Oranda Goldfish Fins spotted and falling off

Question
I have two Oranda Goldfish. Orange Oranda's fins are frayed and falling off with small white spots in clusters all over it.  He hangs out at the top of the fish tank. I have had him for almost 9 months.   Black and orange Oranda has white spots on fins but so far fins have not frayed. He hangs out at the bottom of tank.  I have only had him for about three weeks.  Assume he brought what every this is with him when purchased.   Both do not swim much anymore.    Did water change of 25%.  Had water tested was a bit high on Nitrates so was given Easy balance and Aquarium salt. I treat my tap water with AguaSafe before adding to tank, also.   Added those as instructed.  Also added Quick cure now for two days.   I keep the fish tank at 70 degrees.  I have lost two Oranda's in the past year and hope not to lose anymore. (those two I lost to bladder issue, I believe, they did not have white spots but swam upside down could not pull them out of it. )   Can you give me any suggestions on what else to do to help my fish friends.   I have a 14 Gallon fish tank and I clean it every two weeks with 25% water change.   They get feed once a day with fish flakes.  Once in awhile they get pea's or an orange slice.

Answer
Hi Yvonne,

I saw your question in the pool and goldfish are my specialty.  I have three orandas and a moor myself.  

Quick Cure will only treat for a parasitic infestation.  Do the white spots look like the fish has been sprinkled in salt?  If so this is ich and is a parasitic condition and could have been introduced by the new fish and is highly contagious but can also be caused by poor water in general and in too small a tank without adequate filtration.

The fraying fins are a sign of fin rot, and is a bacterial infection, and will not be cured with Quick Cure.  You also should not use aquarium salt and Quick Cure together, sometimes its too much and can kill the fish.  Unless you really think it's ich I would discontinue Quick Cure asap.

I would recommend picking up an anti-bacterial anti-biotic, Maracyn makes good ones, and some Melafix.  This will help the fin rot and soothe the skin.  You can also try a broad spectrum anti-biotic if you determine the white spots are not ich.  If the white is in patches and is fuzzy or hairy, it's a fungus and needs to be treated accordingly.  You can use an anti-fungal and a anti-bacterial anti-biotic at the same time.  This would seem approrpriate, a fungus is usually a secondary infection to a bacterial disorder.

High nitrates can only be reduced by partial water changes, not Easy Balance or aqua salt.  I never use any chemicals in any tanks with the exception of water conditioner.  They are just a waste of money honestly.  After the Quick Cure I would do one 50% water change and make sure you're new water is close to the same temp, treat with the water conditioner, and use the new anti-biotics and you should see some improvement in a few days if it's not too far gone.  Also, don't feed the fish for 3 days.  You need to preserve the water quality and sick fish won't eat anyway.

On a side note your 14 gallon tank is far too small for two fancy goldfish and could be stressing them out and causing illnesses.  One goldfish needs 20 gallons and 10 gallons for each additional.  This is also contributing to the high nitrate levels (you don't mention what it is but should be under 20 ppm).  You should also have double filtration on a goldfish tank.  If you have a 30 gallon tank you should have a 60+ gallon filter.  This just helps with the enormous bioload.

Good luck : ) April M.