Thank you everyone for such amazing responses to my goldfish disease symptoms guide. As you know, it’s very important to catch common goldfish diseases early. The guide received over 100 responses, and I was so happy to help so many goldfish hobbyists create healthier environments for their fish.

I originally wrote a follow-up article about common goldfish diseases and how to prevent them, but the article was nearly 6,000 words of content. So I decided to make this article a three-part series instead.

• The first part in the series covered goldfish disease symptoms and gave you a list of fourteen behavioral and physical signs to look for when observing sick goldfish.
• This is the second part in the goldfish disease series, and here we’ll examine seven of the most common goldfish diseases that affect freshwater aquariums and ponds.
• The third part in the series covers goldfish disease prevention and ways you can find and combat problems that may result in infection.

If your goldfish are acting strangely, rubbing against objects in the aquarium or resting listlessly at the bottom of the tank, you know something is wrong. It’s especially alarming when your goldfish start developing cotton-like growths and discolored patches along the scales and fins.

Goldfish are hardy. It is unusual for them to get sick. – David E. Boruchowitz, author of Aquarium Care of Goldfish

Some goldfish are so good at withstanding common goldfish diseases that they can safely be kept in freshwater ponds. So what’s going on?

Goldfish may be hardy, but they’re not invincible.

Goldfish will fall victim to parasites, bacterial infections, and fungal diseases if kept in poor water conditions. If not treated and left to spread, these common goldfish diseases can take over your fish until their weakened bodies have exhausted themselves fighting.

The good news: If you catch common goldfish diseases early and treat them quickly, your goldfish will thank you by staying happy and healthy for years.

But be careful! Stay observant. Never medicate the aquarium without knowing for certain what the problem is.

Are Your Goldfish Actually Sick?

Certain types of goldfish have been bred to develop strange, yet very fascinating, traits. As your goldfish mature, they may develop special characteristics specific to their breed.

But don’t confuse these qualities with common goldfish diseases!

If you don’t know what you’re getting into, you might mistake the elaborate noses of pompom goldfish for fungal infections. If you treat the poor little ones unnecessarily, you’ll stress them out and they might become infected with real goldfish diseases as a result!

Medicating the aquarium with a treatment your goldfish don’t need is stressful. This stress will then lower the immune system and your goldfish might actually start developing common goldfish diseases when they really were quite healthy before.

Know your goldfish types. Most importantly, do your research!

Below are five goldfish with qualities that might be mistaken for common goldfish diseases.

• Pompom Goldfish – Pompom goldfish (also referred to as pompon goldfish) are known for their nasal outgrowths on the right and left side of their head. The puffy growths can become so elaborate that they resemble cheerleader pom-poms. But rest easy. These outgrowths are normal. Don’t mistake them for fungal infections!
• Lionhead Goldfish – Lionhead goldfish develop a pretty impressive head growth that looks somewhat like a lion’s mane (hence the name). The head growth not only develops on the top of the head (like an oranda), but it also grows on the cheeks and gill plates. As your goldfish age, their head growths will become much more defined (and can get quite large). Again, this unique characteristic shouldn’t be confused with common goldfish diseases.
• Oranda Goldfish – Like the lionhead, oranda goldfish have fleshy raspberry-shaped growths on the top of their head. This head growth is called the wen (or hood). While normal for oranda goldfish, the wen can grow so large that it sags down over the eyes and blocks the goldfish’s vision. Some hobbyists even confuse the wen for common goldfish diseases.
• Bubble Eye Goldfish – Bubble eye goldfish are named after the fluid-filled sacs that develop beneath their eyes, similar to large but fragile balloons. You might notice that these fluid-filled sacs keep growing. Sometimes the sacs can become so enlarged that it almost appears as though the eyes are looking directly up at the aquarium lights. The sacs under their eyes can easily break if there are sharp objects or rough substrate in the aquarium.
• Telescope Eye Goldfish – Telescope eye goldfish are known for their protruding eyes that almost resemble telescope lenses. But don’t confuse these swollen eyes with a bacterial infection, one of the many common goldfish diseases that affect freshwater aquariums. Unless one eye is abnormally larger than the other, your goldfish are probably just fine.

As you keep goldfish and observe how they interact with their environment, you’ll learn more about their characteristics and traits, what they like and dislike. You’ll become so accustomed to their normal behaviors that you’ll be able to tell right away when something goes wrong.

If you’re on this page, most likely you know your goldfish are sick. And they need help.

Let’s pinpoint the problem and treat those common goldfish diseases.

Effective Treatments for Common Goldfish Diseases

Photo by Mikhail Esteves (Flickr)

Your goldfish aren’t acting the way they should. What should you do?

First, remove the sick goldfish.

Unless the whole tank is infected, quarantine sick goldfish and place them in a hospital tank. This will make treating common goldfish diseases much easier. As mentioned earlier, you don’t want to treat healthy fish unnecessarily. Doing so can cause your goldfish stress (and stress should always be avoided whenever possible).

If the goldfish disease is contagious, like white spot disease and most parasite infections, you can safely treat the infected aquarium without quarantining your fish. Of course, especially sick goldfish can still be placed in a hospital tank for special treatment if they’re in pretty bad shape.

After your goldfish are quarantined, you’re ready to begin treatment. Let’s take a brief look at 7 of the most common goldfish diseases that impact aquariums and ponds.

Goldfish Disease #1: White Spot Disease (Ich)

Very common in aquariums, white spot disease usually affects new goldfish that are stressed out after a long car ride (or shipment) home.

• Causes of Ich – White spot disease is caused by ich parasites in the water. These parasites attack stressed out goldfish with lowered immune systems, especially recently purchased fish. Anything that causes stress can make your goldfish susceptible to common goldfish diseases, so keep your aquarium water healthy and avoid drastically changing water temperatures.
• Ich Symptoms – If your goldfish are covered with what appear to be small grains of salt, the aquarium is probably infested with ich. Goldfish with white spot disease will also breathe heavily and scratch themselves against tank objects, even the aquarium walls.
• Ich Treatment – I suggest treating your goldfish with the salt and heat method mentioned in my ich treatment guide before looking into commercial medications. If you don’t notice improvement after a week of the salt and heat method, use Mardel’s CopperSafe (make sure there aren’t any invertebrates in the aquarium). You can find detailed instructions on how to treat your fish in the ich treatment guide above.

Keep up treatment for a minimum of 3 to 5 days after the last signs of white spot disease. Sometimes white spots can reappear if you stop treatment prematurely.

Goldfish Disease #2: Floating Problems (Swim Bladder Disease)

Fancy goldfish are commonly observed with buoyancy problems, and sometimes these floating problems will be incorrectly termed as swim bladder disease. Often, floating issues aren’t caused by a swim bladder problem at all and instead a result of other common goldfish diseases.

• Causes of Floating Problems – Your goldfish might experience floating problems if they are overfed, fed poor quality food, or not fed enough fiber. Dry floating pellets can sometimes cause fancy goldfish problems when the pellets absorb liquids and expand in the digestive tract. Constipated goldfish or goldfish with excess internal gas may also experience difficulty swimming. Genetic floating problems can even occur after a spawning (in this case, there is no treatment).
• Floating Symptoms – If you notice your goldfish swimming erratically, swimming sideways, or even swimming upside down, your goldfish are having buoyancy problems. Goldfish may also look physically swollen or bloated.
• Treatment for Floating Problems – Test the water and make sure the water is clean, since unhealthy water is one of the main causes of common goldfish diseases. In part three in this series, you’ll find out how to solve problems with poor water quality. After water conditions are healthy again, fast your goldfish for 3 days. If your goldfish are still having trouble swimming, try feeding them veggies and low-protein foods. I recommend frozen peas (see my guide here. Some hobbyists also recommend daphnia to treat constipation.

Complete weekly water tests with a freshwater test kit (I use API’s Master Test Kit) and keep a watchful eye on ammonia, pH, nitrite, and nitrate levels. Continue feeding veggies and daphnia to your goldfish. Your goldfish should be swimming fine within a few weeks.

Goldfish Disease #3: Fin Rot (Tail Rot)

Goldfish under a lot of stress might develop fin rot, a bacterial infection also known as tail rot. Fin rot is usually a secondary infection that may infect your fish if they’re already stressed from another goldfish disease or injury.

• Causes of Fin Rot – Stress will make your goldfish susceptible to certain types of bacteria. Common goldfish diseases, poor water quality, overcrowding, sudden temperature changes, fin nipping, or aggressive fish can all cause the immune system to lower and fin rot to develop.
• Fin Rot Symptoms – Your goldfish will show signs of fin rot if they have ragged, torn, or red-streaked fins. If allowed to get worse, the edges of torn fins will become white as bacteria eat away the fins on your goldfish. The bacteria infection might become so bad that it will completely deteriorate fins to the body tissue. If the disease is allowed to spread to the fin base, your goldfish cannot regrow their fins. So treat fin rot early!
• Fin Rot Treatment – Good water quality is a must! So test that water. Your goldfish cannot start the healing process if water quality is poor. After the water environment is healthy again, treat the water with 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon of water. If you don’t notice an improvement after 5 days, move on to commercial treatments. Before treating, take out the active carbon from the filter. I recommend Maracyn-Two. It works great for many bacterial infections and uses minocycline as an active ingredient. Once you’re done with treatment, change out 25% of the water to get rid of excess salt. Continue your weekly water changes as usual.

Treat fin rot early. Don’t allow the bacteria to completely deteriorate the fins or your goldfish will not be able to grow them back. If treated quickly, you should notice signs of healing after a couple weeks.

Goldfish Disease #4: Fungal Infection

Your goldfish may develop fungal infections if water quality is poor. Fungal diseases can also affect goldfish that are already sick from other common goldfish diseases.

• Causes of Fungus – Stress and a lowered immune system will prompt fungus to grow. Goldfish suffering from parasitic infections, ulcers, or open wounds have a higher chance of also becoming infected with a secondary fungal disease.
• Fungal Disease Symptoms – Cotton-like growths along the body and fins are sure signs of a fungal infection. Fungal infections can be fatal if given enough time, as it will spread and attack other areas on the goldfish.
• Fungal Disease Treatment – As mentioned earlier, move infected goldfish to a hospital tank before treatment. Fungal diseases are not contagious. Take out the active carbon from the filter and treat the aquarium with Methylene Blue. Methylene Blue works great on sensitive fish and can be very effective when combined with aquarium salt to help your goldfish rebuild their slime coats.

Fungal infections should clear up after a couple of weeks, as long as you continue to keep the aquarium water healthy. Feel free to move your goldfish back to the main aquarium once all signs of fungus have disappeared.

Goldfish Disease #5: Gold Dust Disease (Velvet)

Very similar to white spot disease, gold dust disease or velvet resembles small grains of dust and starts on the backs of goldfish. These small parasites are smaller than ich and can be difficult to detect.

• Causes of Velvet – Like many common goldfish diseases and parasite infections, gold dust disease is usually found in tanks where new fish are present. Your goldfish might also be susceptible to velvet if water quality is poor or your goldfish are under stress.
• Velvet Symptoms – Goldfish with velvet might have a whitish-yellow film on their skin and what might appear to be golden specks of dust. Velvet will often start on the backs of goldfish before spreading to the body and gills. Velvet causes your goldfish to scratch against objects in an attempt to get the parasites off. If allowed to get worse, it might almost appear as if the slime coats on your goldfish have thickened or are even peeling off. Affected goldfish may also have clamped fins or show signs of heavy breathing or weight loss.
• Velvet Treatment – Since velvet parasites receive a portion of their energy from photosynthesis, cover the aquarium with a blanket and turn off the aquarium lights during treatment. Raise the water temperature to 80 °F (26 °C). This will quicken the parasite’s life cycle. Add 1/2 teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon of water and remove the active carbon from the filter. Remove any invertebrates from the aquarium and treat the water with Mardel CopperSafe for 10 days. Once you’ve finished treatment, do a 25% water change and continue routine water changes as usual.

Continue treatment several days after the last signs of gold dust disease to ensure all parasites are exterminated. You should notice signs of improvement after a week of treatment.

Goldfish Disease #6: Anchor Worm (Lernaea)

Despite its name, anchor worm is not caused by a worm at all. One of the most common goldfish diseases in freshwater ponds, anchor worm is caused by Lernaea copepod crustaceans.

• Causes of Anchor Worm – Anchor worm can develop in tanks with recently purchased goldfish. If you don’t quarantine new fish or plants (purchased from tanks where fish were present), you may notice an outbreak of anchor worm after a week or two. You could also also be at risk of other common goldfish diseases if you don’t quarantine.
• Anchor Worm Symptoms – Look closely and you may notice whitish green hair-like creatures hanging from the bodies of your goldfish. The attached areas are also usually red and inflamed, often with raised ulcers around the wounds where female parasites embed themselves deep into the muscle tissue. Your goldfish may attempt to get the parasites off by rubbing against objects in the aquarium.
• Anchor Worm Treatment – Treat the aquarium with 1/2 teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon. The salt will help prevent secondary infections and future parasite re-attachments. It will also guard against other common goldfish diseases. Now you’re ready for treatment.
  • Remove the active carbon from the filter. Then treat the aquarium with a commercial medication to kill off the parasites and stop eggs from hatching. I recommend Parasite Guard to cure anchor worm.
  • Some goldfish hobbyists also recommend using tweezers to remove Lernaea parasites from the fish. Be careful. Sometimes these parasites can burrow so deeply into the goldfish to cause harm. If using tweezers, I recommend using medication in the aquarium first to kill off the parasites before gently taking them out of the fish (gripping the parasite as close the wound as possible). Slip your goldfish underneath water every so often so they can catch their breath.

It might take a couple of weeks before signs of anchor worm disappear. Though, you may notice improvement (reduced redness and swelling) after a few days of using Parasite Guard. After treatment, change out 25% of the water to remove excess salt and continue routine water changes as normal.

Goldfish Disease #7: Fish Lice (Argulus)

Fish lice, also known as fish louse, are from the Argulus species of parasite crustaceans. They’re very common in goldfish ponds. They’re uncommon in freshwater aquariums though, unless new fish are brought in from an outside source.

• Causes of Fish Lice – Fish lice like to hop a ride on new goldfish that haven’t been treated in a quarantine tank. So make sure you always quarantine new goldfish to prevent common goldfish diseases.
• Fish Lice Symptoms – Fish lice have round greenish-brown, disk-shaped bodies. They’re often seen moving around the stomach, throat, and bases of fins. When lice attach to your fish, small red spots may be noticed around the wounds. Infected goldfish will try to rub against objects in the aquarium in an attempt to get the fish lice off.
• Fish Lice Treatment – Raise the water temperature slowly to 80 °F (26 °C) to speed up the fish lice life cycle. Add ½ rounded teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon of water to help your goldfish guard against parasite re-attachments and other common goldfish diseases. Now you can treat the aquarium with medication.
  • I recommend Parasite Guard, as it works very well with external parasites. Parasite Guard includes Dflubenzuron as an active ingredient, which is very effective against fish lice.
  • In addition to medication, goldfish hobbyists recommend using tweezers to remove visible adult lice on goldfish. As with anchor worm, be careful when doing this and make sure you medicate the entire tank beforehand to exterminate free-swimming lice and prevent eggs from hatching.

A complete fish lice life cycle can take longer than that of many other parasites. So treatment for fish lice in an aquarium or outdoor pond may take up to a month. You should stop noticing signs of common goldfish diseases within a week though, often sooner.

Keep Your Goldfish Tank Disease Free

If you’ve followed the steps outlined in this article, your tank is on its way to staying completely free from common goldfish diseases. But it isn’t there yet!

You may have successfully battled nasty goldfish diseases this time around, but are you taking preventative measures to keep your goldfish safe? It’s important to determine what causes common goldfish diseases so you can take strives to prevent future tank nightmares.

We’ll talk more about this in part three of the goldfish disease series. Until then, maintain a healthy aquarium environment for your goldfish.

Photo by 22Lauren (Flickr)

Remember: One or two goldfish require at least 20 gallons (75 liters) at the very minimum to thrive (read more about this in my goldfish tank guide). In addition to a large aquarium, goldfish need routine water changes, weekly water testing, a nutritional diet, and a good filter to manage all that waste.

