Orange Coloration on our Goldfish

Question
      Hello- I have a question about a possible disease on our goldfish. The tank it is in is a 25 gallon tank, almost completely filled with water, with a Whisper 20-40 filter, with a pebble bottom, and has been set up for 4 years. There is one goldfish inside, who is almost 4 years old. I'm not sure of his type, just that he is long and skinny, with mostly silver scales with some black and red. The water is currently at 6.0 pH, though we were about to change the water, which we do every 1-2 weeks, in quantities of three buckets (about 4.5 gallons.)
    The problem we have just noticed is a large amount of uniform orange/reddish colored streaks on the edges head, fins, and body. It's winter for us, and the water is usually around 66 degrees or lower. Is this a disease, and if so, what can we do to keep our fish healthy? Thank you very much.


Answer
Hi Daniel;

Redness usually indicates bacterial infection. Make the water change and then use a product from your fish store called "Maracyn-Two". Follow the instructions on the package. You can also use aquarium salt to help fight the infection further and a natural product called "Melafix" to help with healing damaged tissues. theya re available ay fish stores too.

Goldfish are coldwater fish but they can tolerate up to 72 degrees. It may take him a long time to recover at the temperature he is currently in. His metabolism is very slow right now. You might consider buying an aquarium heater to raise it a bit. They are thermostatically controlled. Monitor it very closely to be sure it stays where you want it after the first several hours.

It's important to try to figure out why he got sick too. Stress is a major factor in all fish diseases. Stress can be caused by water quality problems, malnutrition, overcrowding (including too small a tank), overfeeding, bullying, etc. Be sure he has his basic needs met so that those factors are eliminated. Goldfish are pretty messy guys that need a 25% water change every week, along with a good gravel vacuuming. The pH should be more stable if you are able to do them more frequently. Be sure you have a really good powerful filter for him too.

Here is a good web page about goldfish and their basic needs to help you know more about them;

http://www.firsttankguide.net/goldfish.php

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins