goldfish fungus

Question
I got a new fancy goldfish about a week ago and I put him in my 10 gallon
tank with two other small goldfish. He seemed fine for a while, but now I'm
pretty sure he has some fungus on his body and his fins are clamped. I put
some copper safe in the water but I think I put too much. It said i tsp. pre 4
gal and I think I put 1 tbs. per 4 gal.  I put that in the water about 4 days ago
and then realized my mistake today when my fish didn't look any better. So I
did a partial water change today (about 25% change) and now I am still
worried that the overdose of copper safe is bad. So I put my charcoal filter in
again. Did I do the right thing? I so or if not, what should my next move be?
Thanks for you help.  -Rosie  

Answer
Hi Rosie,
Coppersafe won't work so well on fungus. I would do two 50% water changes over the course of two days (make sure the new water is dechlorinated with a good water conditioner and the temperature is very close or at least just a bit warmer--cooler water is risky.) and during that time also, keep carbon in your filter. This is simply to remove it. I've had the best luck treating fungus with using Jungle Brand's Fungus clear. You can also use Mardel's maroxy which is very effective. Don't forget the importance of water changes. Fungus can be caused by stress and injuries  plus dirty water. Since goldfish pollute their water more than most other fish, this can be a common problem. All that is needed is an increase in frequent water changes to keep their water nice and clean for them to remain healthy.


*Once your goldfish are healthy again. Try to get them into at least a 20-gallon as this is really the minimum goldfish should be kept in.

Best wishes!
Karen~