# need help: white spot disease



## zana.t (Sep 14, 2011)

I bought a 13L tank and 2 goldfish on Saturday and the water went cloudy overnight however Ive been told thats normal.
Today I noticed that the goldfish have white spot so went to the aquarium store and they advised me to get aquarium salts and a general tonic by interpet and to do the treatment once a week until it clears.
I have changed 25% of the water and added the stuff as per instructions.

I have heard that malachite green solution is good for treating white spot but I cant find it anywhere.

Can anyone please tell me of any other effective treatments and times etc or any other info?

Sorry, Im a newbie :S


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Well for one thing the fish are stressed which in turn causes white spot. The tank is to small for them and to try and treat them in that small of a tank will stress them even more. 2 goldfish if they are fancy ones needs 113ltrs if they are comets they will need even larger tank.

The salt will help cure it but the temp needs to be raised to about 86 degrees and almost impossible in that small of bowl. With high temps you would also need to add an airstone as heat depletes the oxygen in the water.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

As Susan said,the tank is way too small.You need to look into a bigger tank or possibly a pond depending on the type of goldies they are.If you cant afford a larger tank,a plastic tote works very well for the time being.


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## zana.t (Sep 14, 2011)

I took my aquarium to the pet shop when I was getting them and the man said that they will be fine in that, they are the long bodied goldfish but a bigger tank is defo on the xmas present list.
I have been keeping an eye on them and they seem to be ok, there is no rapid gill or fin movement and they seem to be pretty content with no erratic movement and they are eating fine. I got some white spot treatment medication with malachite green in it but it wont get here til next week, Ill carry on with the water changes and the salt til it gets here.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Indeed,they will tell you things like that.Its their job to make money.The upkeep of a smaller container is al lot more work and therefore alot more money than a larger one.Also people believe the fish grows only to the size of their bowl.In fact,the fishes body may stop but the organs do not.They will compress onto each other,eventually leading to a very slow,very painful death.

I meant to mention,there is a product called Quick cure.It has the malachite green in it,and its what I use if the need arises.


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## zana.t (Sep 14, 2011)

Theres a second hand 46L tank with accesories going on ebay so will be hopefully getting that next week and use the smaller tank as isolation if need be.

Ive been trying to get hold of Quick Cure but its pretty hard to find in the UK so opted for a cheaper 4% solution from a general store that sells fishy things.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I see.Good luck on the bid,Hope you are able to get it.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Sounds like what you have is comets. If given the right space they will grow to 30 cm. and for 2 of them will need a tank of at least 208 ltrs, or the best place is a pond.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

I agree about tank size, you need a much bigger tank. 46 liters is about 12 us gallon, that really isn't big enough for goldfish either It would at least get them out of the tank they are in and would do for some months but consider if it might be better to get a larger tank now.

On a side note, the tank you have now is too small for most fish but would do quite well for a single betta if you added a heater.


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## zana.t (Sep 14, 2011)

defo getting the 46L one, I live in a shared rented house and dont think I would be allowed to get one any bigger but I dont want the fish to suffer either, considering giving them to someone who has more room and getting a smaller breed...


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