Long lasting fungus on goldfish

[SickFishy]

I really need some help! I have a single goldfish (out of 8) that is covered in cottonwool type fungus. I went to the pet shop last month and bought some Pimafix treatment, but although this improved things it didn't remove the fungus. After 1 week, I treated with medifin and followed up at weeks 2 and 3.

It has now been 4 weeks and although the goldfish seems happier, it still has fungus down the sides of the body. I don't have a camera to take photos, or I would post them.

The water parameters check out ok and I clean things regularly. I was told to treat the fish in the pond, rather then quarantine it.

Does fungus take a long time to go away? What can I do to help my fish!

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome! I will defer to the members who know about fish diseases.

But I would be curious to know why they told you not to quarantine the fish...... I would worry that the fish would be more likely to be victim to a secondary infection.

 

[SickFishy]

Thank you Turtle Mommy. I was told it wasn't advantageous to quarantine because the other fish were already exposed, so I just followed their advice. It has been 4 weeks and the fungus doesn't look a huge amount better, even with the proper treatment.

Do fish need to be euthanized if they are this ill for extended periods? I don't want it to suffer, but want to make sure I try treating it and giving it a chance at a cure first.

 

[Mmathis]

Thank you Turtle Mommy. I was told it wasn't advantageous to quarantine because the other fish were already exposed, so I just followed their advice. It has been 4 weeks and the fungus doesn't look a huge amount better, even with the proper treatment.

Do fish need to be euthanized if they are this ill for extended periods? I don't want it to suffer, but want to make sure I try treating it and giving it a chance at a cure first.

This is my take on sick fish and quarantining -- it's 100% true that the bug or fungus is already in the water. But what made it attack this fish in the first place was the fish was either already weak or stressed, or had an injury that allowed the fungus to take hold. You want to take them out of the stressful environment [of the pond] and make them as comfortable as possible while their bodies are healing. The main thing to always consider is to maintain excellent water quality -- in both the pond and the QT.

BTW, if you didn't already, tell us what size your pond is and what you are using for filtration, pump size, etc. We like to know the actual numbers for water tests, so could you tell us those.

As to euthanizing, that's a hard call, and one that only you can make. I always consider the quality of life issues -- and for a fish, I guess that would be swimming around and eating. You said this little guy seems happy, so sounds like he's putting up a fight! If you can, I would quarantine him. I don't know much about medicating fish, so I'll pass on that part, but someone else can help out with that, I'm sure. And I don't know about fish, but in people, yes fungal diseases can take a while to cure.

@Dave 54 might be able to help.

 

[Dave 54]

Hi so you are having a bit of a problem with fungus on the sides of your goldfish yes .
Ok we need to know lots about your pond when it was last cleaned of detritus and dead leaves etc , when you last cleaned your filter .
We also need to know all your water perameters Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ph please .
Its good that they told you to QT this fish as it shouldnt have been treated in the pond .
Why ?
Well because thats where the cause of the fungus is,fungal infections are funny od things the fungus spreads through your pond by spores released from the fungus .
Fungus is naturally present in any pond or bodies of water.
So to recap we noww know that fungi is a secondary infection cased by damage to the mucus membrane of the fish , the cause could be bad netting and handling a bacterial infection or parasite and is caused by poor water quality , damage through the act of spawning
These fungi do not present a problem in a well maintaiened pond in fact their presence goes a long way to maitaining a well ballanced pond they live on decaying and decomposing matter.
Fungi will only attack damaged areas of skin as such its in reality a secondary infection as it requires the fish for example to be damaged or through parasite damage.
The fungi will attack any areas of skin on the mouth or finnage, stress doesnt help either so we in reality have to go about providing a clean stress free pond that has good water quality and we should keep it at bay in the future .
Have you ever anethatized your fish before because your going to have to sedate the fish then slowly one cotton wool bud at a time remove the fungus treat the area with malatchite green then spray this with propolis which like the oil of cloves can be bought at a health food store or seeing as your a fellow brit order a bottle of Kusuri anesthetic :-

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/articles/the-various-stages-of-anaesthetics.5/

So you need to buy the following a bottle of oil of cloves some cotton buds , a bottle of malachite green and a spray bottle of propolis to seal the wound with .
I can take you through the stages of anesthetic use with fish with this article:-

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/articles/the-various-stages-of-anaesthetics.5/

I'm also going to give you another on good netting tecniques:-

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/articles/how-to-correctly-net-fish.17/

Last but not least an article on the uses of medication Melafix and primafix are basically c**p:-

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/articles/medications-for-use-in-ponds.8/

I hope this sees an end to the fungal problem your fish has plus as a freebee you have lessons about anethatizing fish and the means to do it , a tip , when the fish is well under it will go limp and not respond to you .
You then have five minutes to work on your fish before you either bring it out of the anesthetic or putting it back for a minute or two to prolong the treatment time .
Also if the fungi start to infect the gill casing and gills forget it by that stage you've lost the fish, this is bcause the fungi will also grow internally .

Dave

 

[SickFishy]

Thank you Dave. The fish isn't in QT as I was told not to by the shop, it is still in the main pond and I am treating the whole thing.

It's 2000L and I clean it every week. There is a 3 in one filter/pump/fountain sized for a much bigger pond and I clean that each week too. The King British 6-in-1 strips show the lowest levels of things like ammonia etc, I don't know the figures just that they all come out at the lowest levels. All of the other fish are happy and have been for years, this particular fish has always been a little shy.

