goldfish (kamakaze)

Question
Hi,
i have a tank with 3 "goldfish" in it, about 1-2 weeks ago one of my fish managed to jump out of the tank,well i found it just in time, i "peeled" it off the carpet and slowly placed it back in the tank. i thought it was going to die for sure but when i came home from work that day it was fine. anyway now it has a white patch on it's side (the side that was exposed to the air) and it looks kind of "furry", i was just wondering if it will clear up over time or will it get worse, and will my fish survive?
hope you can help me out! thanx, Kylie

Answer
Hi Kylie,
Wow, what a adventure your goldfish had! Lucky you found him in time!

Sounds like he could have a fungal infection with the white patch. Which makes sense due to the stress he has been through and his skin/slime coat likely was scraped and damaged a bit from the fall and thrashing about.

Fungal infections are typically easy to cure they just need to be treated right away.

I have my own method for treating fungal infections that has worked out quite well multiple times. It goes against most medication directions but I have never seen an ill effect from it-

I like to use Jungle Brand Fungus clear.

First do a 30-50% water change to remove pollutants that can render medication ingredients not as effective. Plus it helps the fish out.

Then add the proper dose of medication. You might want to let the tablets dissolve in a cup of tank water first because your goldfish may try to nibble at it and sometimes its just better to mix it around that way.

Now, it has worked out very well for my stubborn cases of fungus if I follow this treatment-

*30-50% water changes daily
*Redose medication each time

*It's also helpful to add some aquarium salt to help deter infection but its not completely necessary...Make sure if you use salt that you pre-dissolve it first and whenever doing water changes, only add back the amount of salt according to how many gallons you are putting back in the tank.

Treat for as long as the fish shows symptoms. Usually fungus will clear up in a week or less. Stubborn cases may take a bit longer and depending upon how severe or stressed the fish is he may not survive. But goldfish are pretty tough cookies and with the right care, he has a good chance of making it after all he has been through.

Best of luck!
Karen~

ps: Here's a link to a short article (and a great site devoted to goldfish primarily) with photos explaining fungal/columnaris infections and it might help out a little-

http://thegab.org/Articles/DiagnosisChart.html#Fuzz