Black Spots on Fantail Goldfish

[JayC]

For the last year, my Goldfish has been developing Black Spots all over its body. At first i didnt think much of it. But then after a couple months, it started to get weak and now swims upside down most of the time. Im sure the black spots have something to do with this. The spots are mostly on the tips of the fins. And about 4 are across the body. I went to a local Fish Shop and they gave me Parasite Tablets and told me it should clear up soon. The tablets are made by Jungle Labs..

Also the filter im currently using is a Aqua - Tech Power Filter. On the tablet package it said to remove the carbon from the filter but on my filter its a dual catrige, so i cant really seperate. Therefore i just removed the entire filter to keep some water movement in the tank.
Was this a good idea?

Has anyone else experienced this, how long will it take before my fish looks healthy and energetic again?

 

[Lotus]

That's about the best you can do with the filter. On some filters, you can make slices in it with a razor blade and empty out the carbon, which will still give you some mechanical filtration.

Provided the store correctly diagnosed your fishes' disease, you should start to see an improvement in a few days. Make sure you follow the course of medications as stated on the packet.

 

[Fizgig777]

Did you check.....

Have you checked the water parameters? Generally, black areas on the fins is an indication/result of high ammonia levels. What's the temp. of the tank?

 

[JayC]

lol aint got a thermometer. never used one. what should the temps be for goldfish. ill pick on up today.

 

[Fizgig777]

Depends on the GF type(s) you have. Fancies do better at slighty higher temps., whereas non-fancies stay much healthier at lower temps...

Check your ammonia levels and other levels, too... Should have a test kit along with a thermometer *=+P ....

 

[JayC]

well i dont wanna keep adding chemicals to the water right now since the pills are doing most of the work right now. So im gonna wait until my fish gets better then start adding the ammonia.

 

[Violet]

Sounds like you might have two different problems which are actually not related. First of all, the black spots on the fish, may be fine. Some goldfish get black spots or markings over time, they can come and go, one theory I heard was that the more sunlight they get the more the black shows and the less they get, the fainter they are. I have seen many goldfish do this and be absolutely fine. Secondly, it sounds like your fish is having a problem with it's swim bladder. Goldfish are pigs when it comes to food. When they gobble their food from the surface of the water, they also suck in air, which builds up in their swim bladder causing them to float upside down. This can go away on its own, or you can try a couple of things. Some people give the fish a pea, thawed, not frozen, and say this cures it. Another solution is to soak the food a bit before feeding so that it sinks, the fish will find it easily on the bottom. You could also use sinking goldfish pellets. Sinking food eliminates the problem of swallowing air. It may take a bit of time for the fish to right itself, but it will work. I have encountered both of these issues, and the solutions I have mentioned worked wonderfully. Just some ideas to consider! Good luck!

 

[JayC]

thanks man...it seems like u know what ur talking about. Ill give the pea idea a try.

Thanks.

 

[goldfish125girl]

You still need to get test kits to check the ammonia leavels, nitrite, and nitrate. How often do you clean the aquarium. I would also have to say black spots are a sign of tank problems and not a color change. I have been keeping goldfish 15 years and have only seen one have black show up once. Agree with Violet on the swim bladder info, but also want to add poor water conditions can agrivate air bladder problrems. High nitrates over 40 can really make floating worse. Better diet along with a clean tank help a lot.

 

[Fizgig777]

Oh garsh! I didn't mean you should add ammonia... I said you needed to test for it... While I do agree that color changed do occur in GF, in my 10+ years of experience, color changes on the red or black spectrum that begin in the fins are a sign of poor health. Coupled with the fish's swim bladder disease, it's most likely a result of environmental issues. In my experience, changing the water temperature can also help cure swim bladder issues... The dietary changes at this junction are a must for this particular fish -- though I don't necessarily agree with the assessment that flake food is bad for GF (in 10+ years I had one fish with swim bladder disease even though they always got flake food as a staple and that fish was subsequently destroyed because the swim bladder disease was congenital).

So yes, as goldfish125girl stated, proper care is a must for GF... Contrary to what floats around out there, GF are not as forgiving of improper care as many other types of fish. If your fish has repeat attacks of the disease despite your best care, it is best the fish be destroyed humanely for it's own sake as it has a defect of the bladder....

 

[JayC]

ive never used chemicals in all my fish experience life. Like what do i buy?

also i tried the pea method for the fish. But how will the fish eat it if its at the bottom. Its like always at the surface.

 

[Violet]

I have seen goldfish change colour, but it is possible that they had the darker colour already and it just hadn't shown up yet, but yes, goldfish125girl, I have also heard it to be a sign of a problem. And fizgig, I didn't mean the flake food was bad for them, some just gulp at the top and suck in too much air. It could also be a health problem, absolutely. Didn't mean to sound as if my suggestions were right and the only possibilities! Just some ideas from personal and secondhand experience.

 

[Violet]

JayC, goldfish will look for food at the bottom of the tank as well. Mine are always searching through the gravel and spitting it out in disappointment because it is not food.

 

[Fizgig777]

DOH! Didn't mean to make it sound like Violet had it all wrong... Sorry! Actually, the problem with the flake food is not the air the fish gulp (which can't harm them), but the fact that it expands in their stomachs after ingestion. It's better to soak the flakes for fancy varieties before feeding it to them (until they're waterlogged). The same goes with pellets.... The pellets, in fact, can be more lethal than flakes for fish with digestive problems. I always recommend that people soak them before tossing them in the tank because most expand to twice their original size when they've taken on water... The poor fish has no way of knowing that's going to happen and can have serious health consequences as a result. This is most true of fancy goldfish, by the way... A fish which seems to have swim bladder problems -- which could be digestive problems, in fact -- should not be fed pellet food at all (in my opinion/experience).

Gulping air for fish is like us drinking water during the course of a meal.... They end up eating less because they feel fuller.

But, on the whole, I agree that your GF probably would fare better with food that's already been soaked in water... It will then sink quicker and not expand in the fish's stomach... GF are also herbivores and should be fed a high ration of veggie matter to keep their stomachs working properly. An imbalanced diet will cause bloating issues as well...

 

[JayC]

well i tried what all u guys said and nature took its course and the thing died this evening. It was too sick in my opinion. Opened its mouth like every 2 minutes. Im glad its gone tho, cause it was really suffering...

thanks for ur help tho.....

Mods you can delete this thread now!!!

 

[Violet]

Cool fizgig, I learned some stuff about goldfish I didn't know!

 

[SKD]

Black Spots

the jungle Lab fizzing tabs work well...keep those on hand, but also you should get a simple sponge filter from your local pet store because the water really still needs filtering

 

[DesignsOnYou]

Hey SKD. Welcome to the tank. Just a heads up, this thread is about 5 years old. Hopefully the goldfish problems are long gone