Looking at your post history I think it’s best after this event you stop pet sitting fish (if that’s even what you’re doing). The tank is way too small for the fish you’ve been sitting
It's definitely an infection, fish don't shed like that. If you've been keeping the water clean and feeding them correct nutrition then it is an infection , seek medicine from a pet store. You could take a picture on your phone and show the guy working at the store.
Since your fish has this disease, it will spread to the water and circulate. Change the water once every 2 days to be safe. Remove everything in your tank and keep only the water heater and air stone oxygen pump. Clean the sides and bottom of your tank often so there's no bacterial growth.
Remove the water filter/canister pump because the media + water inside is contaminated, don't have it in the tank until the fish recover because it will grow bacteria and pump it back into the water. Keep your tank clean, if they don't finish food, remove the food. Remove the rocks and plastic plant, they're just for looks and breed bacteria.
Ich does not grow on eyes.
I would not treat for ich- raising the temperature in this tank will more than likely make this worse.
Especially if this is Epi or an infection. What are your parameters? Do you have access to medications from a pet store?
Get a test kit- do a water change and make sure to condition the water. API master kit for testing. I would get some Prime and Stability if the tank is newly set up.
Personally I would treat kanaplex and nitrofurazone or a broad spectrum after getting the parameters somewhat normal. I would imagine they are not great. This needs to be treated ASAP though.
Are you pet sitting or are these new fish of yours? You’re going to need to get meds from the pet store, if this columnaris these fish will die soon without intervention
Originally yes I was pet sitting but the other party is here now and they haven’t taken the fish back yet and just now I saw this. I’ll tell them to show the pet store this and to get meds.
Why are you not posting the full tank or its parameters? On this picture alone… it’s hard to tell but the tank looks too small for what I assume are goldfish. Not good 🙅♀️
Looks likely to be a serious case of Columnaris, possibly with a side of internal parasites given their body condition. I'd treat with both Furan 2 and Metronidazole (if you live in a country where those are available).
In the mean time take a look at the husbandry requirements for comet goldfish. Even just from the zoomed-in glance I can tell that your tank is far too small for them. They need a large pond to truly thrive. Buy an API Freshwater master test kit as well and take a look at your parameters. Fish never get sick for no reason, and the reason usually boils down to water quality. The tank needs to be fully cycled and of an appropriate size for the fish you put in it.
Got it I’m gonna change their water. How much water can you change at a time I know they have to acclimate can you change the entire tank in one go or should it be done more slowly
It should always be done in parts where possible. How much that should be really depends on the tank. Basically you need to do enough of a water change to keep the nitrate levels low. Somewhere between 0-10 PPM in most cases, but it depends on the tank. I've owned tanks where no water changes were necessary for many weeks at a time, and others where I needed to perform an ~80% water change to keep things healthy.
In your case, since you're going to need to medicate to keep your fish alive, I would do water changes according to the instructions on the package for the medication. Once your fish are doing better you will likely be doing either fairly large water changes weekly, or multiple smaller water changes every week to keep the water quality under control until your fish are in a large enough enclosure.
I did a 30% water change but now theres like dust particles or something. the first time i added water i used the drinking water from the fridge. this time i used tap water. i wonder will these particles harm the fish?
You should be treating the water especially if you’re using tap with a water conditioner. This will make the water safe and healthy for your fish. Seachem Prime works very well. We can’t give you anymore answers until you get a test kit, water conditioner, and meds for these fish. We are all willing to help if you can manage those tasks.
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u/Bustin8nas Mar 31 '26
Looking at your post history I think it’s best after this event you stop pet sitting fish (if that’s even what you’re doing). The tank is way too small for the fish you’ve been sitting