As it has been in the main pond for so long, can I keep it in there to continue treatment? I don't have a separate fish tank or spare air pump, but I have a large 50L bucket - is that ok for a QT of a week or so if I do a daily water change?

Am I ok to continue with Medifin, as I already have this medicine - it contains 67mg malachite green per 100ml of medicine. It would save me buying something additional.

 

[Mmathis]

@Dave 54 the pond people told her NOT to quarantine the fish, so she's been following their advice up to this point.

 

[Dave 54]

Thank you Dave. The fish isn't in QT as I was told not to by the shop, it is still in the main pond and I am treating the whole thing.

It's 2000L and I clean it every week. There is a 3 in one filter/pump/fountain sized for a much bigger pond and I clean that each week too. The King British 6-in-1 strips show the lowest levels of things like ammonia etc, I don't know the figures just that they all come out at the lowest levels. All of the other fish are happy and have been for years, this particular fish has always been a little shy.

As it has been in the main pond for so long, can I keep it in there to continue treatment? I don't have a separate fish tank or spare air pump, but I have a large 50L bucket - is that ok for a QT of a week or so if I do a daily water change?

Am I ok to continue with Medifin, as I already have this medicine - it contains 67mg malachite green per 100ml of medicine. It would save me buying something additional.

These test strips are very unreliable I would buy an API Pond Master test kit and an additional Nitrate Kit your best bet at the moment is to go with the advice of the fih shop reat the pond as a whole .
If the Prima/Melafix doesnt shift it then I suggest buying a good anti fungal treatment, [by the way I want emplying anything about your pond just giving you the reasons I know that can cause a fungal outbreak] .

@Dave 54 the pond people told her NOT to quarantine the fish, so she's been following their advice up to this point.

Maggie you know me I'm a hands on type of koi keeper if its wrong then I fix it , sickfish is now caught in a dilema to keep going with the Primafix/Melafix or go over to a good off the shelf anti fungal treatment....

Dave

 

[bettasngoldfish]

As it has been in the main pond for so long, can I keep it in there to continue treatment? I don't have a separate fish tank or spare air pump, but I have a large 50L bucket - is that ok for a QT of a week or so if I do a daily water change?

Am I ok to continue with Medifin, as I already have this medicine - it contains 67mg malachite green per 100ml of medicine. It would save me buying something additional.

With daily water changes your bucket will be fine although you really need to use an air pump especially if using a medication.

Check out this link and scroll to the bottom to read about Tub to Tub treatment of sick fish: http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/treatment/trtmnt.htm

 

[bettasngoldfish]

If this is the medication you have on hand it should work:

Tetra Medifin (500 ml) Product Description:
MediFin can be used to treat diseases such as whitespot, skin parasites, gill flukes, bacterial skin infections, fin rot, fungus, and to prevent secondary infections of wounds and lesions. Unlike many treatments, MediFin is safe to use with all pond fish, including sterlets and orfe. How it Works MediFin contains active ingredients which are effective against a wide range of common fish diseases. This removes the uncertainty surrounding accurate diagnosis, which can in many cases be impossible. How to Use Add 50ml of MediFin to every 1150 litres (250 gallons) of pond water. Disease recovery can be advanced by using WaterSafe in conjunction with MediFin. Treatment may be repeated after 7 to 10 days, if recovery is not complete. MediFin can also be used as a preventative remedy, during sensitive times of the year such as the spring and autumn. Do not use MediFin in conjunction with other pond treatments, except those in the TetraPond range. Always read the instructions carefully before use.

 

[SickFishy]

Thank you for reading up on the medication. I've removed the fish from the pond and I'm treating it in my plastic wheelbarrow (it's the largest container I have). I'm changing the water every couple of days and going out every few hours to aerate the pond manually.

I've added 150% of the medifin dosage as it hasn't worked after a month, so I've increased the dosage as a last option . The poor guy doesn't look well and seems lethargic, whereas all the other fish are fine.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Sure

Sorry to hear your fish isn't better yet.

Why do you have to aerate the pond manually?

 

[Dave 54]

I thought it was agreed your treating the pond in situ .
The problem is the melafix its taking too long to you want to quit using it and go with what @bettasngoldfish recomends you use or a very good off the shelf anti fungal .
Your areation should still be on the pond you shouldnt have switched it off .

Dave

 

[SickFishy]

Sorry I meant aerate the wheelbarrow manually, not the pond! As I don't have a spare pump for the wheelbarrow, I'm doing it manually to make sure that there is enough oxygen in there. I have also added some aerating plants for shade to the wheelbarrow. As it wasn't getting any better I removed the fish from the main pond so I can increase the dose of medifin, I don't want to harm all the fish by trying to save this one.

I'm already using medifin (for almost a month) Dave as the Pimafix didn't work, but now the fish looks even worse. I think it's on its way out

 

[Dave 54]

The problems with Primafix are tenfold sticky it is not a good treratment [we tried using it once , never again].
You cant just stop one treatment and expect the other to work straight away plus you should have left a gap between the Primafix water change it out let the fish rest for a while and only then should you have treated your fish . you are basically making it worse not better my friend .
Your best bet now is to try and water change the treatment out first before taking the next step .

Dave