Injury to new goldfish & possible whitecottony fungus

Question
The tank has been set up for a week and a half, there are 2 small Orandas in the tank.  My new one was fine, and then I noticed last night he had a wound like on back of stomach closest to fin and it also looks like some white cotton spot fungus has moved in.  Will Melafix take care of goldfish body fungus, and will it hurt my other fish who is fine and has been for 6 weeks.  Whaat about Fungus Clear from Jungle Labs by Tank Buddies.  And do I need to take the charcoal filter out while I treat?  and how long do I treat him, he is eating and swimming fine, the pet person told me he probably got stressed out during shipment to the store, but he was fine until he got in my tank.  My Nitrite and Amonia levels are low.

Answer
Hi Marilynne;

Fungus clear would be a good idea and the carbon should be removed. Melafix is great to use as a support for healing, but it can't cure established infections. The cottony stuff is probably from injury in transport. It could have happened from going to the store or even from going to your house. It happens sometimes. Any amount of ammonia or nitrite causes stress too.

Most fishes' bodies can fight off infections, but their immunity is compromised if they are under stress. Stress causes fish to be weak and you don't always see the effects of it until they actually get sick. Partial water changes helps the fish to regain their immunity and also reduces the amount of bacteria and other pathogens naturally growing in the water. Replace 25% every day for the next 3 or 4 days. The tank is so new that it is still trying to break-in. Ammonia and nitrite are typically elevated up until the 6th or even the 8th week. The water changes will help to lower the toxins so the fish aren't so stressed. Here is a link to my article on new tanks to help you know more about the whole crazy process;

http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help

I hope he feels better soon......

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins