Goldfish with cotton mouth

[Jim Sinclair]

This one is in a plastic tub in the basement, so in colder water than the ones that are upstairs. Lying on the tub floor, looks like it has a ball of cotton in its mouth, someone fins are also ragged. I have removed it from the tub with other fish and put it in a smaller tub alone. What is the best treatment? Should I treat the affected fish in isolation, or treat the whole tub on the premise that it's contagious and the other fish have already been exposed?

 

[Guppylover3x]

This one is in a plastic tub in the basement, so in colder water than the ones that are upstairs. Lying on the tub floor, looks like it has a ball of cotton in its mouth, someone fins are also ragged. I have removed it from the tub with other fish and put it in a smaller tub alone. What is the best treatment? Should I treat the affected fish in isolation, or treat the whole tub on the premise that it's contagious and the other fish have already been exposed?

Cotton wool disease is usually constagious so I’d treat all your fish. Fungus and finrot medication should help. I’d recommend the interpet brand for this. However if there is a way you can avoid adding medication, this would be more ideal. Could you post a picture of your fish just so we can clarify this is the issue? What are your water peramters like, any ammonia or nitrites? When you say the fish is in a tub I assume this has a full filtration system. Good luck.

 

[Jim Sinclair]

Cotton wool disease is usually constagious so I’d treat all your fish. Fungus and finrot medication should help. I’d recommend the interpet brand for this. However if there is a way you can avoid adding medication, this would be more ideal. Could you post a picture of your fish just so we can clarify this is the issue? What are your water peramters like, any ammonia or nitrites? When you say the fish is in a tub I assume this has a full filtration system. Good luck.

The fish (and several other 6-month-old spawnsibs) was in a ~20 gallon plastic storage tub with a HOB filter. Now the affected fish is in a smaller (7.5 gallon, I think) tub with no filter, because all my filters are already in use. I discovered the condition while doing a water change. I do about 25% water changes twice a week on the ones in the basement where it's cold and the fish aren't eating or pooping as much (and daily or in a crunch every other day on the ones in the living room where it's warmer). Water parameters are generally good when I test them, but I didn't test this one today because I was in a hurry so just did the water changes and discovered the sick fish and got it out into a quarantine tub with all clean water. I then added dissolved salt, 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons, to the quarantine tub and to both of the larger basement tubs with baby fish in them.

I didn't get a picture either. Will try to get one when I get back home this evening.

But meanwhile while I'm out, if I can get to the LFS before it closes, what should I look for?

 

[Guppylover3x]

The fish (and several other 6-month-old spawnsibs) was in a ~20 gallon plastic storage tub with a HOB filter. Now the affected fish is in a smaller (7.5 gallon, I think) tub with no filter, because all my filters are already in use. I discovered the condition while doing a water change. I do about 25% water changes twice a week on the ones in the basement where it's cold and the fish aren't eating or pooping as much (and daily or in a crunch every other day on the ones in the living room where it's warmer). Water parameters are generally good when I test them, but I didn't test this one today because I was in a hurry so just did the water changes and discovered the sick fish and got it out into a quarantine tub with all clean water. I then added dissolved salt, 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons, to the quarantine tub and to both of the larger basement tubs with baby fish in them.

I didn't get a picture either. Will try to get one when I get back home this evening.

But meanwhile while I'm out, if I can get to the LFS before it closes, what should I look for?

You really need to add a filter if you plan on keeping him in there. You’ve done the right thing by adding salt, however if this hasn’t worked you will have to add medication. I recommend the interpet fungus and finrot treatment personally. Although there could be better remedies out there. Goldfish create a lot of waste so make sure you’re doing your gravel cleans too. I also wouldn’t recommend extremely cold water temperature if you want your fish to heal. Could you move the tank? It’s easy to have a busy day and loose track off water testing but don’t make this a habit. Try to carry them out daily and anytime ammonia or nitrites are above 0 perform a water change. Best of luck.

 

[Jim Sinclair]

Um--okay, if I am doing water changes daily or every other day or, for the ones in the cold basement during winter, twice a week, why do I need to test the water every time? I'm going to change it anyway. And with 3-6 tanks or tubs to do water changes in every day (plus 8 cats--one of them 17.5 years old with some medical issues--and 4 dogs--one of them about 15 years old and barely ambulatory plus he had a GI blockage yesterday, apparently from eating a towel), is taking extra time to test water that I'm about to change anyway really a good use of my time? I spot check one tank at a time every week or so.

Anyway, I got to the LFS 5 minutes before it closed, and they sold me some API E.M. Erythromycin powder. This is the same stuff that saved a fish with really horrible extensive fin rot a few years ago, so I'm hoping it will be equally effective for this fish. The LFS guy said he thought the fish would do better at a warmer temperature, so I brought the hospital tank upstairs where it, and the fish in it, will gradually warm up to the upstairs room temperature. I removed the fish (and took pictures and video while it was in a small container), dumped out the water from the hospital tank, then used a one-gallon jug to measure 5 gallons from my clean water tank in the basement, so I know how much water is in there. The erythromycin package says 1 packet per 10 gallons of water, so I added half a packet.

Picture of the fish attached. Video at