You should also be quarantining all new fish for a minimum of two weeks before introducing them to your healthy fish. After all, you don’t want your new pet to infect all of your goldfish if parasites decided to hop a ride before the drive home.

Goldfish care shouldn’t be taken lightly. Just like any pet, your goldfish need your ongoing love and attention. If you can give your goldfish the care they crave, they’ll reward you many times over with years of enjoyment. And it will go a long way to prevent common goldfish diseases.

How Do You Treat Common Goldfish Diseases?

What is your preferred method for battling common goldfish diseases? Have you successfully treated common goldfish diseases in your aquarium? What tips can you give other goldfish hobbyists? Write your responses in the comments below!

The post 7 Common Goldfish Diseases: Are Your Goldfish Sick? appeared first on Complete Goldfish Care.

If you’ve immersed yourself into the delightful fish keeping hobby for any length of time, you’ve likely stumbled across white spot disease. White spot disease is a nasty infection caused by ich (or the longer version: Ichtyopthirius multifiliis). In fact, most aquarists have had to use an ich treatment at some point.

You come home one morning, brand new goldfish wiggling excitedly in their plastic bag. You’ve already set up the perfect aquarium environment for the little ones.

A cascading waterfall ornament spits out bubbles as your goldfish weave to and fro through the plants. Dazzling light bounces off green and blue rocks to pool streams of color across the glass. You’ve already cycled the tank. Everything is functioning the way it should.

You’re excited. Your goldfish are thrilled. And they enjoy their new home.

But three days later, you notice something odd.

Help! There Are White Spots on My Goldfish!

Your goldfish are smashing their bodies against every available surface, only to circle back down to the substrate with rapid, straining breaths. What’s more, your goldfish have become salted pretzels!

That can’t be right. You take a closer look through the glass and confirm that, indeed, your goldfish are sprinkled with tiny white spots. What do you do?

First of all, don’t panic!

White spot disease is actually pretty common in aquariums. This is especially true after buying new fish and forgetting to quarantine them before introducing them to the family.

The good news is that white spot disease can be cured with a natural ich treatment, without having to use strong medications that take weeks to rinse out. We’ll talk about this in a bit.

But before we begin ich treatment, let’s make sure your goldfish are suffering from white spot disease.

White Spot Disease Symptoms

If water tests come out clean but your goldfish are acting funky, you probably have a parasite problem.

Good thing that you can use an ich treatment to cure white spot disease quickly. But it’s important to treat ich early, before the parasite takes over the aquarium. Otherwise, numbers will become too overwhelming for your poor goldfish to handle.

Sick goldfish symptoms include…

Photo by Jan Smith (Flickr)
• Heavy breathing: Your goldfish aren’t getting enough oxygen, so their gills speed into overdrive.
• Persistent scratching and brushing against objects: Your goldfish itch! They’d just as likely scrape their skin and damage their scales to make the itching stop.
• Small white spots on goldfish: Ich parasites won’t be visible at first. But after these pesky organisms feed on the bodily fluids of skin and fins, they encyst themselves and appear like small flecks of salt or sugar. The result? Your goldfish turn into swimming, breathing salted pretzels!
• Larger white patches on scales and fins: If you don’t use an ich treatment before white spot disease worsens, more ich parasites will attach to your goldfish to feed. So many that they might resemble salty white patches on gills, scales, and fins!

White spot disease can get downright scary as parasites quickly multiply. But don’t confuse this nasty infection with breeding tubercles on male goldfish. If white spots are only concentrated on the gill covers and head, your goldfish are ready for loving action.

Ich attacks all over.

These parasites don’t just attach themselves to the gills and head. If you want to be sure that your goldfish have white spot disease, look for spots on the body and along the fins. Besides, young eager-to-mate males act far differently from how a sick, infected fish would – they’re restless and not afraid to chase down a few females if given the chance.

Read more on goldfish disease symptoms if you don’t think an ich treatment will help.

So we know what ich looks like, but…

What Exactly Is White Spot Disease?

White spot disease, scientifically named Ichtyopthirius multifiliis, is commonly referred to as freshwater ich or ick.

The disease is caused by single-cell organisms (protozoa) that attack fish with lowered immune systems. If your goldfish have recently survived an infection, sudden temperature change, or long period in dirty water, they could be vulnerable to white spot disease.

And if they’re infected, treat goldfish promptly with an ich treatment!

Most ich is brought into the aquarium from the outside. When selecting goldfish, always look for signs of trouble and don’t buy anything from a tank with even one fish with ich. – Quick & Easy Goldfish Care by TFH Publications, Inc.

While ich is common in freshwater aquariums, the infection should by no means be brushed aside as something trivial. Begin ich treatment immediately. If ich parasites are allowed to run rampant, they can quickly overwhelm goldfish until their weakened bodies can’t handle the attack and your goldfish die.

Don’t risk the health of your fish because of one lousy judgment.

Always quarantine new fish several weeks before you let them explore the main aquarium. Even if your goldfish don’t appear sick, you should still practice safety first. You don’t know what kinds of goldfish diseases or parasites are swimming around in the water your bagged fish are in.

When ich parasites first attack, they won’t be visible unless you take a microscope to your aquarium. By the time you notice any signs of white spot disease, all of your fish will be infected.

Before Ich Treatment: A Deep Look at the Ich Life Cycle

You might not think it’s important, but learning how the ich parasite attacks and feeds off of your goldfish will help you understand why and how an ich treatment works. Better yet, it will help you understand how to wipe out ich once and for all so you never again have to use an ich treatment.

Feeding Stage

Each white spot on your goldfish is actually a nodule, or small lump, that an ich parasite has formed on your fish’s skin. What you’re observing is known as the feeding stage (source). The parasite (now a trophozoite) attaches itself to the skin and devours your goldfish’s body fluids until it’s ready to reproduce.

In fact, parasites have likely been feeding off of your goldfish a few days before the small lumps, or white spots, are even visible.

Ich trophozoites are resistant to most ich medications during the feeding stage. So if you try to use an ich treatment strong enough to kill them while they’re hidden away in their nodules, your goldfish will also receive the brunt of the attack.

Encapsulated Dividing Stage

When the ich parasite has finished feeding, it detaches itself from the skin and finds a piece of substrate, plant, or ornament where it will develop a cyst. The parasite becomes a tomont and the encapsulated dividing stage begins.

Hundreds of new parasites (theronts) will be produced within the next 24 hours.

Free-swimming Stage

According to Marshall E. Ostrow, author of Goldfish: A Complete Pet Owner’s Manual, over 500 new parasites break through each unattached cyst. This starts the free-swimming stage, where hundreds of new ich protozoa swim around looking for a host to attach to.

It’s now that you’ll want to begin treatment for white spot disease. Ich are most vulnerable during the free-swimming stage, when they’re not surrounded by a cyst. So before they attach to your goldfish, you’ll want to kill off as many of these free-swimming parasites with an ich treatment.

Once the parasite finds a host to attach to, the cycle repeats itself. They’ll feed for a few days, detach themselves, and form new cysts on the substrate and plants. Each new cyst contains hundreds of more parasites.

But hold in your tears! Curing your goldfish from white spot disease shouldn’t be daunting. You can speed up the process by raising the water temperature, forcing more parasites into the free-swimming stage.

Water temperature affects how long or short the ich life cycle is. Since goldfish enjoy cooler temperatures, naturally it might take weeks to a month for one parasite to finish a life cycle. At room temperature, an ich life cycle may complete in about five to seven days.

Luckily, you can speed up the life cycle even faster than that without harming your goldfish in the process. Here, I’ll teach you how with first a natural ich treatment before we dive into commercial ich treatment options.

How to Cure White Spot Disease: 2 Highly-Effective Ich Treatments

Remember: Don’t stop treatment when white spot disease is no longer visible.

You have to realize that not all of the parasites in your aquarium will be at the same stage in their life cycle. During the encapsulating dividing and free-swimming stages, you won’t even see the parasite until it attaches to your goldfish and enters the feeding stage.

