white patch growing on the goldfish

Question
I am puzzled by the large white patch that has developed on the goldfish.  These are common, 29 cents at Walmart goldfish, and they were looking fine for 3 weeks.  Now all of a sudden, it was as if they are trying to turn white, but I now realize it is something white growing on the fish.  What should I do?

Answer
Ibrom,                                                       Do you have them in a bowl or a tank. They get large. The myth of a goldfish bowl is exactly that. To tell you the truth the rule is 20 gallons per goldfish. They will get big no matter what. They give off tons of wastes and usually kill themselves with it in small areas. I would set up at least a 10 gallon aquarium to start and get a heater to do tropical if you want a few fish .... a nice community. If you have them in an aquarium they might have a fungus and i would add a fungal medication for 7 days. Remove your carbon. After 7 days replace you carbon with new and do a 25% water change. Good Luck, Tina