlet
and sucking the bubbles. Though there are no other signs of any sort.
What can I do to prevent fluke and if there are flukes how can I treat
them? <... much to say here... first, I doubt if you have
monogenetic Trematodes... Second, you need to look into water quality
issues... test kits, modifying their water to keep your goldfish
healthy... you want slightly elevated pH, some alkaline reserve...
Thirdly, get rid of the filter type you have and look into at least one
good-sized hang on filter... for the reasons you will find from reading
the above citation. Fourth and most importantly, you need to either
trade out all but two of these fish or get a much larger system... they
need about 40 litres of water per individual to do well. Bob
Fenner>
Re: death of my Oranda Hi mate thanks a lot for your suggestions. I
am getting a 160 l sys. and getting a power filter. <Ahh, much
better> Other Orandas are doing better after regular potassium
baths. Thanks a lot <Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Goldfish killing. Urgent help please please please Dear crew,
2 years ago I bought three Goldfish (common goldfish, Sarasa comet, and
a Shubunkin) and a "Hexafun" fish tank. <Too small... no
"fun" for your livestock> About seven days later the
Shubunkin died. To replace this loss I bought another Shubunkin and
another comet. A few weeks later these new fish both died. Then I tried
another comet and a black moor. The black moor and the old comet
goldfish died. A few months ago I bought 2 common goldfish as I
discovered these to be the most hardy of the goldfish right? Wrong!
These both died and so did my comet so I was left with just my original
common goldfish. A few months ago I bought some more goldfish with the
theory that if I bought 2 goldfish, 2 would die so I bought four
goldfish (two calico fantails, a red cap Oranda, and a Shubunkin). It
has been a while but I am back down to 2 again. the last fish to die
was a redcap Oranda who died of fin rot despite treatments. (now down
to the problem at last)! My common goldfish appears to have black marks
upon the leading fin rays of the double ventral/pelvic fins. I have
been treating her (wide bodied and concave anal opening) and the other
fantail with fin rot and fungus control (active ingredient=
Phenoxyethanol) but it has not got any better. Am I just overreacting
to a common colour change or is it fin rot, because it only started
when the red cap Oranda got fin rot. I carry out weekly water changes
with fresh water so it cannot be water quality problems. <Bingo...
the real problem here is environmental... not pathogens...> Please
please help me with my dilemma, as I have become quite emotionally
attached to this goldfish. Best regards Martin Slough <Please read
here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestkindex.htm
Scroll down to the goldfish files... READ the set-up and disease
articles and FAQs... Get a real tank... and you will stop killing these
fish. Bob Fenner>
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Oranda Needs Stridex? ZapZit! I have a medium
sized orange Oranda in a twenty gallon tank with one other Oranda
and five small ( 1 inch size) feeder fish. My Oranda seems to
have "pimples" on its cap. The spots are white and
tufty like cotton and bigger then Ick spots. They seem to pop
within twenty four hours. By pop I mean the white stuff starts to
protrude more and eventually fall out. <That sounds as
if your fish has a True Fungus fungus infection: Whitish tufts of
cotton-like material on the fin, tail, and body at sites of
injury. My guess is that the fish has a fungus
infection> Usually there's a new spot in the
morning, but its gone by night. The Oranda does not seem affected
by this at all, he's eating and cruising around happy. None
of the other fish have anything. The tank readings are fine. I
have been treating him with Pimafix for fungi and internal
infections and its not working. I did a water change and nothing.
What should I treat with. My water is salted as well. <I
have found that treating the fish with MarOxy
had worked quite well. Use Maracyn-Two or Maracyn or Tetracycline
or TriSulfa to prevent secondary infections on this fish. be sure
to keep up with the water changes to ensure the tank always has
fresh water for the goldfish. good luck. -Magnus>
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More Fish Zits I went to a trusted local pet store and
they told me that Orandas will commonly get the pimply fungus due
to the folds in their cap. <That is true, but if I
remember right your goldfish is always chasing after another in
the tank. Often that action rubs the protective slime coating
from the fishes head and opens it to infection.> They
recommended a dip solution. Formalin 3 by Kordon. I dip him in it
for a few minutes each day (its a gallon mixed with 2 teaspoons).
I just started it. I wanted to get your second opinion about
this. <It is a treatment that many goldfish owners use,
I have not, but it doesn't mean I wouldn't. My local
stores have a very poor choice of medicines available. And
Formalin was so frequently out of stock that I treated with other
medicines.> Water readings are all fine still and the
fish ( Wally) hasn't had any change of behavior he still
seems very happy and is eating well. Thanks, Olivia
<Just follow the package's instructions and all should go
smoothly. I know many people who suggest the Formalin mix dip for
their goldfish. Good luck.-Magnus>
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Black Moor with Mouth Fungus Can you tell me how to treat
mouth rot. <There are many medicines that can be used to treat mouth
rot. The company called Jungle makes a really nice medicine
called "Fungus Eliminator" I have
used it in the past on Iridescent sharks. It turns the water
a funny color, but seemed to do the trick quite well. make
sure not to get any on your hands or skin... kind of nasty, and you
also will have a funny color. If you can't find that
medicine, then you can also use a few of the Mardel medicines I had
suggested before. You can treat with MarOxy. Use
Maracyn-Two or Maracyn or Tetracycline or TriSulfa to prevent secondary
infections. > I do believe that is what my black moor has, or had .
It is deformed now which is making it hard for him to eat flake food. I
am worried for him. Can you help me again. Beverly <Try those
medicines, and hopefully the fish will get better. Good luck
to you and your fish! -Magnus>
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