For this reason, it’s important that you continue ich treatment even after you stop noticing signs of white spot disease. Otherwise, you might just miss a few parasites in the encapsulating dividing stage. The next thing you know, your goldfish are once more infected by white spot disease and you have to start ich treatment all over again.

With that in mind, let’s start exterminating nasty parasites! There are two methods for total ich destruction.

The first method is what I call the natural ich treatment. I recommend trying your hand at this one first, since it’s less expensive and undoubtedly less stressful on your goldfish than several commercial remedies.

The second method calls for the purchase of a commercial ich treatment. Depending on the medication, you’ll need to be cautious to make sure it doesn’t have a negative impact on any other pets in the aquarium.

All of the below ich treatments are very effective. However, if you plan to move very sick goldfish to a hospital tank, you should also treat the main aquarium to kill off any lingering parasites.

Ich Treatment #1: Natural Ich Remedy

I recommend this natural ich treatment, as it combines heat and salt to cure white spot disease.

First, the heat stops ich from dividing into hundreds of more parasites after it has detached from your goldfish. Next, the salt will help your goldfish develop their much-needed slime coats, which will safe-guard them against ich reattachments. Lastly, both the salt and heat will attack free-swimming ich with dagger-precision until the last of the parasites are killed off.

It’s important that you don’t medicate your goldfish during this process or else the heat and medication may work together to deny your goldfish oxygen (source). Some medications lower the oxygen levels in the water and, because heat also reduces oxygen, it’s safest for your fish if these two ich treatments aren’t combined.

Note: If you have other species of fish or invertebrates in the same aquarium, make sure they aren’t sensitive to salt before using the natural ich treatment. Fish like the scale-less variety can’t withstand large doses of salt. If your fish are sensitive to salt, do your research to determine how much salt to use in the aquarium.

Salt is optional. In fact, some fish hobbyists have successfully treated white spot disease without the use of salt at all. If you’re worried about giving your fish a salt bath, feel free to use just the heat method.

1. Slowly raise the temperature of your aquarium water to 86 °F (30 °C). Do this over a 48-hour time period, raising the temperature in small increments (2 °F/1 °C every hour) to give your goldfish time to adjust to the heat (and prevent shock). High temperatures will stop ich parasites from reproducing (source).
2. Maintain high oxygen levels. As the temperature rises, water won’t be able to hold dissolved oxygen as well (source). Oxygenate the water by reducing the water level (this will boost surface area agitation from your filter), aiming power heads towards the surface of the water, or placing a few extra air stones (or ornaments with embedded air stones) into the water.
3. Add salt (optional). Use salt specifically for freshwater fish (aquarium salt), not table salt. Follow the directions on the back of the container for best results. I like to use API Aquarium Salt – it really works great on white spot disease. Simply add 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) for every 5 gallons (19 liters) of aquarium water. Many specialists also recommend 1 teaspoon per gallon instead.
4. Keep your water temperature at a steady 86 °F (30 °C) for 10 days, changing the water every couple of days. While ich symptoms are visible, change 25% of the water every two days to keep oxygen levels up and remove excess parasites (adding the appropriate dose of aquarium salt after each water change). Wait 3 to 5 days after the last signs of white spot disease and reduce water temperatures once you’re sure all ich parasites are gone.
5. Gradually reduce the water temperature back to 65 °F (18 °C). By this time, your goldfish should be swimming around happily in an ich-free environment. Do one last 25% water change and continue your water changes on a weekly basis as usual.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully conquered ich. Your goldfish should be very happy indeed.

If you notice more white spots on your goldfish after using the natural ich treatment (and you’re sure you continued treatment for at least three days after the last visible signs of white spot disease), it could mean that the parasite has grown resistant to the heat and salt treatment.

Don’t worry! If the ich parasite continues to attack your goldfish, the next step is to begin medicating. Let’s walk through the steps.

Ich Treatment #2: Using Commercial Ich Medications

If ich could win rewards, it would be for being persistent.

It’s okay though. While unpleasant, ich can’t stay alive forever. If you still notice parasites after 10 days of the heat and salt ich treatment, follow these steps.

1. Change 25% of the water and remove excess waste. Vacuum the gravel with a water siphon and remove the active carbon from your filter. Increase surface agitation by lowering the water level or increasing water flow at the surface of the aquarium. Make sure your filter is still pushing a healthy flow of water into the aquarium.
2. Slowly raise the water temperature to 80 °F (26 °C) over a 48-hour time period. The goal here is not to kill the ich with heat alone, like the natural ich treatment described above, but to speed up the ich life cycle. Basically, you want to force each parasite into the free-swimming stage as quickly as possible (where the ich medication will begin its work) without harming your goldfish in the process. Make sure you only raise the water temperature in small increments (2 °F/1 °C every hour).
3. Treat your goldfish with ich medication. There are a host of commercial ich treatments on the market and many are effective. I personally like Mardel’s CopperSafe Fish Treatment. This ich treatment is copper-based and doesn’t stain like some medications. It can also be used to treat velvet, anchor worms, and other parasites. But be careful if you have invertebrates or plants in the same aquarium. Copper-based ich medications can be harmful. If you have a few lucky snails that have survived being goldfish food, try shopping around to find the best solution for your particular fish community. When you do find an ich treatment that works with your tank, read the label thoroughly and only use the recommended dosage.
4. Add salt (optional). As mentioned earlier, salt can protect your goldfish by boosting its slime coat. It’s also effective when combined with medication. Words to the wise: If you have other fish and invertebrates in the aquarium, make sure they aren’t sensitive to salt treatments. If they are, you’re better off without.

If you’ve followed these directions exactly and you still notice signs of white spot disease, give it a couple weeks. Each ich parasite needs to begin the free-swimming stage before it can be exterminated. Eventually, white spots on your goldfish should disappear.

So now your goldfish are swimming away, carefree in an ich-free environment. Good work! I’m sure your goldfish are grateful to have conquered that itch.

But can the aquarium stay that way?

No More Ich: Preventing Future Infections

Photo by Pete Brown (Flickr)

There’s nothing more frustrating than having to battle another ich infestation after dealing with one once before. Luckily, you don’t have to if you actively work to prevent white spot disease from rearing its parasitic head.

• Give your goldfish a once-over, before they leave the store. Shop wisely. Don’t purchase a fish before checking for signs that its tank mates might be sick. Make sure every fish in the aquarium looks healthy, even goldfish you aren’t buying. Never buy goldfish from an infected aquarium and never, ever, buy from a pet store trying to sell medicated fish.
• Quarantine new fish and plants for at least two weeks. Observe your goldfish during this time and begin ich treatment if they start showing signs of sickness. Some hobbyists also like to treat quarantined fish with anti-parasitic medication, even if the fish look perfectly healthy. Prazi-Pro is great as a preventative against internal parasites and is very safe to use for otherwise healthy goldfish.
• Never pour pet store water into your aquarium. Acclimate new fish with water from your own aquarium, but don’t spill the bag’s contents into the tank water. You don’t know what goldfish diseases or parasites could be swimming around, so play it safe.
• Purchase plants from fish-less aquariums. Quarantine new plants for at least two weeks when purchasing from a tank where fish are being sold. Otherwise, you could unknowingly transmit harmful parasites to your goldfish.
• Don’t use the same fish net until it’s all dried out. If you’ve just netted several fish out of their travel bag, don’t use the same fish net to then clean the main aquarium immediately after. There’s a chance parasites could have hopped a ride onto the net and you could just as well infect your main aquarium if you aren’t too careful. Keep an extra net nearby for these sticky situations and never use the same wet net after you’ve just moved fish to quarantine.

The best ich treatment is prevention. Preventing infections before they happen goes a long way in maintaining happy, thriving goldfish.

Remember: your goldfish depend on you for their care. If your goldfish do suffer from white spot disease or other infections, it’s up to you to find the best ich treatment that will nurse them back to health.

Your Turn

Do you have experience with treating white spot disease? How do you cure ich?

I’d love to hear your thoughts, including any recommended ich treatments or tips on battling white spots on goldfish, in the comment section below!

The post White Spot Disease: Your Complete Ich Treatment Guide appeared first on Complete Goldfish Care.